Jews from Morocco arrived in Madeira in 1819 and set themselves up in the cloth trade. A synagogue and cemeteries were built on the island but were abandoned decades ago.
By JTA
Descendants of Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism centuries ago will attend the first seder in decades on the Portuguese island of Madeira off the coast of Africa.
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies in the north Atlantic Ocean
Thirteen Jews — some of them Bnei Anousim, the descendants of Portuguese Jews targeted for conversion during the Inquisition — will gather in Funchal, the capital of the archipelago, on Passover eve, according to Shavei Israel, an organization devoted to bringing so-called lost Jews back to Judaism. Continue Reading »
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