More Jews immigrated to Nicaragua from Eastern Europe after 1929,[3] and they formed the bulk of country's Jewish community during the 20th century.
The majority of Nicaraguan Jews lived in Managua, and made significant contributions to Nicaragua's economic development while dedicating themselves to farming, manufacturing, textiles, and retail.
The community maintained a synagogue and social center in Managua, as well as a B'nai B'rith lodge and a Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO) chapter.
[6] In 1978, during street warfare between Somozistas and Sandinistas, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Managua synagogue, igniting its wooden doors.
[7] Mauricio Palacio, a former leftist rebel who became a refugee in the United States after having grown disillusioned with the Sandinistas, gave a signed statement confessing to his part in the 1978 arson attack against the Managua synagogue.
[8] During and after the warfare and civil unrest of the 1978-1979 Sandinista Revolution, which culminated in the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, thousands of wealthy and middle-class Nicaraguans fled the country, concerned about their future under the incoming socialist regime.
This hostility was attributed to a number of factors, including the economic status of Nicaraguan Jews, the opposition of many members of the community to the Sandinista's political platform, the support of some members of the community for the Somoza family, the Sandinista's relationship with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and misdirected blame for Israel's arms sales to the Somoza regime.
Beginning in 1983, the Reagan administration, which was trying to increase domestic support for the Contras, made an effort to persuade the American people that not only were the Sandinistas anti-Semitic, but that the Nicaraguan government had launched a general assault on the freedom of Catholics, Evangelicals, Miskito Indians, Jews, and other groups.
[15][16][17][18] These reports were disputed by Nicaraguan Jewish exiles, most of whom had not been interviewed, and who corroborated Reagan's charge of anti-Semitism, citing several instances of intimidation, harassment, and arbitrary arrest.
Kulanu, a New York-based nonprofit group that supports communities around the world seeking to learn about Judaism, facilitated the conversions.