History of Jews in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was one of the very few countries willing to accept mass Jewish immigration during World War II. At the Evian Conference, it offered to accept up to 100,000 Jewish refugees. The DORSA (Dominican Republic Settlement Association) was formed with the assistance of the JDC, and helped settle Jews in Sosua, on the northern coast. Over a period of time, about 700 European Jews of Ashkenazi Jewish descent reached the settlement where they were assigned land and cattle.
Other refugees settled in the capital, Santo Domingo. In 1943 the number of known Jews in the Dominican Republic peaked at 1000. Since that time it has been in constant decline due to immigration and assimilation. The oldest Jewish grave is dated to 1826.