Mexico’s President and the Vibrant Jewish Community She Represents

Claudia Sheinbaum's historic presidency spotlights a thriving but insular Jewish population of 40,000 that has found remarkable success in Mexico

When she assumed office in October 2024, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, made history on multiple fronts. Not only is she the first woman to lead Mexico, but she’s also the country’s first president with Jewish heritage. Yet her relationship with that heritage reveals the complex identity questions facing Mexico’s small but influential Jewish community.

Sheinbaum, 62, is not religiously observant. “I grew up without religion. That’s how my parents raised me,” she said at a 2018 gathering hosted by a Jewish organization in Mexico City. “But obviously the culture, that’s in your blood.” Her maternal grandparents fled Bulgaria during the Holocaust, while her paternal grandparents emigrated from Lithuania in the 1920s. Both parents were born in Mexico.

This secular approach to Jewish identity reflects broader patterns within Mexico’s estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Jewish residents. While the community maintains strong cultural ties and institutional life, religious observance varies widely across its diverse population.

A Concentrated and Successful Community

Mexico hosts the 14th-largest Jewish population globally, making it the third-largest Jewish community in Latin America. About 75% live in and around Mexico City, with smaller communities in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Cancún, and San Miguel de Allende.

The numbers tell a story of remarkable integration and success. Mexican Jews maintain some of the world’s lowest intermarriage rates—only 3% marry outside the faith, compared to over 50% in the United States. Approximately 95% of community members affiliate with Jewish institutions, and 95% of children attend one of Mexico’s 16 Jewish schools, with about a dozen located in Mexico City.

“The Mexican Jewish community is particularly active, with an estimated 95% of members affiliated with an institution involved in Jewish religious life,” according to the World Jewish Congress. The community supports more than 20 synagogues in Mexico City alone, ranging from Orthodox to Conservative congregations.

Despite Mexico being overwhelmingly Catholic—with nearly 100 million Catholics according to 2020 census data—Jewish Mexicans have carved out secure niches in business and professional life. The community includes established families involved in manufacturing, commerce, and the professions, often ranking among Mexico’s most economically successful ethnic groups alongside Lebanese and Spanish immigrants.

Geographic Concentration in Mexico City

The Jewish community’s geographic distribution tells the story of Mexico City’s urban evolution. In the 1920s, Jewish immigrants settled in downtown Mexico City around Jesús María Street. By the 1930s and 1940s, many had moved to the leafy streetcar suburbs of Roma and Condesa, where Yiddish became the unofficial language of Parque México.

Today, Jewish life centers in Mexico City’s western neighborhoods, particularly the upscale areas of Polanco and Lomas de Chapultepec. Polanco, known for its cultural diversity and luxury shopping, houses a large Jewish community alongside Lebanese families. The neighborhood features kosher restaurants, synagogues, and Jewish community centers.

Other significant Jewish neighborhoods include Santa Fe, Huixquilucan in adjacent Mexico State, and parts of Colonia Hipódromo Condesa. These areas feature the infrastructure that supports Jewish life: kosher supermarkets, Jewish schools, community centers, and synagogues.

A Community Divided by Heritage

Mexican Jewry remains organizationally divided along ethnic lines established during immigration waves. The community comprises three main groups: Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe, Sephardic Jews from Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans, and Levantine Jews primarily from Syria.

Remarkably, even the Syrian community maintains internal divisions between Jews from Aleppo and Damascus. Each group operates its own religious, educational, and cultural organizations. The Orthodox-oriented groups include the Sociedad de Beneficencia Alianza Monte Sinai (founded by Syrian Jews), the Comunidad Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jews), the Comunidad Maguen David (Aleppan Jews), and the Comunidad Sefaradi (Turkish and Balkan Jews).

The Comité Central de la Comunidad Judía de México serves as an umbrella organization, advocating for the community in governmental, political, religious, and media affairs while fighting antisemitism through its Tribuna Israelita division.

Low But Persistent Antisemitism

Mexico maintains relatively low levels of antisemitism compared to other countries, but concerning trends have emerged. A 2016 Anti-Defamation League poll found that 24% of Mexican adults harbor antisemitic views, representing an increase from earlier surveys.

The rise included classic antisemitic stereotypes: 56% of respondents believed Jews have “too much power in the business world,” up from 40% in 2014. Nearly half believed Jews are more loyal to Israel than Mexico, and 49% said Jews have excessive power in international financial markets.

Despite these attitudes, physical antisemitic incidents remain rare. Only 11% of survey respondents said violence against Jews occurs “very or somewhat often,” and 59% believe Jews are treated well in Mexico.

During Sheinbaum’s campaign, her Jewish heritage occasionally became a target. Former President Vicente Fox tweeted that she was “Jewish and foreign at the same time,” referencing conspiracy theories about her birthplace. However, her ethnicity played little role in the election outcome, with most voters focused on her political positions rather than her background.

Mixed Reactions to Sheinbaum’s Victory

Sheinbaum’s election generated mixed feelings within Mexico’s Jewish community. Many Jewish voters opposed her left-wing politics and association with the populist movement led by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The community tends to lean center-right politically and expressed concerns about her pro-Palestinian statements regarding the Gaza conflict.

“For Jews in Mexico, there wasn’t a sense of pride when she won the election,” Rabbi David Rittner told NPR. “Instead, they felt worried. If she is a successful president, people will see her as a Mexican. But if she isn’t a good president, they will label her a Jew.”

This concern reflects the delicate position of successful minority communities. Despite their prosperity and integration, Mexican Jews remain conscious of their visibility and the potential for scapegoating during economic or political difficulties.

Historical Roots and Modern Challenges

Jewish presence in Mexico dates to 1519, when Conversos—Jews forcibly converted to Christianity—arrived with Spanish colonizers. The Mexican Inquisition, established in 1571, persecuted crypto-Jews who continued practicing Judaism in secret.

Modern Jewish immigration began after Mexico achieved independence in 1821 and implemented religious tolerance policies. Major waves arrived in the early 20th century, fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe and instability in the Ottoman Empire. The 1930s saw xenophobic movements and immigration restrictions, but Mexico still accepted more Jewish refugees than many other countries.

Today’s community faces contemporary challenges including emigration to the United States and Israel, with about one-third of Latin American Jews having left the region in recent generations. However, Mexico remains one of the few countries where the Jewish population is expected to grow.

Religious life shows increasing Orthodox influence, particularly within the Maguén David Community, with more study centers and religious institutions established in recent years. This trend reflects global patterns of Jewish religious renewal while maintaining the community’s distinctly Mexican character.

A Unique Success Story

Mexico’s Jewish community represents a remarkable integration success story within a predominantly Catholic nation. The combination of strong institutional life, economic achievement, and low intermarriage rates has preserved Jewish identity across generations while allowing full participation in Mexican society.

As religious faith continues to shape Mexican identity, the Jewish community’s experience offers insights into how minority faiths navigate Mexico’s complex cultural landscape. Sheinbaum’s presidency may not represent religious observance, but it symbolizes the opportunities available to all Mexicans regardless of background.

The president’s secular approach to her Jewish heritage mirrors that of many Mexican Jews who maintain cultural connections while fully embracing Mexican identity. Whether her tenure changes perceptions of Jewish Mexicans remains to be seen, but her election certainly highlights the community’s deep roots in Mexican soil.

Sources: World Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, NBC News, NPR, Times of Israel, Jewish Women’s Archive, Tribuna Israelita