Curaçao synagogue 🇨🇼

Located at Hanchi di Snoa 29 in Punda, Willemstad, the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue—commonly known as the Snoa—invites you to step inside the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. Established in 1651 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews, with its current building completed in 1732, this Reconstructionist congregation remains an active, historic landmark that famously hosted Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1992. As you enter through a quiet courtyard, you will discover a majestic interior designed with three high vaulted ceilings, a carved mahogany Torah ark, pulpit, galleries, benches, and chandeliers that closely resemble the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam.

Gazing around, you can admire azure stained glass windows casting light over a distinctive sand-covered floor. This sand serves as a moving reminder of how Iberian Jewish ancestors covered their makeshift prayer house floors to muffle footsteps and evade suspicion. Attached to the site, you can explore the Jewish Historical Cultural Museum, which features replicas of artistic tombstones from Beit Chaim Bleinheim, the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in the Western Hemisphere.

Visiting this active house of worship offers you a deeply meaningful connection to centuries of living Caribbean Jewish heritage.

What to see at Curaçao synagogue

• Walk across the unique sand-covered floor, laid in memory of Iberian ancestors muffling their footsteps
• Marvel at the interior featuring three high vaulted ceilings and a carved mahogany Torah ark
• View the striking azure stained glass windows after entering through the quiet courtyard
• Explore the attached Jewish Historical Cultural Museum to see tombstone replicas from Beit Chaim Bleinheim

Visiting tips

Take time to explore the attached Jewish Historical Cultural Museum to see artifacts and tombstone replicas from the hemisphere's oldest active Jewish cemetery.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Daytime

How to get there & what’s nearby

Curaçao synagogue is easy to reach on Willemstad’s public transport. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Willemstad travel guide.