There is not a lot to the Jewish history of Antigua and Barbuda. The first Jews to live there were probably some Sephardic families from the Iberian Peninsula, who had arrived in the late 17th century through the early part of the 18th century. The numbers of Jews who lived there during these early times was probably very small, most likely well under a hundred, in fact most were Jewish merchants or traders, who travelled between Antigua and other Islands, such as Nevis.

Many of the Jews who had lived in and travelled to Antigua left in the late 1600’s. This was because laws were passed in 1694, that prevented Jew’s from being traders in commodities and from being participants in the slave trade. Even though the law was quickly repealed in 1701, most Jews left and became some of those that settled in the early communities of North America.

With such a strategic position and favorable geography — a deep-water harbor at St. John’s, and miles of sandy beaches — Antigua has been a favorite of Europeans since Christopher Columbus, supposedly a converso, named it in 1493 (Antigua is Spanish for “ancient”).