SURINAME ~ Jodensavanne - UNESCO ~

... Nice views of a historical site hidden on the densely forested banks of the Suriname River... the main attraction is the brick ruin of the Blessing and Peace synagogue that formed the central point of a village... alongside two cemeteries (Jodensavanne and Cassipora Creek) filled with Hebrew and Portuguese gravestones dating back to the 1600s... the oldest synagogue ruins of architectural significance in the Americas... a site that illustrates the early Jewish attempts at colonisation in the New World and reveals layers of colonial history, forced labor, and religious resilience... Thanks a lot Diego!(✿◠‿◠) 

Also for the wonderful quote you've written that truly captures why you travel:

“I travel because I need to… because my wild, adventurous spirit can’t live according to the “norm.” I travel to regroup, to reinvent myself, to be the best me I can be, to find joy in the ordinary and peace in the exploring. I travel to be.” ♥︎ – Unknown

Jodensavanna was founded in the mid-17thC by Jews who fled from Brazil because of the favorable location on the hill and the presence of two natural springs, one of which would have medicinal effects.The Jews successfully applied to the sugar culture. After a flowering period of almost a hundred years, the decline followed in the second half of the 18thC and residents began to move away to the emerging Paramaribo. The survivors lived mainly from trade with the soldiers stationed on the Cordonpad, the defense line along the Surinamese plantations.The big fire of 1832 almost put all the houses in the ashes and the last inhabitants moved to the city.  The Beracha Ve Salom synagogue (Blessing and Peace) remained in use until 1860.

During World War II, an internment camp for alleged NSB members from the former Dutch East Indies was established in Jodensavanna.The prisoners were instructed to clean the village and the cemetery. More than 436 gravestones were uncovered, but quickly disappeared under the weeds when the NSB-members left Joden Savanna in 1946. A subsequent cleaning attempt was made in 1967 by the troops in Suriname, followed by a restoration of the ruin of the synagogue in the seventies. Because of the internal war, the area has been abandoned for years. The Jodensavanna Foundation has given the entire site a facelift since 2000. For example, the nearby Cassipora cemetery has been uncovered and the medicinal source has been made accessible again.

The Jodensavanne Archeological Site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 and consists of two historically linked sites, namely the Cassipora Creek Cemetery and the Jodensavanne Settlement.

 

Stamps:

4X Fauna - Birds 

(Issued 15-07-2008)

2X Airmail - Birds 

(Issued 27-04-1977)