The earliest Jews were Sephardi Jews who came from Baghdad in the 1600’s. Most of them lived in the area of Bangkok. Later, the community increased as some Ashkenazi families came from Russia.
During the 1800s, most Jews who arrived in Thailand came as merchants traveling throughout the East. In 1890, some European families settled in Bangkok. Russian Jews from Harbin arrived in Thailand in the 1920s. In the 1930s, there were 120 German Jews, escaping Nazism and Jews from Syria and Lebanon. However, most of these immigrants left after World War II.
The Jewish population grew in the 1950s and 60s with the arrival of Jews from America, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. In 1964, the Jewish Community of Thailand was established.
The Vietnam War in the 70s brought an influx of Jewish American soldiers to Thailand. Numerous Israeli families also immigrated to Thailand during the 1970s, in search of business opportunities and adventure. These Israelis came to Thailand to work mainly in the gem and jewelry trade.
Many Israeli businesses were opened in Thailand in trading and advising the Thai government on agricultural issues. Joint projects introduced Thailand to new methods of irrigation and agricultural products suitable to the climate in Thailand. It was also during this period that the Jewish community instituted a religious school, weekly services and social events.
In the 1970’s and 80’s there were also Persian Jews fleeing persecution in Iran. It was also during this period that the Jewish community instituted a religious school, weekly services and social events.Today the majority of Jews in Thailand, around 1,000 live in Bangkok. There are both Sephardi and Ashkenazi synagogues.The Ashkenazic synagogue, Beth Elisheva, was consecrated in 1979 and the Sephardic synagogue, Even Chen, was the first official congregation established in the 1970s.
Most Jews in Thailand are of European and Asian origin, with a limited number being Thai nationality. There are a mixture of Sephardim from Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, as well as Ashkenazim from Europe, America, and Shanghai