SEFARAD: The Untold Story of Jewish Portugal
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- Опубліковано 18 гру 2022
- About this event:
On December 18, 2022, the world ushers in Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. This holiday commemorates the stunning military victory of the Maccabees over Syrian Greek rule in 164 B.C.E; it also celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, and most notably, the restoration of religious freedom. In commemoration of our history, Jewish Heritage Alliance, co-sponsors, and co-hosting partners presented this special webinar on the story of Jewish Portugal.
The history of Jews in Portugal extends back thousands of years. Some believe the earliest Jews arrived during biblical times although Jewish communal existence is dated to the Roman era. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century C.E, Jews were persecuted by the Visigoths. Nonetheless, by the height of Jewish life in Medieval Portugal, there were over 150 Jewish communities throughout the nation. Every major town, village and port had a Judiaria (Jewish quarter) with its own institutions and places of worship. With the banning of Judaism in 1496, these communities ended, as Jews were forced to leave Portugal or convert to Christianity, becoming known as “New Christians”.
As “New Christians” (many of whom remained hidden or Crypto-Jews), fleeing inquisitorial persecution and seeking greater commercial opportunities, they went around the globe, ranging from Amsterdam to Brazil and New York to India. In Portugal itself, many walls, gates, carvings, and religious sites have vanished in the last five centuries, but the memory of those Judiarias is remembered in place names, historic markers, and Mezuzot door slots, inscriptions, and local tales. Jewish Portugal changed the course of history.
Our Key Speaker is Mr. Richard Zimler, an expert and bestselling author on Jewish Portugal, who will share his personal journey of discovery. He is dedicated to writing historical novels focusing on perspectives of “marginalized” groups, whose stories have rarely been told. In Portugal, where Zimler has lived since 1990, Portuguese Jews seldom appear in history; they have largely been erased.
Joining Richard in this online webinar will be Rabbi Eli Rosenfeld, the Rabbi of the Avner Cohen Chabad House in Cascais, who will share with us his passion for collecting original books and writing relating to the history of Jewish Portugal. He will provide an overview of Portuguese Jewish sages, whose commentaries have influenced Jewish life, including Don Isaac Abravanel and Rabbi Avraham Saba.
Also featured in this final JHA webinar of 2022 are Dr. Michael Rothwell, a board member of the Jewish Community of Oporto, Portugal and Mr. Eli Gabay, Esq., Parnas/President of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia.
Our moderator is Dr. Isaac Amon, JHA Director of Academic Research.
Secure your place and reserve today! First Come… first served.
Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 1PM EST
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Program Co-Sponsor Partners:
The sponsors for this event are: Congregation Mikveh Israel, Comunidade Israelita do Porto, University of Miami (Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and the George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies)
Program Co-Hosting Partners:
Temple Moses Sephardic Congregation of Florida , ANU Museum of the Jewish People, the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, the American Sephardi Federation’s Institute of Jewish Experience, the Jewish Learning Channel, Gratz College, Kulanu , Reconectar, Touro Synagogue and European Jewish Community Centre
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In Lisbon a Jewish gravestone 2000 years was found.
I've 'attended' a number of your virtual events in the past. They're all very good. This one surpasses them all (of the ones I've viewed)!
Amazing! Watching from London UK. ❤
Very interesting, I look forward to learning more about this time in the history of Portugal and the Shephardic Jews. Thanks for sharing this information.
Excellent teacher.
Portugal's Jewish history is buried into the faces of people where my parents are from in the Azores and on the continent. Sefarad is very different. They always mixed with the locals almost from the beginning, going back 2000 years until about the 1370. By 1420, most had fully converted, there was very little hiding of roots because it disappeared. No Jewish presence can be found now in the Azores. Survival of the fittest. In the mainland, a few remained in remote Belmonte, some fled to Amsterdam and then London. Even in remote areas of my parents island, there was so much genetic drift in 500 years due to endogamy that it is only possible to trace 15-20% of Jewish DNA. It will take a few more decades before the technology improves and we can paint a better picture.
