Bogotá’s Jewish Community Guide: Synagogues, Kosher Food, and History in Colombia
- Mark Vogel
- Sep 21
- 10 min read
Bogotá, Colombia ✈
The Jewish Community in Bogotá, Colombia
When I recently visited Bogotá, I wanted to look beyond the usual landmarks and attractions to understand more about the Jewish community in the city. Colombia’s capital is home to the largest Jewish population in the country. While smaller than those of Argentina or Brazil, it is well organized, with synagogues, schools, institutions, and kosher restaurants. My visit gave me a deeper appreciation for how a community maintains identity while being fully integrated into Colombian life.
Compared to Latin America’s largest Jewish centers such as Buenos Aires or São Paulo, Bogotá’s community is much smaller in size but no less complete in structure. Whereas Argentina and Brazil count hundreds of thousands of Jews, Colombia’s total population is only in the thousands. Yet within Bogotá, the institutions cover the same essentials: synagogues across traditions, a Jewish day school, kosher dining, and cultural organizations. For travelers, this makes the city an unexpected but meaningful destination for connecting with Jewish life in South America.
“Exploring Jewish Bogotá also underscored how well it fits into the wider travel experience of the city. Days spent visiting museums, neighborhoods, and parks can be balanced with meals at kosher restaurants and evenings at synagogue events.”
A Brief History of Jews in Colombia
The Jewish presence in Colombia dates back several centuries. During the colonial period, conversos—Jews from Spain and Portugal who had converted to Christianity under pressure—arrived in the New World. Many practiced Judaism privately since the Inquisition operated across the Spanish colonies. For generations, this meant Jewish identity was hidden and fragmented.
It was only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that open Jewish life became established in Colombia. Immigrants from Eastern Europe began arriving in the early 1900s, fleeing persecution and seeking new opportunities. A significant wave of immigration occurred in the 1930s and 1940s as Jews escaped Nazism in Europe. Around the same time, Sephardic Jews from Syria, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East settled in Bogotá, where they built communal institutions reflecting their own traditions.
Although Colombia never drew Jewish immigration on the same scale as Argentina or Brazil, the Bogotá community developed solid foundations. By the mid-twentieth century, synagogues, schools, and cultural organizations were in place, and many remain active today.
Synagogues in Bogotá
Bogotá is home to a Jewish community with several synagogues and cultural institutions, representing both Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions.
The Centro Israelita de Bogotá is one of the city’s oldest and most important institutions for Ashkenazi Jews. It serves as both a synagogue and a community center, hosting services, educational programs, and social events. Its role has been central in preserving European traditions brought by immigrants during the twentieth century.
Sinagoga Adat Israel is another Orthodox synagogue that continues to serve a large segment of the community. It maintains a traditional prayer service and provides educational opportunities for its members.
For the Sephardic community, the Comunidad Hebrea Sefaradí de Bogotá plays a significant role. This synagogue preserves the liturgy and customs of Jews whose families came from Syria, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East.
The Asociación Israelita Montefiore also represents Sephardic heritage. It is known for maintaining close ties to families who immigrated from the Middle East and continues to offer a space for worship, cultural preservation, and community activities.
Chabad Bogotá provides an accessible option for both locals and visitors. Like other Chabad centers worldwide, it runs religious services, classes, and outreach programs, and it is often the first point of contact for travelers who want to connect with Jewish life in the city.
Together, these synagogues reflect the diversity of Bogotá’s Jewish population and ensure that religious life in the city remains active and accessible across traditions.
Jewish Schools and Institutions
Education remains a cornerstone of Jewish life in Bogotá. The Colegio Colombo Hebreo serves as the main Jewish school, offering an integrated curriculum that combines Colombian academic requirements with Hebrew and Jewish studies. This balance prepares students for participation in Colombian society while keeping them connected to Jewish culture and religion.
Community centers host social events, holiday celebrations, and youth programming. Charitable organizations provide assistance to the elderly and families in need, ensuring that communal responsibility extends beyond religious observance.
Even though the Jewish population in Bogotá is relatively small, these institutions demonstrate how much effort has gone into creating a complete communal infrastructure.
Kosher Restaurants in Bogotá
One of the most visible aspects of Jewish life in Bogotá is its kosher dining scene. During my visit I ate at several kosher restaurants.
At Kosher Express, the first floor is a store with kosher meats, baked goods, and imported products. The second floor is a restaurant where I sat down for a meal. It is practical for both locals and travelers who want to stock up and eat at the same stop.
