Synagogues:
Shaarei Zion, is served by a rabbi, a burial society, and a Jewish cemetery. Carretera a Pavas frente al Banco de San José,Carretera a Pavas frente al Banco de San José, website here [October 2005] Shaare Zion Synagogue and the Community Center were dedicated in September 2004 on a 17,000 sq m plot with the new synagogue, the Hanoar HaTzioni youth organization's headquarters, a community museum and library, a kosher restaurant, and three mikvahs, one for women, men, and khelim. The administrative offices for all active Jewish organizations in Costa Rica, including the Asociacion Ciudadano de Oro House, the Golden Citizen Association for the elderly are here. Community information. [July 2009]
Centro Israelita Sionista de Costa Rica (Conservative) just north of Paseo Colón on Calle 22 and B'nei Israel (Liberal) in Sabana Oeste. (Located off the Carretera a Pavos in San José; 506-2520-1013) is the oldest and largest Jewish resource in the country. [August 2005]
Reform Congregation B'nei Israel, Carretera vieja a Escazú (506-2231-5243). [July 2012]
Costa Rica Jewish Community Museum [July 2012]
Crypto-Jews were established in the outskirts of San José since the sixteenth century. Passing as Catholics in public, but practicing Judaism in private, some Conversos in the town of Itzkazú (modern day suburb of Escazú near Santa Ana), failed total secrecy. Locals associated ritual and prayer (Hebrew) as witchcraft. Since then, Escazú has been known in Costa Rican folklore as the ¨city of the witches¨.
Jewish history: Mordecay Athias Robles, descended from a family from Curacao, was born in St. Thomas and settled in Alajuela. Another merchant from St. Thomas, Mordecai Moritz Sasso and his wife Hannah Joselin Mendez moved to Puerto Limon, where their two children were born. All of the children of both families had their births recorded in the St. Thomas. No evidence of a Jewish burial site in Port Limon. [July 2012] Jewish history [July 2012]
Bnei Israel Cemetery: Congregation B'nei Israel at old road to Escazu. From the Sabana Pops 700 ms. West, house in the corner on left. Tel. 231-5243 / Fax 257-3308. Reform. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., P.O.Box 2161 - 1000, San José, Costa Rica. Sunday, September 15, 1991, Rabbi Harry Roth consecrated the cemetery. website. The first burial was 1993. 2.5 m. high concrete wall surrounds the approximately 1,800 sq.m. first stage of the cemetery. [April 25, 2000] photos [July 2012]
Cementerio Israelita de Centro Israelita Sionista de Costa Rica: inaugurated 19 April 1931. The same year, the Jewish community group organized and had a chevra kadisha in operation for 75 years. [July 2009] photos [July 2012]
Cementerio de Extranjeros: 30% Jewish, mostly Sephardim. Source: Julio Kierszenson This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [December 2004]