As we continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East, we have two upcoming virtual briefings that may be of interest to you:

Amb. Yechiel Leiter, Israel's Ambassador to the United States
Monday, March 9 -- 10:00 am PT
Register Here

Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute
Wednesday, March 11 -- 8:00 a.m. PT
https://jafi-org.zoom.us/j/88228523870
Save the above link in your calendar to join the webinar

Last week, I had a special opportunity to visit the Jewish community in Panama. I was part of a small group funded by the Ministry of Tourism. What I saw was not just a community. I experienced a model of what is possible when vision, unity, and commitment come together.

There are 15,000+ Jews in Panama. Certainly more than I expected, and what they have built -- what they continue to build -- is simply remarkable.

Jewish life in Panama dates back to the 1500s, when so-called “hidden Jews” arrived, fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. For centuries, Jewish presence was quiet, often concealed. It was not until around the mid-1800s that Jewish life began to flourish openly. Drawn by the opportunities surrounding the California Gold Rush and the construction of the Panama Railroad, Sephardic merchants from Curaçao, Jamaica, and St. Thomas settled there, laying early foundations for communal life.

In the early 1900s, a significant wave of Syrian Jewish immigration reshaped the community. Today, many of Panama’s most prominent Jewish families trace their roots to that migration. In 1933, the Sephardic community founded Shevet Ahim Synagogue, which became the center of Orthodox Jewish life in Panama City.

The Ashkenazi community began forming in the 1940s, started by a handful of families who escaped Europe before and during World War II.

Panama suddenly had a convergence of two distinct traditions. Over time, a sense of unity.

A central figure in that story is Rabbi Sion Levy (z”l). Born in Jerusalem in 1922, ordained in 1948, he left Israel for what was supposed to be a two-year rabbinic assignment in Panama. He stayed for 58 years and is revered still today.

There is a story about his arrival. At his own welcome dinner, meat and dairy were served together. He stood up and said, “How can you welcome a rabbi with non-kosher food?” In that moment, he understood his mission: to build the foundations of traditional Jewish life. And build he did.

He established schools, helped build synagogues and minyanim, expanded kosher offerings, and helped create a culture where Jewish observance was not the exception -- it was the norm. Today, Panama City boasts some 50 certified kosher restaurants -- more kosher restaurants per capita than anywhere in the world. There are also two fully kosher supermarkets.

The community has six synagogues in Panama City, plus a vibrant Chabad presence. The majority of Jews (85%) are of Sephardic origin, alongside a strong Ashkenazi synagogue and a liberal synagogue. Chabad is not only in the city but in coastal areas, as well. Israelis have even created a kibbutz-style coastal resort. You can feel Jewish life throughout the country.

Ninety-eight percent (98%) of Jewish children attend one of multiple Jewish day schools. These schools range from co-educational Orthodox, English-language Orthodox, separate Orthodox schools for boys and girls, a Reform school, and an all-girls Orthodox school. The range reflects diversity -- the participation reflects commitment.

The community believes assimilation is minimal and antisemitism feels non-existent. One leader told me something striking: “In Panama, if someone calls you an a**hole, it is not because you are a Jew. It is because you are acting like an a**hole.” In a world where antisemitism is surging and, in some places, being normalized, Panama feels almost immune.

Security, of course, is still taken seriously. Since the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, Jewish institutions in Panama have maintained significant security measures. To attend synagogue, one must be pre-approved. From the outside, some buildings appear understated, yet fortified -- large white walls with visible security. But step inside, and you find beauty, warmth, and vitality.

It is important to note that Jews are fully integrated into society. Panama has had two Jewish presidents. The current mayor of Panama City, Mayer Mizrachi, is 38 years old -- he is dynamic, handsome, a successful entrepreneur, and social media influencer. In a predominantly Catholic country, a young Jewish mayor leads the capital city. Many believe he may one day become president.

He shared something that stayed with me. Everything he does, he knows, reflects not only on himself but on the Jewish community of Panama and on Jews around the world. He feels that responsibility deeply -- to serve the city with excellence and to honor his community by his conduct. That awareness -- that sense of representing something larger is quite powerful.

I met with national tourism leaders and representatives of the Jewish community. They are taking a systematic approach to increasing Jewish tourism. Hotels are trained on Jewish needs -- Shabbat elevators, proper kosher standards, eruv considerations, even providing physical room keys instead of electronic cards for Shabbat. The thoughtfulness towards Jewish observance was remarkable.

During Shabbat, I prayed at two different synagogues and shared dinner with community leaders. The warmth was palpable. There is a closeness there -- a shared sense that Jewish continuity is not someone else’s responsibility. It is theirs.

Panama itself is fascinating.

• It is the only country in the world where you can watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and the sunset over the Pacific Ocean on the same day.
• Since 1904, the country has used the U.S. dollar as its paper currency, alongside Balboa coins of equal value.
• The Panama Canal is a true wonder of the world.
• And Panama City looks and feels like Miami Beach on the beachfront blended with poorer neighborhoods throughout the interior. The population itself is beautifully diverse — a blend of Caribbean, Latin American, African, Indigenous, European, Chinese, and Middle Eastern heritage.

Is Jewish Panama perfect? No society is. But what I saw was intentionality. Structure. Pride. Integration without assimilation. Security without fear. And perhaps most importantly, long-term thinking.

We often speak about the global Jewish future in abstract terms — demographics, trends, threats. In Panama, I saw possibility. A community deeply rooted in tradition, unified across differences, confident in public life, and serious about continuity.

Panama is not just a place where Jews live. It is a place where Jews thrive.

Shabbat shalom.