ESENT I PR AR D To see our subscription options, please N A I click on the Mishpacha tab R A Questmesor ah Sailing UpstreamWhen we decided on a trip down the Amazon, we knew we’d behold breathtaking vistas and magical rainforests — and we hoped to find some Jews TEXT AND PHOTOS BY Ari Greenspan and Ari Z. Zivotofsky on the banks of the world’s most massive river. Like every region that beckoned safety and financial opportunity, a town on the Amazon proved to be a haven for an oppressed people — but will the remnant be washed away with the rains? TEXT AND PHOTOS BY Ari Greenspan and Ari Z. Zivotofsky ari n ari_590.indd 56 20/12/2015 17:22:27 ari n ari_590.indd 57 20/12/2015 18:02:50 SailingSailing UpstreamUpstream FF1. he boat slowly backed miles) —miles) — slightlyslightly shortershorter thanthan thethe NileNile butbut stillstill equivalentequivalent toto thethe out of the dock, turned distancedistance betweenbetween NewNew YorkYork andand Rome.Rome. (Actually,(Actually, thethe lengthlength ofof thethe AmazonAmazon hashas beenbeen thethe subjectsubject ofof debatedebate forfor closeclose toto aa century,century, around, and put the andand somesome claimclaim thatthat it’sit’s indeedindeed slightlyslightly longerlonger thanthan thethe Nile.)Nile.) TheThe motors full throttle. AmazonAmazon reachesreaches upup toto 5050 milesmiles wide;wide; andand Marajo,Marajo, thethe world’sworld’s It looked like we were largestlargest freshwaterfreshwater islandisland atat itsits mouth,mouth, isis thethe sizesize ofof Switzerland.Switzerland. TheThe AmazonAmazon isis joinedjoined andand engorgedengorged byby manymany smallersmaller riversrivers heading into an ocean; (each(each enormousenormous byby worldworld standards),standards), dischargingdischarging anan awesomeawesome in fact, we were headed 200,000200,000 cubiccubic metersmeters ofof freshwaterfreshwater everyevery second,second, moremore thanthan thethe down the Amazon River. world’sworld’s nextnext sixsix biggestbiggest riversrivers combined.combined. ThisThis gargantuangargantuan riverriver isis surroundedsurrounded byby 5,500,0005,500,000 squaresquare kilometerskilometers (2,100,000(2,100,000 squaresquare The Amazon? You’re miles)miles) ofof densedense rainforest,rainforest, oneone ofof thethe lastlast unexploredunexplored areasareas ofof thethe probably raising your world.world. ItIt disgorgesdisgorges closeclose toto 2020 percentpercent ofof thethe world’sworld’s freshwaterfreshwater eyebrows — did we think we’d fi nd ancient intointo thethe AtlanticAtlantic Ocean,Ocean, whichwhich cancan stillstill bebe tastedtasted 100100 milesmiles outout inin thethe ocean.ocean. JewishT communities or unusual animals ButBut Jews?Jews? WhatWhat wouldwould bringbring JewsJews toto aa backward,backward, primitiveprimitive to shecht traveling down South America’s regionregion withwith swelteringsweltering heat,heat, disease,disease, andand rainrain forests?forests? YetYet therethere monster waterway? areare indeedindeed JewishJewish communitiescommunities alongalong thethe river.river. TheThe largestlargest remainingremaining JewishJewish communitycommunity isis inin Belém,Belém, aa citycity ofof 1.51.5 millionmillion Well, rivers often spawned civilizations, and historically, Jewish peoplepeople notnot farfar fromfrom thethe mouthmouth ofof thethe riverriver onon thethe Atlantic,Atlantic, whichwhich communities as well. Traditionally, cultures have always sprung todaytoday boastsboasts aboutabout 450450 JewishJewish families.families. OnOn thisthis trip,trip, wewe chosechose toto up along the banks of rivers, with the earliest cities being along visitvisit Manaus,Manaus, capitalcapital ofof thethe statestate ofof AmazonasAmazonas inin northwestnorthwest BrazilBrazil 2. the Tigris and Euphrates — the birthplace of Avraham Avinu andand aa fifi ve-dayve-day boatboat rideride upriver.upriver. (We(We tooktook aa plane.)plane.) TheThe remoteremote F and many centuries later, the land where the Talmud Bavli was citycity hashas anan activeactive JewishJewish communitycommunity ofof aboutabout 120120 familiesfamilies (850(850 1.1. MoroccanMoroccan traditiontradition onon 3. written. Major cities and Jewish communities were formed along Jews).Jews). thethe banksbanks ofof thethe Amazon.Amazon. F the Rhine and Main rivers in Germany. Even the Land of Israel Dr.Dr. DahanDahan (right)(right) movedmoved is known by its main river, the Jordan, although by international TippingTipping thethe ScalesScales AlthoughAlthough wewe flfl ewew toto Brazil,Brazil, what’swhat’s aa visitvisit fromfrom aa smallsmall villagevillage onon thethe AmazonAmazon toto Manaus,Manaus, wherewhere hehe standards it is more like a creek. When one thinks of large rivers, toto thethe AmazonAmazon regionregion withoutwithout atat