The only country in Europe still without its own Chabad representatives, Portugal will soon be welcoming a new addition to its 300-member Jewish community.
Rabbi Eli and Raizel Rosenfeld of Brooklyn, will be moving to Lisbon after the holidays, where they will settle with their two small children, and work to complement the achievements of Lisbon’s proud Jewish community.
In a statement released by Lubavitch.com, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky of Lubavitch World Headquarters, said the decision is “thanks to a grant by our cherished Mr. George Rohr,” and the result of the enormously successful Merkos Shlichus, or summer internships. In 2006, Eli visited Portugal, and he developed friendships with many in Lisbon’s Jewish community that endured and grew over the years.
“I’ve gone back many times since, and the warm reception we’ve received has had a lot to do with our decision to move there,” says Rosenfeld, 26.
The couple, who finalized their plans on a visit to Portugal prior to Rosh Hashana, point out that Lisbon has a beautifully restored synagogue—Shaarei Tikvah, a newly restored mikvah, and a very active community, made up of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, many of them in the medical and other professions.
“We feel blessed to be joining this strong community. We’ll be focusing on reaching out to Jewish people who are not affiliated, or who may be reluctant to get involved, and we also hope to work with Jewish tourists,” says Raizel, 23, who comes with life experience as the daughter of Chabad representatives in Connecticut.
Portugal has a long Jewish history, but its population numbers never rebounded from the infamous expulsions of the 15th century. In 1917, one hundred Jewish families of Marranos were discovered in Belmonte, in northeastern Portugal, and according to some statistics, a quarter of the country’s population is of Jewish descent.
To the Rosenfelds, the city has special interest because Lisbon was the point of departure for the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, when he left Europe for the United States in 1941. “The Rebbe made a public address here before he left, and for us, this connection is a big inspiration,” says Eli.
Once they settle in their apartment, they expect to be studying one-on-one with individuals and sharing their Shabbos table with guests. The local supermarket carries a line of kosher products, “but we’ll be asking family and friends, to bring staples such as kosher meat and dairy foods whenever they visit from abroad,” chuckles Raizel.
The Rosenfelds are parents to Mushka, age one and a half, and three-month old Menachem Mendel. While most of the community converses well in English, Eli and Raizel are determined to study Portuguese “so that we’ll be able to talk to our children.”
Source:Chabad Lubavitch
Yes, I also saw this. It will be interesting. There aren’t many Jews in Lisbon (I am not speaking of Marranos who are, of course, much more numerous and difficult to count.
– I would wonder why a full-time rabbi and his family are justified for such a small community, and which already has a rabbi, but then Chabad also pays a rabbi in Ibiza, where really, there are just about no Jews interested in practicing Judaism (and certainly not orthodox) and this rabbi happily stationed in Ibiza spends most of his time on Facebook, at the beach, at discos…… My concern is that this Chabad rabbi will try to make even more Marranos Orthodox; those in the cities pretty much know how to learn about different approaches to Judaism and what attracts them (for the most part, NOT orthodoxy) but those in the villages are more susceptible, I find. It will also be interesting to see his relationship with Rabbi Elisha, who sees himself as THE rabbi for all of Portugal, but who does share an Orthodox approach.
Portuguese Jews seemed a pawn for Jews of England and Holland back in the early 20th century, almost 100 years ago, and now they are, in many ways, a pawn of political and other interests, both Jewish and non-Jewish (Portuguese Tourist Office for example – and Messainic Jews also.)
I totally disagree. Chabad is all about Judaism, in fact, its outreach around the world has seen such a tremendous return to Judaism such as we have not seen in the past 300+ years, since the founder of the Chasidic Movement, The Baal Shemtov.
FYI, Chabad is an acronym for Chochmah, Binah and da’at (wisdom understanding and knowledge).
Visit http://www.chabad.org and see how rich it is in Judaism. You name it, you will find it there, from layman material to the most advanced learning materials.
Yes, some believe the Rebbe is the Messiah, but that is a small group. A Rebbe is a teacher. The lubavitcher Rebbe (there are 36 tzaddikim in every generation – mostly hidden), dispatched emissaries around the world to some of the most remote places, such as El Paso Texas, Alaska, Kinshasa and many more as light bearers to reach out and reconnect all Jews, and to this day, more and more are going out to new places, or to existing locations to assist as the growth is incredible and the “return� of Jews to Judaism is a good sign that the Moshiach (Messiah) will hopefully arrive, speedily in our days..
