Judaism in Gibraltar

Judaism in Gibraltar dates back to more than 2650 years in Gibraltar. Judaism in Gibraltar had thrived well and the Jews who inhabit at the region have been active in all the actions related to the region and they have also participated in various fields like culture, government.

The first documentation of the Jews in Gibraltar come from the year 1356, when the community subjected an appeal asking money for a group of Jews who were taken in captivation by pirates. Under the Alhambra Decree in the year 1942 all the Jews were barred from the whole Iberian Peninsula.

After the Treaty of Utrecht which was made in the year 1713, Gibraltar came under the rule of the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the year 1729, the Jews could return back to the city legally. After that the oldest synagogue of Gibraltar known as the Great Synagogue was built and three more synagogues were built there after.

During the Second World War the majority of the Jews of Gibraltar had evacuated and went to stay at United Kingdom but later on many of them returned back to the region. Many of the Gibraltar Jews have worked in important positions in the Gibraltar government during the 20th century.

The Jews of Gibraltar have donated extensively to the Gibraltar culture. The vernacular language of Gibraltar known as Llanito has momentous assistance from the Jews.