Jews who lived in Kuwait came originally from Iraq after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 A.D.. By 1860, their number increased and their wine trade flourished. The Jews had a market called the Jews’ market, which was next to the market Mosque.

The Jews of Kuwait maintained good relationships with authorities in the country, and remained there for decades, embracing many aspects of Kuwaiti culture, even taking Kuwaiti names. Nonetheless, they were never regarded as Kuwaiti citizens; in the decades prior to the Nationality Act of 1959, they were treated in the category of British nationals.

The Jews had their own Synagogue with a Sefer Torah. In the Synagogue, they had a separate place for the women. After the British invasion of Iraq in 1917, Iraq’s economy flourished. Most of the trades were in the hands of the Jews. Many became very rich. The Jewish population to around 800. In the twenties, most of these Jews had left Kuwait.

The Jews had previously had good relations with Sheikh Mubarak al-Sabah, who reigned from 1896-1915, but as devout Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol, and because Jewish individuals were involved heavily in the alcohol trade, this good relationship did not last.

In 1948, an Arab attack on the Jewish quarter resulted in one woman being murdered and 67 persons were wounded, while 31 of the community’s 55 houses were destroyed. An earlier outbreak took place following the U.N. decision on Palestine in which many Jews were wounded and robbed. The only synagogue in Kuwait was destroyed, the Torah was desecrated and all Jewish-owned shops were looted. The majority of Jews who didn’t leave in the 1920s did so after this threat. There are currently no Jewish citizens in Kuwait, though there are around a dozen foreign Jews.

Kuwait is largely antisemitic. Their airline refuses to fly Israelis and in 2015 the International Olympic Committee revoked the Olympic Qualifier status from a shooting championship taking place in Kuwait, after an Israeli judge was denied an entry visa into the country.