The first Jewish immigrants came to Andorra during World War II.

The Principality of Andorra is a landlocked microstate in the Pyrenees Mountains wedged between Spain and France. Its capital is the highest capital city in Europe. Andorra was created under a charter in 988 A.D. The present principality was formed in 1278. It’s known as a principality because it is a monarchy headed by two co-princes: the Spanish Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgell and the President of France.

The first Jewish immigrants settled in Andorra during World War II as the country served as a passageway for Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis. While some of those immigrants made their homes in Andorra, most continued on to Spain and Portugal seeking exit from Europe. Another wave of immigration occurred in the 1960s, particularly in 1967, from the north-Moroccan town of Larache. Hundreds of Jewish Moroccans left Morocco during the Six Day War between the State of Israel and the Arab invaders.

The Associació Cultural Israelita de les Valls d’ Andorra (ACIV) was founded in 1998. Until that time, because Andorra was a Catholic country, it was not possible to form a Jewish organization. The Jewish population of Andorra numbers approximately 100, primarily of Moroccan heritage, but some from Argentina, Spain, Israel and other areas. The ACIV is the center of cultural and religious activity for the Andorra Jewish community.