| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 60[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Suva | |
| Languages | |
| English,Hebrew,Fijian,Fiji Hindi | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism |
Thehistory of the Jews in Fiji is intertwined with the settlement of theFiji islands by European explorers and settlers. Most of these settlers arrive in Fiji via Australia and New Zealand.[citation needed]
The population of Fiji is 905,949 (July 2006 estimate) with approximately 60Jews. In addition, there are close to 300 people of Jewish descent living in the Fiji Islands, principally in the capital city ofSuva. There are currently threecemeteries in Fiji, located inMomi (private cemetery),Ovalau Island (Levuka), and Suva (old cemetery) with Jewish inscriptions on thetombstones, dating back to the first Jewish settlers in the 19th century.
One of the early settlers was a merchant by the nameAlexander Schmerrill Bowman (Hebrew name Alexander ben Shmuel) who was born on 9 Jan 1847 inSchneidemuhle,Prussia, (modern-dayPila inPoland) and died 1909 inSydney,New South Wales,Australia. Bowman was of the firm Bowman and Abrahams ofLevuka andLomaloma. When he settled in Levuka, the former Capital of Fiji, he married Sara Annette Solomon on 25 July 1877 in Levuka, Fiji. She was the daughter of Phillip Solomon and Catherine Cohen. She was born 27 September 1857 inAuckland, New Zealand, and died 1915 in Sydney.[2]
Another well-known figure was 20-year-oldHenry Marks who arrived in 1881 from Australia. Marks laid the foundation of what became one of the most extensive commercial enterprises in the Western Pacific.
Until the recent establishment of the Fiji Jewish Association there was little organized activity among the Jewish population. There remains limited religious life among these Jews. The Israeli Embassy holds an annualPassover Seder, which accommodates 50 to 60 people.Kosher food is imported from Australia.
Israel and Fijienjoy full diplomatic relations. In May 2002, the then Fiji Prime Minister,Laisenia Qarase, himself of partial Jewish ancestry,[3] agreed with the Israeli Ambassador, H. E.Ruth Kahanoff that the two countries should strengthen their ties though they are so far apart geographically. While there is an Israeli Embassy in Fiji, the Israeli Ambassador inCanberra,Australia represents Israeli interests in Fiji.
He was from Vanua Balavu in northern Lau and had native Fijian, Tongan, and Jewish ancestry.
