The fascinating and tragic story of Portugal’s Crypto-Jews (also called Marranos or Conversos) is a key part of the history of the European diaspora. The Crypto-Jews, who risked their lives by secretly practicing Judaism under the nose of the Inquisition, played a role in the exploration of the New World and Portugal’s epic voyages of discovery, and also settled Amsterdam and Northern European cities.
A luxury Gil Travel Jewish heritage tour of modern Portugal will uncover some of the secrets of the Crypto-Jews and take you to unique Jewish historical sites like the hidden Jewish village of Belmonte and poignant memorials to the victims of the Inquisition.
The Historical Context: Forced Conversion and Survival
There were Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula centuries before Portugal emerged as a nation state. Portugal’s recorded Jewish history dates back to 482 CE, but it’s likely that Jews were present for much of the Roman Empire. There were periods during Portugal’s medieval history when the country’s Jews flourished. Yahia ben Yahi was appointed supervisor of tax collection by King Afonso 1, while another Jew, Jose Ibn-Yahya was appointed High Steward of the Realm by King Sancho 1.
Portuguese Jews were generally tolerated and protected, and made a valuable contribution to national life and culture. The golden age came to a vicious end in the 1490’s beginning with the Alhambra decree in Portugal’s powerful neighbor Spain in 1492. The decree ordered Spanish Jews to either leave Spain or convert to Christianity.
Spain leveraged its political and diplomatic influence to extend its persecution of the Jews to Portugal. The Jewish community was presented with a brutal choice: convert to Christianity by October 1497 or leave Portugal for ever. Thousands of Jews left for more tolerant destinations in Northern Europe and across the Mediterranean. Others accepted conversion and were received into the Roman Catholic church.
Many of the new “Conversos” only pretended to convert to Christianity. They adopted the outward trappings of Catholicism and attended church as required, but continued to secretly practice Judaism. The Inquisition was ubiquitous, and utterly ruthless in its determination to root out secretly observant Jews. The Crypto-Jews literally risked their lives to maintain the ancient Jewish rituals; hiding Shabbat candles; memorizing prayers, and discreetly celebrating high holidays.
Belmonte: The Hidden Jewish Village
Jews in medieval Portugal were not confined to a few ghettos or Jewish quarters. They had enough security and self-confidence to settle the entire country and small communities sprang up even in remote rural areas. The town of Belmonte lies in the hills approximately 150 miles from the capital of Lisbon. The earliest historical evidence of Belmonte’s Jewish community dates back to 1297. An inscribed synagogue reliquary attests to a Jewish presence.
Belmonte’s Jews secretly maintained their connection to Judaism, and in doing so maintained an unbroken Jewish tradition from ancient to modern Portugal. A combination of secrecy and small deceptions (like hanging chicken sausages to dry in the windows as though they were local pork-based chorizos) enabled the Marranos of Belmonte to survive. It wasn’t until 1914 when a Polish Jew called Samuel Schwarz, who was working in the town as a mining engineer, accidently discovered their heritage that the Crypto Jews in Belmonte emerged from the shadows.
Gil Travel can organize a guided private tour of Belmonte (and other rural sites that feature in Portugal’s hidden Jewish history). Belmonte’s modern Bet Eliahu synagogue was built in the 1990s for the town’s revitalized Jewish community and serves a congregation of up to 300 local worshipers as well as guests. It’s the vibrant center of Jewish life in Belmonte and a memorial to the determination, ingenuity and endurance of the Crypto-Jews who secretly preserved their heritage through centuries of official intolerance.
Belmonte also has a fascinating Jewish Museum – the first in Portugal – that showcases a collection of artifacts, and preserves stories and rituals of the Crypto-Jews. A guided tour of the museum offers a wonderful view of Jewish tradition and heritage from across Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula. A private trip to the museum can include lectures and meetings with Belmonte’s Jewish community. You can expect a deep and emotional insight into a Portuguese Jewish tradition of survival and faith.