HaMakom is located near the Andino Mall, one of Bogotá’s busiest shopping districts. It offered me a convenient option during a day of exploring the commercial area and nearby pedestrian streets.
PizzaTov, is located in the Barrios Unidos neighborhood. While its name highlights pizza, the menu is much broader, with dishes such as lasagna, gnocchi, panzerotti, empanadas, tequeños, pandeyuca, and arepas with cheese. Under the same brand, SushiTov offers Japanese-style dishes adapted to kosher rules, including sushi rolls and side plates. KikiriTov focuses on roasted chicken and meat entrées. Together with PizzaTov, these restaurants form the KosherTOV group, which provides dairy, meat, and sushi under one identity. For locals, it covers a wide range of dining needs, and for travelers it ensures reliable kosher meals in different styles.
Manhattan Delicatessen is modeled after the New York–style deli. Sandwiches and hearty plates dominate the menu, making it distinct from the other restaurants I visited.
Babbka Bar (Yum Babbka) rounds out the picture with a bakery specializing in babka and other sweets. I stopped in during the afternoon, and it offered a more indulgent, relaxed experience compared to the full-service restaurants.
Together these restaurants show that kosher dining in Bogotá is organized across multiple cuisines. Although smaller in scale than in larger Jewish centers, the variety makes it possible for both residents and visitors to find meals that fit their needs.
Security and Daily Life
Security is a reality for Jewish institutions in Bogotá. Synagogues and schools have strict entry protocols, including identification checks. These measures are standard in many Latin American countries and are designed to keep the community safe. Once inside, I found the environment welcoming, with members open to conversation.
Daily life includes religious services, community programs, youth groups, and holiday celebrations. Kosher restaurants adapt menus during holidays, and institutions plan events for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, and other major occasions. Despite the community’s modest size, the infrastructure supports a complete Jewish life.
Holiday Life in Bogotá’s Jewish Community
Jewish holidays in Bogotá are marked with broad community participation. For Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, synagogues fill with members, and multiple services are often scheduled to accommodate families. Security presence increases during these holidays, but inside, the atmosphere is focused and communal.
Passover requires special preparation, and families typically shop at Kosher Express for kosher-for-Passover products. Community seders are hosted by synagogues and Chabad, allowing both locals and travelers to join together for the festival. For families observing at home, matzah, wine, and other staples are distributed through communal networks.
Sukkot brings sukkahs at synagogues, schools, and some private homes. They become social spaces where meals are shared and traditions are carried out in the open air. Hanukkah is observed with menorah lightings, often coordinated by Chabad, where members of the community and sometimes neighbors gather to watch candles being kindled in public settings.
Shabbat in Bogotá has its own rhythm. Because the city lies near the equator, sunset times shift little throughout the year, averaging around 6:00 pm. This creates a consistent pattern for candle lighting and evening services, which families and synagogues plan around. Kosher bakeries and restaurants prepare challah and wine in advance, and families often purchase these from Kosher Express or other trusted sources. For travelers, joining a Shabbat meal at Chabad or with a local family offers a meaningful way to connect. The predictability of sunset times simplifies planning, and it gives Shabbat in Bogotá a steady cadence that differs from the long summer days or short winter afternoons experienced in northern countries.
These observances underscore how Bogotá’s Jews adapt traditions to their environment while preserving authenticity. Holidays and Shabbat are opportunities for the community to come together, reinforcing identity and continuity even in a relatively small population.
Lifecycle Events in Bogotá’s Jewish Community
Lifecycle events are another way the Jewish community in Bogotá strengthens its bonds. Bar and bat mitzvahs are celebrated at synagogues such as Adat Israel or the Comunidad Hebrea Sefaradí de Bogotá, often drawing extended family and community members. These ceremonies are followed by receptions that can range from modest gatherings in synagogue halls to larger events hosted at community centers.
Weddings typically take place under a chuppah set up either inside the synagogue or in event spaces managed by community institutions. The ceremonies follow halachic requirements, and the celebrations incorporate Colombian touches alongside traditional Jewish customs.
Brit milah and baby namings are also organized with the support of rabbis from the city’s synagogues. These events are important not just for families but for the community as a whole, as they emphasize continuity and belonging.
Funerals are handled through Jewish cemeteries maintained by the community, with practices aligned to Jewish tradition. The presence of established burial societies ensures that rituals are observed properly.
Together, these lifecycle events create a rhythm that parallels Jewish communities worldwide. They show how Bogotá’s Jews, though relatively small in number, maintain the full cycle of Jewish life from birth to end of life.