leastleast aa shortshort boatboat journey?journey? OurOur currentlycurrently servesserves asas presidentchazzan the Nile comes to mind, and indeed Jews, including Moshe fifi rstrst stopstop onon thethe routeroute waswas aa flfl oatingoating gasgas station.station. WhileWhile thethe boatboat ofat thethe Jewishshul (pictured). community On and Rabbeinu and Moshe Maimonides, lived along its banks. At 6,800 fifi lledlled up,up, thethe 2020 oror soso touriststourists disembarkeddisembarked andand purchasedpurchased coco eeee chazzanthe left isat Mr. the Salomão shul (pictured) Israel kilometers (4,200 miles), it’s the longest river in the world. andand sodas,sodas, justjust likelike inin aa land-basedland-based roadsideroadside restrest stop.stop. AA fewfew hourshours Benchimol, the president of But in terms of sheer volume of water, no river holds a candle later,later, wewe glidedglided intointo aa flfl oatingoating restaurant.restaurant. AlthoughAlthough therethere waswas 2.the Ari community Z. takes in the sights to the mighty Amazon, fl owing over 6,400 kilometers (over 4,000 almostalmost nothingnothing thatthat wewe couldcould eat,eat, asas luckluck wouldwould havehave it,it, wewe werewere along the river. A submerged forest2. Ari Z.is intakes the inbackground the sights along the river. A submerged 3.forest The Jewishis in the cemetery, background sharing space with the fi nal 4. resting3. The Jewish places cemetery,of the area’s F Christianseparated residents by fence from the fi nal resting places of the 4.area’s Ari G. Christian takes advantage residents of 5. the rock-bottom price for a F haircut —4. Ari G. takes no shop advantage needed — of rightthe rock-bottom on the streets price of Manaus for a haircut — no shop needed — 5.right The on grave the streetsof the tzaddik of Manaus Rabbi Shalom Imanuel Muyal, still5. The remembered grave of the by tzaddik the JewsRabbi and Shalom revered Imanuel by local Muyal, In the middle of the Amazon River, Christiansstill remembered as a miracle by the worker a fl oating gas station Jews and revered by local Christians as a miracle worker 5858 MISHPACHAMISHPACHA ari n ari_590.indd 58 20/12/2015 17:22:57 ari n ari_590.indd 59 20/12/2015 17:30:29 SailingSailing UpstreamUpstream 6. F about to find an answer to a halachic question we received a few the British planted rubber trees in Southeast Asia, and due to their weeks before heading out on this trip, regarding the kashrus of a greater efficiency, the British Empire quickly dominated the world gigantic Amazonian fish that can grow to an astounding 4.5 meters rubber market. The economy of the Amazon region plummeted. long. It’s called a paiche, also known as arapaima or pirarucu, and The rich left, taxes dried up, buildings were abandoned, and poverty is sometimes sold in New York area supermarkets. When it comes ensued. A short-lived second rubber boom took place during World to fish, kashrus status is pretty straightforward — as long as it War II when the Japanese occupied Southeast Asia, but the Amazon can be confirmed that the fish has easily removable scales (which region never recovered. automatically means it has fins), it is kosher. Having never seen It was during the 19th-century rubber boom that the Moroccan this fish, and having no access to it in Israel, we were not sure if it Jews made their trek to the Amazon. They hacked through forests, was kosher. Now we found ourselves first on a floating village in braved the tropical heat, battled disease, dealt with Native Americans, the Amazon feeding that species of fish, and then on the floating and made their way up and down the most complex ecosystem on the restaurant. While everyone else was eating the nonkosher food, planet — all in an attempt to make a better life for themselves and we headed to the small kitchen and requested to see a pirarucu their children, a life that included religious freedom and economic with its skin. We readily confirmed that it is kosher, with its huge, opportunity. easily removable scales. All told, this migration included about 1,000 families and untold Now we know there was some kosher fish for the early Jewish numbers of single young men. Originally, the Jews were peddlers, settlers, but how and why did they end up in this exotic, difficult- although on the Amazon, they didn’t use pushcarts, but rather plied to-reach, poor city in the first place? The first Jews actually their wares up and down the river on their boats. They would stop in arrived in the Amazon region in 1810 from Morocco, and there the cities to pick up products, which they would then sell along the is still an extant tombstone from 1848. There is a popular river in the small villages, where they in turn picked up indigenous misconception that historically, while Jews