FYI, one cannot compare the Rebbe or any Rebbe for that matter with Jesus. First understand what a Tzaddik is and then this will make a whole lot more sense.
I am not a lubavitcher or chabadnik, but have the most admiration for Chabad does and how they have reconnected Jews around the world.
To All,
In 1991 over 1,000 Chabad Rabbis signed a Psak Din (a formal Jewish Legal Ruling) stating that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was presumed [assuredly/with assurance] to be Judaisms King Messiah.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe identified himself in no uncertain terms as Mashiach Tzidkeinu during numerous Chassidic discourses. He gave numerous Blessings to those who informed him of their decision to go public with this perception.
In 1994 he died (that’s one version). Chabad-Lubavitch as a group thereupon split into two factions. One faction continues to this day to publicly claim that the Rebbe will return to complete the second plateau criteria of Maimonides’ Laws of Kings Chapter 11 Law# 4 which is Judaism’s bottom Legal line on who and what Mesiah will be and must do.. The other faction has decided to keep quiet and see how things turn out.
We have a most interesting situation here surrounding this event. Non Lubavitch haver gone ballistic against this Lubavitch Messianism. They slander it as Chabadianity and treif.
Did the Rebbe have an overinflated opinion of himself? Did and do his Chassidim have a similarly overinflated opinion of him?
Can it be that after a brilliant 42 year history of creating the greatest outreach organization in Jewish history that the Lubavitcher Rebbe made an egregious error and chillul Hashem by such proclamations regarding himself?
Their faith is not Judaism because they believe (and say that they wilk soon present evidence here to that effect) that we have independent corroboration from God that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was/is right about his being our long awaited Redeemer, Messoah Tzidkeinu.
No fewer than 13 Sources from Kaballah and Chassidic Prophetic writings affirm a resurrected Messiah for Judaism. Messiah coming from the dead is clearly stated as an option in Talmud Sanhedrin 98b bottom of the page.
The emotions surrounding this are very high and prone to anger.
Let us rise above that wrong approach. Let us calmly examine the evidence and Jewish Sacred Sources with the seriousness of a doctor looking at a patients x-ray. In fact the matter even requires greater seriousness than that!
We got a situation here folks! One that requires the greatest possible scrutiny for clarification, verification or….rejection.
For starters learn this Law from Rambam by heart. You will need it for this thread. We will dissect Maimonides on this topic for starters. Rambam’s Law is where this Messiah matter surrounding the Rebbe gets klobbered or affirmed as kasher and true.
Wanna take a ride?
—
Mishna Torah
Laws of Kings and their Wars
Maimonides (Rambam)
Chapter 11
Law#4. If a king will arise from the House of David who delves deeply into the study of the Torah and, like David his ancestor, observes its mitzvot as prescribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law; if he will compel all of Israel to walk in [the way of the Torah] and repair the breaches [in its observance]; and if he will fight the wars of G-d; – we may, with assurance, consider him Messiah.
If he succeeds in the above, builds the [Bet Ha]Mikdash on its site, and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Messiah. He will then perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to serve G-d together.
That is the way Lubavitcher folks explain their faith. No when you turn back to the early teachings of Paul and the first teachers of Christianity you will find the same arguments.
In conclusion, Judaism believes in 1God, no human will rise to become God. That is the essence of our faith and Lybavitch preaches something else.
Hello, I read Solomon Vaz-Diaz’ post with interest, and learned things I
had not known about Lubavitchers and Chabad.
Nevertheless, the reality is that they are not disappearing. They
control a tremendous amount of money and they do as they please. My
concern is that they will have a disproportionate effect on the Belmonte
Jews, who already have to deal with all their other issues, and have now
(or at least the small Executive group has now) chosen to have Rabbi
Elisha again, and, though Shavei proclaims him as their emissary, it is
the Belmonte community which must come up with his salary and costs. (At
least, that’s what they told me last month when I was there.)
