The history of the Jewish community in Belmonte, Portugal, dates back to the 13th century; the community was composed of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who kept their faith through crypto-Judaism.

The history of Belmonte's Jewish community is told at the Belmonte Jewish Museum, which opened in 2005.

In 2008, the Jewish population of Belmonte numbered around 300.thumb|right|250px|Bet Eliahu synagogue, inaugurated in 1996.

In 2024, a total of 40 Jews remained, only some of them permanent residents.

The Inquisition and before

The earliest sign relic of the Belmonte Jewish community is an inscribed granite reliquary dating to 1297, from the town's first synagogue. According to Antonieta Garcia, the wife of the former Mayor of Belmonte and who grew up as a Marrano, the existence of Inquisition dossiers against residents of Belmonte in the Court of Coimbra shows that the Jewish population did not disappear. He and his wife moved to Lisbon, Portugal in search of work. In Portugal, it was a common practice to hang pork chouriços to dry. They had no rabbis, and religious ceremonies were conducted at home by the women of the family.

In 2003, the Belmonte project was founded under the American Sephardi Federation in order to raise funds for acquiring Jewish education material and services for the community. A Jewish Museum of Belmonte opened on April 17, 2005; the museum underwent a renovation in 2016 and reopened in 2017.

In 2019, the Jewish community of Belmonte completed an Eruv.

See also

  • Auto-da-fé
  • History of the Jews in Portugal
  • Belmonte Jewish Museum
  • Portuguese Inquisition
  • Sephardi Jews
  • Spanish and Portuguese Jews

References

  • jewishwebindex.com (Jews of Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar and Majorca)
  • Jews Bring Prosperity to Iberian Town

pt:Belmonte (Portugal)#Comunidade judaica