The history of the Jews in Sint Maarten started before 1735, when two Jewish families already lived in Sint Maarten. A Jewish congregation existed by the 1780s. This community operated a synagogue that was located in Philipsburg, between Front Street and Back Street. After Hurricane San Mateo hit Sint Maarten on September 21, 1819, the synagogue was destroyed and the island's Jewish community dwindled (although the process probably started around 1800). Remnants of the synagogue can still be found behind what is now the Guavaberry Emperium on Front Street. Whether a Jewish cemetery existed in Philipsburg is debated. In the early 1850s, only 3 Jews lived in Sint Maarten. This was only 0.1% of the total population (the majority of the population, 56.8%, were slaves). Eventually, all Jews le