And during my conversations with Rabbi Elisha, he seems more orthodox in
practice and outlook now than before and sees himself as THE rabbi of
all Portugal, which might be an interesting situation with respect to
these new Chabadniks.
Two years ago, incidentally, when I was looking for tefillin for the
boys in "my" Belmonte family, I called Toronto Chabad to see whether
they might perform a mitzva and donate at least one set. They eventually
offered to sell me a very expensive set at a discount. I told them a
mitzva was not a business proposition, and eventually donors appeared –
Ashkenazi academic and professional Jews in Toronto with no connection
at all to Belmonte and no knowledge of its history – who felt moved to
help out. No Sephardi Jews and no rabbis and certainly no Chabadniks
seemed remotely interested in helping. It was very disappointing. No
wonder the young Bnei Anusim returning to Judaism in Lisbon whom I have
met, tend to prefer Conservative Ashkenazi rabbis over Orthodox
Sephardic ones.
What Chabadniks believe about their rebbes is not of much interest to
me, but what effect they have on my much-loved Belmonte friends does
indeed concern me.
Judith R Cohen
Where are the true Sephardic Rabbis to help them?
They don’t need a “true Sephardic rabbi” , whatever that is (the opposite to a false Sephardic rabbi?) A rabbi needn’t be Sephardic to effectively officiate at a Sephardic community. Many Ashkenazi synagogues have Sephardi rabbis and vice versa. A good rabbi is a good rabbi. In fact, many Lisbon Bnei Anusim I know vastly prefer Ashkenazi rabbis, and they prefer the NON-Orthodox ones because they, or at least those they have known, are far more welcoming and flexible about working with them than most of the Sephardic rabbis they’ve met have been.
Personally, I think a woman rabbi would be appropriate for Jews whose religion was, after all, preserved mainly by heroic, quietly determined WOMEN. If they won’t accept a woman rabbi, then at least a rabbi whose wife is (1) actually there (as opposed to Elisha’s wife, who is mostly not there) (2) knowledgeable not only about Judaism but also about the many splendid roles Jewish women have played over the centuries and (3) effective in restoring to the Bnei Anusim women their honoured and central place in Jewish society, even if it is no longer as Crypto-Jewish women but as fully recognized Jewish women.
Actually, the main stumbling block in finding the right rabbi for Belmonte is their own insistence that any rabbi also be a shokhet. This rather limits the choice. Of course, Jose-Joao was sent, at great expense (and not, as often said, as “the choice of the community”, just as the choice of certain individuals in the community), to study in Israel but (1) it doesn’t seem likely he will ever be a rabbi (2) he is apparently a good shokhet but isn’t in Belmonte very often (3) apparently charges a lot for being a shokhet (and when he IS in Belmonte apparently does not take a leadership role in services.) That was supposed to be the solution but , obviously, it hasn’t worked out (in any case, he also doesn’t have anyone to fulfil the crucial role of rabbi’s wife.) In fact, all the would-be-benefactors of Belmonte seem to have sort of forgotten that it was women who kept things going, and what their needs are. And of course, the right kind of Orthodox rabbi – and wife – can be very good for the community, but it has to be a certain kind,to recognize women’s roles and needs, and in general the unique and complex history and needs of the community. (And who is also a shokhet….).
But again, there is no need for the rabbi of a Sephardic community to necessarily BE Sephardic. To be knowledgeable about Sephardic history, and, especially, about Portuguese Jewish history, of course, and mature and experienced, and … and…….. But a good Ashkenazi or Mizrakhi rabbi can be all those things as well. And many fine Sephardic rabbis are much appreciated by their Ashkenazi congregants. Again, a good rabbi is a good rabbi, regardless of his or her backgrounds – once again, the Jewish mishpakha is a very old mishpakhah – family – which goes far beyond the identities of our various diasporas.
This is a very interesting discussion raising difficult issues. However, I do not think personal attacks, on rabbi Elisha Salas or anyone else is helpful. There is a need for comprehensive discussion about the “Jewish” situation in Portugal if any progress is to be made. Elisha himself, several years ago at a Ladina “tertulia” in Porto wondered if the Belmonte community would still exist 20 years from now, given that the traditional teachers (women) have been shunted aside and there is no tradition of study amongst the men.