In the small city where I live, Castelo Branco, you can still walk through the ancient Jewish area. I wonder what it was like to live there in the days soon after the forced conversions to Catholicism. Did the Novos Cristãos continue to live together in the Jewish area? Now the houses there are in ruins.
Porto synagogue 😍
Who were the jews & moslems? Where did they originate before arrival into Andalusia? Were they able to live together in peace before being exiled.? What progress did the Catholic Church make after the takeover. Can you recognize these people today who might be descendant of these North African Moors?
I have recently taken a DNA test. Half of my DNA is traced back to Spain /Portugal with some Jewish ancestry. My last name is Chavera... could be hebrew meaning "friend", have you come across that name by any chance?
Challah was not baked in the Sephardic Jews community.
Mr. Zimler is incorrect about the coming of new Christians to Brazil. The Jews arrived in Brazil in early 1500’s way before the “first” synagogue was created in Recife.
I never said that New Christians and/or Jews didn't arrive in Brazil earlier. I said that the first synagogue was in Recife. So that means that the first organized and officialized community was in Recife. Do you disagree with that? If you do disagree, please tell me where was an official community before Recife? The New Christians in the parts of Brazil ruled by the Portugese would NOT have been permitted to have a synagogue or organize a community. I thought that was obvious from all I said. If you disagree, I would be very intrested in finding out about that, since I can't find anything about an earlier synagogue or organized community before Recife. It would have had to be completely secret! In general, the New Christians avoided Brazil while under Portuguese rule because of the Inquisition. They went to the parts of Brazil ruled by the Dutch. If you disagree with that, please send me your sources. I would be very interested in reading your sources. Thank you.
Please read my original message. I never used the work community. There are plenty of inquisition cases against new Christians practicing Judaism way before the first synagogue in Recife. One exemple is Branca Dias, her mother, her children and her descendants. The Bicudo family … there were many. Look for inquisition cases in Brazil at torre do tombo.
@@Gotlev6 The Inquisition began in 1536 in Portugal and its colonies. After that, New Christians were persecuted. I never said anything different. So I don't understand why you say I am "incorrect".
@@zimler8278 The Inquisition started in the late 1400’s. However, it was formally signed in 1536, but was already in motion way before that.
@@bigthurl5613 Not in Portugal. It started in 1536. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Inquisition The Jews were not converted until 1497. So it would have been IMPOSSIBLE to have an Inquisition meant to persecute backsliding New Christians until 1497. The Inquisition started earlier in Spain. But Spain is not Portugal. Spain and Portugal were only united for a brief time starting in 1580 and ending in 1640.
How can people mention the Sephardic Jews of Spain and Portugal without mentioning the Yahya Family of Jews?
Who are the Yahya Jews ?
@@tudormiller887 Ya’ish Ibn Yahya……Research
@bigthurl5613 still being the same old clown 🤡
@@tudormiller887A well known and influential Sephardic family.
Alot of jews whent to azores .
Fale mais!
The comments are rife with bigotry. Clean it out.
Bruh I’m black that’s where my family came from they wasn’t y’all
The Marranos ( The original Jews of Portugal 🇵🇹) did not convert to “ Judaism because that’s not how we the Jews of Spain and Portugal worship Yah , that was made up by the Ashkenazi / Khazar converts, who hijacked our way of life and changed it to suit themselves
Lol 😆 🤣 😂 fool
Ashkenazi jews and Sephardic Jew are genetically similar as both diaspora groups came from the Diaspora of 70a.d. The two Diaspora groups separated about 1k years ago.
@@tagbarzeev8283 Ashkenazi are converts, while the real Sephardic are the sons of YEHUDA
Ashkenazi Jews are the descendents of Ashkenazi, a descendent of Noah. They migrated to East Europe into diaspora.
@benayahbendavidgavinrodrig1017 No, they aren't. Ashkenazi, a Noah's descendent, is the father of the Ashkenazi Jews.
Too much hoopla and very poor scholarship
Were some of these Jews melanated people? I've come across old writings that say they were swarthy or black. I know Portuguese that are black.