Shaare Tikva, Lisbon (& Tomar)
I ended my visit to Portugal in Lisbon, where Jewish life first resurfaced in Portugal during the early 19th century. Fittingly, I first went to see Portugal’s oldest remaining synagogue, […]
My Odyssey to Discover and Touch Past and Present Spanish Jewish Life
I ended my visit to Portugal in Lisbon, where Jewish life first resurfaced in Portugal during the early 19th century. Fittingly, I first went to see Portugal’s oldest remaining synagogue, […]
I had no idea what to expect when I planned to spend Shabbat in the almost mythical Converso community of Belmonte, but what I experienced I won’t ever forget. There, […]
A paper trail of Jewish life remains in Portugal, and is preserved in the libraries of Coimbra University. It is the oldest university in Portugal, dating back to the 13th […]
Memories of Jewish life lie just beneath the surface in Portugal. Amazingly, most of the people that I’ve met have told me that they have Jewish ancestry, ‘Jewish customs’ (cleaning […]
In my mind, Portugal has been one of those place that Jews left, and not where Jews go. But here I am arriving. My three hour plus layover in Lisbon, […]
On Wednesday, November 27, 2013, I return to Portugal. Well, return might not be the right right word, as I’ve never been there before, and as far as I know, […]
Before even starting my first day at Shearith Israel, I set out to connect with its past, in August of 2009. And that I did with an excursion up the […]
In June, 2009, I first interviewed for my current position at Shearith Israel. Little did I know that it would mark the beginning of a journey that would lead not […]
One of my favorite places to spend a Shabbat is at Mikveh Israel, the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, of Philadelphia. I went for Thanksgiving weekend in 2012 and had such […]