Jamaica

This comes from the Jewish Heritage E-Report (June 27, 2008)
World News about Jewish Art, Architecture & Historic sites from the International Survey of Jewish Monuments (ISJM)
Edited by Samuel D. Gruber / Contact and send news items to
samuelgruber_at_gmail.com

Jamaica: Documentation of 18th Jewish Cemetery at Hunt's Bay
(Ainsley Henriques, Rachel Frankel, Anne Hersh and Samuel Gruber contributed to this article)

In January (2008), Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions (CVE) sponsored a successful project to inventory and document existing conditions of the historic Hunt's Bay Jewish Cemetery, the oldest known Jewish cemetery in Jamaica. ISJM provided logistical support and funds to purchase equipment necessary for the survey. The cemetery was the burial place for Jews, many fleeing the Inquisition and anti-Semitism in Europe. They came to Port Royal, the 17th century entré port, a desolate sandy spit at the end of what is now known as the Palisadoes peninsula enclosing Kingston Harbor. They found freedom to worship with few restrictions (but higher taxes).

Jamaican PM Portia Simpson Miller (right) greets
the visiting Chilean President Michelle Bachelet

[via BBC NEWS | Americas | 'I am seen as a symbol of hope']

Portia Simpson Miller - known among her supporters as "Sister P", or simply "Mama" - has broken the mould of previous prime ministers on the island.

Apart from being the first black woman to become prime minister, she was born to parents of modest means in Woodhall, St Catherine.

Her constituency of South West St Andrew is one of the most deprived in the capital, Kingston.

Supporters say this puts her in touch with the poor. Her detractors say her failure to improve conditions in her own area shows she will not be able to deliver what she promises.

The prime minister's message when she granted me an interview at her official residence was one of great optimism for the future.

"I am now at the top, and I want to pull the rest of Jamaica with me. I am seen by many as a symbol of hope that they too can one day rise to greatness. For years I have been the face of the faceless and the voice of the voiceless in the corridors of power," she said.