Nefuzot Yehuda – Bayonne, France
In terms of Portuguese Jewry Bayonne is somewhat of a misnomer. The Jewish community was actually based on the other side of the Adour River in what is called St Esprit (where […]
Tag Archives: Synagogue
The World’s Longest Running Synagogue?
I write this post in the hope of answering a question that I’ve been pondering for the past few months. What is the world’s longest continuously running synagogue? I ask […]
South Manchester – Sha’are Rahamim, Hayim and Zedek
South Manchester will soon be home to the first Sephardic synagogue constructed in England in decades. I received a sneak peek at its construction when I went to Manchester before […]
The Touro Trial and the Legacy of Anglo-American Jewry
The Jewish trial of the century has just concluded. The trial pitted the oldest American Jewish community against the oldest American synagogue. At stake was the legacy of America’s Colonial era Jews. […]
Kedoshim – and Canonicals
One of the most noticeable features at many of the Spanish and Portuguese synagogues are the canonical robes worn by the rabbis and hazanim (often called ministers). They are striking because they are so similar […]
The Venetian Ghetto – Birthplace of the S&P
Venice is where it all began for the Western Sephardim (though there may be some antecedents in Ferrara). It was there that the first openly Jewish Western Sephardic (“S&P”) community was […]
North Manchester – Sha’are Tefila
Manchester is one of the most recent cities to establish a Spanish & Portuguese community. Theirs was inaugurated in 1874 along Cheetham Hill Road in North Manchester. Jews first arrived […]
Nidhe Israel – Bridgetown, Barbados
With its white sandy beaches, blue skies, and year-long warm weather, it’s difficult to imagine that the island of Barbados was once home to a thriving Spanish and Portuguese Jewish […]
Pekude – The Making of a Mishkan
In Pekude as we conclude reading the book of Shemot (Exodus), the Mishkan (the desert Temple) is inaugurated. The portion begins with a recount of how much gold, silver, and […]
Tezave – Moses and Moses Montefiore
Moshe Rabbenu, the great leader of the Exodus, is so prominent in the Torah, that once born, there is henceforth nearly no Torah portion in which he does not appear, […]
Shalom Says Hello 