Community Demographics
The Jewish population of Colombia is estimated at around 4,500 to 5,000 people, with the majority living in Bogotá. This makes the capital home to approximately three-quarters of the country’s Jews. Smaller communities exist in Cali, Medellín, and Barranquilla, but they do not match the institutional strength of Bogotá.
Within Bogotá, the community is split between Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions. Ashkenazi Jews, many descended from Eastern European immigrants, form a significant portion of synagogue membership and attend institutions such as the Centro Israelita and Adat Israel. The Sephardic community, built largely by immigrants from Syria and Lebanon, is centered on the Comunidad Hebrea Sefaradí and Montefiore.
The demographic balance is roughly even, and this dual presence explains why Bogotá has maintained multiple synagogues and separate cultural institutions reflecting each heritage.
Generationally, the community is mixed. Older members are often first- or second-generation descendants of immigrants, while younger families have grown up fully Colombian yet remain connected to Jewish tradition through schools, youth groups, and communal events. Intermarriage is present, as in many global communities, but institutions like Colegio Colombo Hebreo help younger generations sustain Jewish identity.
The relatively small size of the community means that members know each other across institutional lines, and social ties often cross between Ashkenazi and Sephardic families. For visitors, this makes the community feel accessible and cohesive despite its internal diversity.
Jews in the Colombian Context
Jews in Colombia have long balanced integration into Colombian society with maintaining their traditions. Many are active in business, academia, and professional life. Bogotá’s Jewish community reflects that balance: deeply rooted in its own history while contributing fully to the broader Colombian landscape.
Other cities such as Cali and Medellín have smaller Jewish populations, but Bogotá is the main center, with the widest range of institutions and resources. For travelers, it is the most practical place to connect with Jewish life in Colombia.
Visiting as a Traveler
For Jewish travelers, Bogotá is accessible with some planning. Synagogues generally require prior coordination due to security, but restaurants are open and accustomed to welcoming visitors. During my stay I was able to eat comfortably at Kosher Express, HaMakom, PizzaTov, Manhattan Delicatessen, and Babbka Bar. Each contributed something different to my experience.
Planning visits around these institutions made it possible to connect with the Jewish side of Bogotá while still enjoying the city’s museums, parks, and neighborhoods.
Practical Tips for Jewish Travelers
Travelers interested in experiencing Jewish Bogotá should keep a few practical points in mind. Synagogues have strict security protocols, so it is essential to contact them in advance for entry. Bringing a passport or photo identification is often required. Chabad is the most accessible option for visitors who want to join services without prior local connections.
For kosher dining, most restaurants are concentrated in areas that are not far from each other. Staying in northern Bogotá, particularly near commercial districts such as Andino Mall, makes it easier to access both HaMakom and several of the Tov locations. Kosher Express is also within reasonable reach, doubling as both a restaurant and a supplier for provisions.
Spanish is the primary language in Bogotá, though many members of the Jewish community — especially in schools, businesses, and Chabad — are comfortable in English. Travelers with basic Spanish will find it helpful, but communication in English is often possible within Jewish institutions.
Because Bogotá sits at an altitude of over 8,600 feet, newcomers should be mindful of the thinner air. This does not affect synagogue visits or dining directly, but it can influence how quickly a visitor adapts to walking or climbing stairs. Allowing a day to adjust is advisable.
Finally, Jewish travelers should plan around the consistency of Shabbat timing, with sunset averaging around 6:00 pm year-round. This makes scheduling easier, as entry to synagogues and candle lighting remain steady throughout the seasons.
Closing Perspective
Bogotá’s Jewish community illustrates how history and migration can create a lasting presence even in places where the numbers are relatively small. The synagogues — from Centro Israelita de Bogotá to Sinagoga Adat Israel, Comunidad Hebrea Sefaradí de Bogotá, Asociación Israelita Montefiore, and Chabad — ensure religious continuity. The schools and cultural centers sustain education and social life. The kosher restaurants demonstrate practical commitment to daily living.
For me, visiting Bogotá was about more than sightseeing. It was about engaging with a community that has built meaningful institutions and preserved traditions while remaining fully part of Colombian society.
Bogotá as a Travel Destination
Exploring Jewish Bogotá also underscored how well it fits into the wider travel experience of the city. Days spent visiting museums, neighborhoods, and parks can be balanced with meals at kosher restaurants and evenings at synagogue events. The same city that offers colonial history, modern skyscrapers, and mountain views also holds a Jewish community with deep roots and ongoing vitality. For Jewish travelers — and for anyone interested in the cultural layers of a city — engaging with this community adds dimension to a Bogotá visit.
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