Boquete will be the site of a new Chabad House and the eventual establishment of a Jewish cemetery.

First Project for New Shluchim to Panama: A Cemetery

by Mordechai Lightstone – Chabad.org

Most Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries launch their arrival in a new city or country with programs such as one-on-one study, holiday programs, summer camp and Hebrew school. Rabbi Yakov and Hana Poliwoda have something else in mind for their first project in Boquete, Panama: a Jewish cemetery.

In the verdant highlands of Panama’s westernmost Chiriquí province—a little more than 30 miles from the Costa Rican border—Boquete has made a name for itself as the retirement capital of Latin America. With lush tropical plants, temperate mountain temperatures and a currency linked to the dollar, Boquete is an attractive choice for expats from the United States and Canada. (AARPThe Magazine named Boquete the fourth best place to retire in the world.)

Some 3,000 foreigners now call Boquete home.

“Many of the Jews there don’t know each other,” says Hana Poliwoda, co-director of the new Chabad House with her husband.

The couple, currently working from Panama City but planning to be settled in their new home by summer’s end, hopes that their presence will serve as a meeting ground for the community to get to know one another and become involved in Jewish classes, holidays and events. They have traveled back and forth to Boquete this year, greeting people and offering some learning opportunities so far.

The rabbi estimates that 100 Jewish families reside in Boquete year-round, with many more “snowbirds” visiting during the winter months.

“We’ve given a number of Torahclasses,” he says, “and the reception been very warm.”

The Basics for Backpackers

Back to the cemetery.

Faced with exorbitant fees in shipping a body back to the States, many Jews opt for burial in local non-Jewish cemeteries or for cremation, both of which are expressly forbidden according tohalachah (Jewish law).

“We see the need to open the cemetery as incredibly important,” says Poliwoda. “We’re looking to educate people about the beauty and importance of a traditional Jewish burial.”

Of course, the Chabad couple obviously has plans to serve the living as well.

Tourism has risen with Boquete’s growth; as such, the Poliwodas intend to offer kosher food to tour groups. In addition, the rabbi estimates that some three-dozen Israeli backpackers visit the city every month. The new center would serve as a continuation of the Chabad Houses dotting Central and South America that cater to the backpackers, offering them shelter, kosher food, Shabbat meals, opportunities for prayer and Torah study, as well as other Jewish needs before they’re on their way again.

Boquete is about a seven-hour drive due west from the country’s capital, Panama City, where an estimated 12,000 Jews live. Currently, four other Chabad couples live and work in the capital.

“It’s far from Panama City,” acknowledges Poliwoda. “But we’re excited not only to learn together and teach, but to build a community here as well.”

A map of Panama, showing Boquete in the west, near the border with Costa Rica, and the capital of Panama City to the east.
A map of Panama, showing Boquete in the west, near the border with Costa Rica, and the capital of Panama City to the east.
About 100 Jewish families reside in Boquete year-round, with many more “snowbirds” visiting during the winter. Rabbi Yakov and Hana Poliwoda stand second from right.
About 100 Jewish families reside in Boquete year-round, with many more “snowbirds” visiting during the winter. Rabbi Yakov and Hana Poliwoda stand second from right.
The couple has been visiting and getting to know members of the Jewish community.
The couple has been visiting and getting to know members of the Jewish community.
The lush hills of the Panamanian highlands near Boquete.
The lush hills of the Panamanian highlands near Boquete.