Haiti's Jewish Communities From St Domingue to Independent Haiti and Jeremie, From Nazi Europe to Haiti

Haiti's 2010 earthquake brought a man back to the country that was a paradise for him, the country that saved his parents' and his lives! Bill and Harriet Mohr funded Haiti Jewish Refugee Legacy project. On their website, Haiti Holocaust Survivors, they have been able to tell the story of how Haiti opened her doors to Jews who have been chased by Nazi Europe. Bill was only 4 years old when his parents brought him and his 5-year-old sister, Ruth, to Haiti. They were not going to stay in Haiti for a long time. They had already had the US affidavit that would ultimately take them to the USA. After 1 year, the family ended up leaving Haiti for New York. Haiti welcomed up to 300 Jewish families overall in the hey day of Hitler's madness and rage of the Nazi Europe. Ruth Hamburger Hirsch was only 2 years old when her parents, grandparents and uncle arrived in Port-au-Prince. She stayed there until she was 9 years old and then left for Miami with her family.

See Auguste Sara Mohr's affidavit and passport

The Rosenberg Family went to Haiti too. Find the passport of Harry Rosenberg here You will find a lot of interesting stories at haitiholocaustsurvivors.wordpress.com. Read Auguste Mohr's Oral History and Bill's "'One More Step Toward Never Again'"

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The beginning of the circle: Discovery, Expulsions, wars, slavery. Christopher Columbus on Santa Maria landed in Quisqueya (Mole St. Nicolas, Fort Liberte) in 1492

here.

It has been estimated that from 100,000 to 200,000 Jews living in Spain at the time — historians disagree on the true number — converted to Catholicism and stayed but the majority migrated to North Africa, the Balkans and what was then the Ottoman Empire, bringing the Spanish language and culture with them. At the same time, Christopher Columbus decided to go on a voyage and asked Isabella and Ferdinand to fund his expedition.

The Circle of History or Act of Historical Justice: Jews of Spanish heritage have ended up all over the world and it’s difficult to trace a family tree without ending up with a broken branch. Continuous expulsions, wars and the Holocaust make it difficult for families to document their origins.

After buying three ships (La Nina, La Pinta and La Santa Maria), he and his men set sail to discover new lands and territories which they would give to give to the Spanish King and Queen. In 1492, the same year, Spanish Jews were being forced to convert and adopt catholicism, Christopher columbus landed in what was named Hispaniola (Small Spain). Needless to say that many Jews realized that the discovery of the new territory was an opportunity for them to start their new lives. When gold was discovered in Hispaniola, the gold rush got started. Portuguese as well as Dutch and other Spaniards decided to follow in Christopher's footsteps.

They came to start a new life in Hispaniola. But they also realized that other countries wanted to take control of the gold mining. England, France, and Spain ended up fighting for power. All of them wanted gold and all the other resources found there. France ended up getting control and changed the name to Saint Domingue. With the hard-working conditions in the gold mines, the Native inhabitants were dying quickly. They fought against the Spanish invaders but they were no match for the weapons, dogs, and horses brought by Spanish troops. New workers were needed to work the land. Black slaves were later taken to island.

Using their large networks of business people, bankers, doctors, all kinds of professionals, and ship builders found all over Europe, England, Portugal, and Holland etc, they were able to establish themselves in the key exports as St Domingue became one of the richest colonies of America. Some historians even included these countries, Syria, Libya, Egypt etc The 1789 Revolution changed all good things. France was in trouble. In 1791, the slaves revolted. Businesspeople, bankers, and other planters decided to move.

Among them were Jewish families who moved to places such as Jeremie, Philadephia, and New York.