History of the Jews in Chile

Jews in Chile

Judíos en Chile (Spanish) יהודים בצ'ילה (Hebrew) אידן אין טשילע (Yiddish)
Hanukkah at La Moneda Palace, 2025
Total population
28,153 (2024 census) 150,000–175,000 (descendants, est. 2010–2011)
Regions with significant populations
Santiago, Valparaíso
Languages
Chilean Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino
Religion
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Peruvian Jews

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Bicur Joilim, the oldest synagogue in the Chilean capital

The history of the Jews in Chile dates back to the arrival of Europeans to the country. Over time, Chile has received several contingents of Jewish immigrants. Currently, the Jewish community in Chile comes mainly from the migrations occurring in the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly of Ashkenazi background.

Chile is home to the third-largest Jewish community in South America, with an estimated population of 28,153 people practicing Judaism as of 2024, representing about 0.2% of the total Chilean population. Most of the community is concentrated in Santiago, with smaller groups in other regions. Local sources estimated in 2010 and 2011 that the number of people of Jewish descent ranged from 150,000 to 175,000, making it one of the largest Jewish communities in South America after Argentina and Brazil. Foreign sources, however, estimate that the total number of Chileans with Jewish ancestry is roughly 18,300 as of 2019.