Trancoso: A City of Memory and Resilience
The small and picturesque town of Trancoso sits astride a hilltop, just a 30 mile drive North of Belmonte. Trancoso has a rich – and tragic – Jewish history. It’s most famous as the birthplace of the Sephardic philosopher, writer and physician Isaac Cardoso. The town’s Isaac Cardoso Jewish Interpretation Centre is dedicated to educating a new generation about the life of the important Jewish polymath and preserving Crypto-Jewish culture, history, and identity. The site also includes a modern synagogue space for prayer and community gatherings.
Like its neighbor Belmonte, Trancosa has experienced a Jewish revival after centuries of secrecy and silence. Gil Travel will arrange an expert guided tour of the old town that reveals hundreds of Jewish engravings and secret marks on houses. Your guide can elaborate on how some local Jews evaded the terror of the Inquisition, maintaining a delicate balancing act as they professed Christianity and practiced Judaism.
Not all of Trancosa’s Jews did survive the Inquisition The town’s Jewish Memorial Garden commemorates an estimated 700 local victims of persecution. The memorial garden is located near the medieval Jewish quarter and is a quiet and peaceful place to gather after a walking tour and honor the memories of the dead.
Modern Recognition and Revival
Despite generations of suffering, many Crypto-Jews outwitted and outlived the Inquisition and their 21st century descendants are thriving. As you explore Portugal with Gil Travel, you’ll see inspirational examples of Jewish revival – and a new public acceptance. Many descendants of Crypto-Jews are experiencing a powerful reconnection to Judaism (or to their ancient Jewish heritage).
The results of DNA studies vary, but an estimated 20% of modern Portuguese people have some Jewish ancestry. Put very simply, as you walk through the streets of Portugal, every fifth person you pass is partly descended from Crypto-Jews. That’s an astonishing figure and the genetic legacy of the Marranos puts the scale of the forced conversions into an easily understandable perspective.
Today, Portugal’s Jewish community is over 3,000 strong and is mainly centered around Lisbon. The community is well-established and welcoming towards Jewish tourists from the US. A tailored tour itinerary with Gil Travel will include plenty of opportunities to connect with the community and to learn more about how Portugal’s Jewish history and traditions blend into modern Jewish life.
A kosher tour will also include an exploration of Portugal’s Jewish Cuisine. Gourmet dishes are a delicious combination of traditional Sephardi and Portuguese styles, partly influenced by North African and other Mediterranean cuisine. Crypto-Jewish women contributed to the survival of Jewish culture by preserving traditional cooking methods and recipes. Slow -cooked Shabbat dinners like adafina and spicy ropa vieja (similar to cholent) were simmered overnight and often served with hamin or slow-cooked eggs.
Portugal has an Atlantic coastline and seafood is enormously popular. Jewish fish dishes include fried fish, which was often served cold on Shabbat. Other delicacies include sambusak (stuffed pastries), fruit dishes and a matzos based sponge cake called pan de Espana for Passover.
Plan a Luxury Jewish History Tour of Portugal
Portugal is an amazing and welcoming country with hot summers and a warm and pleasant spring and autumn. It’s only a 7 hour flight from the Eastern US and is generally a safe and friendly destination for American tourists. Gil Travel will work with you to create the perfect Portuguese travel itinerary that matches your needs and expectations.
You can choose from Portugal’s best luxury kosher-friendly hotels, or self-catering villas and apartments, and explore historical Jewish sites like Belmonte and Trancoso with chauffeured and guided private tours. Portugal also has some of the best beaches in Europe and a wealth of cultural sites – including 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and another 11 potential sites!
Gil Travel can suggest a huge range of age appropriate activities for your entire family or tour group that balance Jewish history and heritage with a chance to explore every attraction that Portugal can offer. Your tour itinerary can also be expanded to include trips to explore important Jewish heritage sites in nearby Spain and Morocco and gain an overview of wider Sephardic history.
Talk to Gil Travel today and we’ll start planning a once in a lifetime luxury trip to explore one of the most important and pivotal periods of the Jewish diaspora in Europe!
