History of Jews in Brazil

This seminar examines the history of Jews in Brazil from early Portuguese colonial rule to the present, first focusing on the role of Jews and New Christians in early economic development. We then examine the Inquisition in Brazil, North African Jewish immigration in the mid-nineteenth century, Eastern European immigration in the twentieth-century, and the formation of communities and institutions over the last hundred years. We study Brazil’s foreign policy to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. Finally, we consider the role of Jews in the opposition to the dictatorship and in the process of democratic consolidation.