Rabbi Dennis C. Sasso
(This serves as a sequel to my previous Times of Israel Blog (May 3, 2026), “150 Years of Jewish Life in Panama.”)
Going to Panama is always a homecoming for me. I was born and educated in the country and lived there through my high school years before coming to the United States for college. I have returned to Panama innumerable times with my wife, Sandy, with our children and grandchildren to visit family and tour the beautiful, hospitable, warm, and verdant country.
Las week’s trip was different in pace and purpose. I came as a guest of my childhood Congregation, Kol Shearith Israel (The Voice of the Remnant of Israel), for the celebration (May 6-7) of the 150th anniversary of its founding. As the first Panamanian-born Rabbi, I had previously been the key-note speaker at the congregation’s 100th and 125th anniversaries. This trip was for me a Jubilee, as I witnessed a fifty-year cycle of growth and renewal for the synagogue and community. Panama’s is one of the few growing Jewish communities in the world. There were about 2,000 Jews in Panama when I graduated high school in 1965. Today, the Jewish population is estimated at over 15,000. The community keeps growing internally and with new arrivals from Latin America, Israel, and the United States.
Panama is a dynamic, prosperous, cosmopolitan, and diverse nation, and Jews have been integral to its social and cultural fabric, contributing to its strength and character. Kol Shearith Israel, the oldest of the country’s Jewish congregations, was founded in 1876, primarily by families from the Caribbean islands of Curaçao, Jamaica, and St. Thomas where Sephardic (Spanish- Portuguese Jews) had lived since the 17th century. These are my ancestral roots.
The sesquicentennial observances were launched with a memorial service at the historic Cementerio Amador where lie the remains of the community’s founders, many of whom were actively involved in the events leading to the birth of the Republic in 1903 and the construction of the Canal (1904-14). Panama’s Jewish community boasts two presidents of the Republic, distinguished political, civic, and business leaders, poets, artists, and even carnival queens. It was my privilege to speak at the memorial service and to highlight the unique historic and spiritual bonds between the Panamanian nation and its Jewish citizens.
The main celebration of the 150th anniversary took place in the beautifully appointed and spacious Sanctuary of Kol Shearith Israel, situated in an active residential and business area of high rises in the sprawling city. The celebration was attended by high level representatives of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, along with other political, diplomatic, civic, and interfaith leaders. Panama’s current mayor, Mayer Mizrachi Matalon, himself a member of the Jewish community, was among the many dignitaries that addressed the assembled.
It was my honor to participate in the service as the historic Torah scrolls were removed from the Holy Ark and held under a canopy while a prayer of thanksgiving was recited by the assembly of over four hundred people. The next day, my cousin and colleague, Rabbi David Cohen- Henríquez (presently in New Orleans) and I were interviewed by Kol Shearith Israel’s dynamic, Argentinian-born rabbi, Gustavo Kraselnik, for the interfaith T.V. program, “Lejaim Panama.” We reminisced about growing up in the congregation and pondered the historic significance of this anniversary, the opportunities and challenges yet ahead for Panamanian and world Jewry.
The 150th anniversary of Kol Shearith Israel coincided with the visit of Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, who was in the country for high level meetings with Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino. The Republic of Panama and the State of Israel have enjoyed close and cooperative relationships since Israel’s founding in 1948. The event honoring President and Mrs. Herzog took place in the auditorium of the Instituto Alberto Einstein, my former high school. The present facility is large and beautiful, and the student body, ten times larger than in my days. I felt warmly welcomed as I connected with old friends, recalling childhood experiences. Following the public gathering, I was privileged to join a smaller reception and to briefly interact with the visiting President.
It was a busy week, packed with memories and celebration, with visioning and resolve. Panama is a small country of outsized impact in the Americas. The historic and present influence of its Jewish community constitutes an impressive chapter in the annals of the country and of the Jewish people. Grateful for my isthmian and Jewish roots, during my remarks I quoted my cousin, Woodrow De Castro (of blessed memory), an influential Panamanian jurist and community historian who, at the 90th anniversary of the congregation (1966), solemnly reminded the members of Kol Shearith Israel: “We stand at the foot of Sinai even at this crossroads of the world.”
Dennis Sasso is Senior Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, Indianapolis, Indiana. He is Affiliate Professor of Jewish Studies at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.