About Sosua

Sosúa is a beach town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. It was officially founded by Jewish settlers who were fleeing from Nazi Germany.

At the 1938 Evian Conference, Rafael Trujillo offered to accept up to 100,000 Jewish refugees; about 800 German and Austrian Jewish refugees received visas issued by the Dominican government between 1940 and 1945 and settled in Sosúa. The government provided the settlers with land and resources with which they created a food factory and company named Productos Sosúa still in existence today.

Descendants of the original Jewish settlers still live in Sosúa, among them is the former mayor Ilana Neumann. They remain an important segment of the community and maintain a synagogue and a museum. The town is divided into three sectors: El Batey, which is the main tourist section and on the east side of the main beach (Playa Sosúa); Los Charamicos, on the west end of the beach; north of them, toward the airport, is Sosúa Abajo The bay and beach attract many water sports enthusiasts, including snorkelers and divers because of its sheltered, calm waters, diverse species of fish and intricate reef structures.

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