The situation in Portugal is complicated and certainly as Judith points out, there is no one “monolithic way of being Jewish”. Why should Portugal be any different? Unfortunately, Belmonte has been mythicised and the community has not developed naturally, but has been subjected to various outside forces which has distorted it. Perhaps the best policy is to leave it alone, self-financing, let it be. The community has survived on its own against great odds for 500 years. They have a rich tradition which unfortunately is at risk of being lost because of officious intermeddling.
The Lisbon Jewish community is not Marrano based and has its own particular history, whether a chabad rabbi will flourish there is another question. The Porto Marrano based community has its own peculiarities, the recent Marrano ‘converts” struggling with internal challenges and the greater community. There is still today a “secretive” group of women in Porto who observe Jewish customs without participating in the synagogue.
Throughout the north east of Portugal, especially in Tras-os-montes and Beiras, there is a strong feeling of Jewish identity amongst many people, but is not reflected in normative communities. For example, in Trancoso, the research of the late Elias Lipiner indicates that 1/2 of the population was Jewish before the Inquisition. Not everyone got away, many remained and their collective memory has not been completely eradicated. In Braganza, the birthplace of many great Sephardic families in the diaspora, the city has recently purchased a property for a Jewish museum and has supported publications on the city’s Jewish history.
Personally, I think less importance should be put on labels, especially religious ones, and allow the various strands of Jewish identity to develop as naturally as possible. What is lacking in Portugal, is a sense of Jewish community, not necessarily religious. There are no Jewish community centers outside Lisbon, there are no bookstores specializing in Judaica, no bagel shops(yes, i know, but the world adapts!-some bakeries in Lisbon are beginning to sell them!), no educational facilities, no United Jewish appeal, etc.
In addition, Portuguese intellectuals have historically refused to acknowledge the strong Jewish underpinnings of Portuguese literature and society in general, although much has changed in the last decade with a flourish of recent publications. However, it is still not possible to obtain a BA in Jewish studies in any university in Portugal. The Albert Benveniste chair of Sephardic studies at the University of Lisbon does not offer credit courses!
The government too, must be convinced to value the Jewish heritage of its people. Although there is now a public memorial to the Lisbon massacre of New Christians of 1506, it is not enough. There needs to be a national museum of Jewish culture, in the Rossio, in place of the national theatre Dona Maria 2nd (recall the prediction of Cavaleiro de Oliveira), the site of the Lisbon Inquisition court and jail, there needs to be a national monument to the victims of the Inquisition, with the name of every person discoverable from the archives at the Torro de Tombo, there needs to be a national museum of the Inquisition, in Evora, in the extant buildings there that housed the Inquisition court and jail; moreover, school children need to learn about Dona Gracia, Branca Dias and the rich history of Portuguese Jews, New Christians, and Marranos.
Much needs to be done. Where to start is difficult to know. Perhaps studying and trying to understand the impact of 300 years of tyranny on the people of Portugal might assist. These are some of my thoughts on the issues raised in the recent contributions to this forum.
Judith, Sorry but I don’t agree with you…
The opposite is a non Sephardic rabbi, acting like, with not knowledge of Sephardic Judaism.
And of course Women Rabbis are not part of Sephardic Tradition, since we don’t have that kind of labels that exist in American Judaism, there is not Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc in Sephardic Judaism.
Judith
You are so right in all the point you reached.
The Chabadniks are destroying several Sephardic and Mizrahi communties, and for sure they will try to reach the Sephardic community in Lisbon and Belmonte, no doubt about it. Intersting will be, that now that the Belmonte’s Jews are converted ( so sad ) they will show interest on them, when before it, they denied any kind of help to them.
Elisha is another problem, his ego is huge, and he preachs for conversion of the Bene Anussim, now he claims to be Ben Anus, but before his conversion in Israel, he never mentioned it, it means, he is not from converso background, checked with people involved in his conversion.
Other real problem is Shavei and his tentacles, trying to make publicity because Belmonte and in general from other Bene Anusim groups, what a challenge for Belmonte and Portugal, where are the true Sephardic Rabbis to help them?
With Chabad, Salas and Shavei over Portugal, their future is grey.