Jewish genealogy in the Azores
Inacio Steinhardt
When I posted my offer to answer your questions about Jewish genealogy in the Azores, I knew that I could help a few people in quest of their roots.
I am myself very much interested in my own roots, not related to the Azores at all, and I am most grateful to the people who help me in my research. Helping others in an area where I have some knowledge is only a way to reciprocate.
However, I did not expect so many inquires, both in the forum and directly to my address, and all at the same time.
I will be glad to answer all I know, but please bear with me and give me some time. I will give you here some general topics, and will try to answer separately the first query that I received from you.
Then I will be absent and without access to the Internet for about a week. On my return I will address the other inquires.
But please don't ask very general questions that would be very difficult to answer: "I am very interested in Jewish life in the Azores. Tell me everything." Or "My surname is XXX, tell me if I am a descendent from Jews." Please be more specific… and don't expect me to post here an Encyclopedia about the Jews in the Azores.
Most probably many of you have visited the Azores. I was there only once, with my wife, for a very special reason about which you can read, if interested, in my site: http://www.steinhardts.com/LIBRARY/Judaism/azores.html
We came back to Israel delighted with the islands and the people.
A friend of us, to whom we recommended a visit to the Azores, had this comment to make on his return: "When the world was a paradise and because of the sins of Adam and Eva, God decided to destroy the paradise, he must have forgotten the Azores."
When we speak about a Jewish presence in the Azores, we have to consider two different periods.
The first period was a consequence of the forced conversion of all the Jews in Portugal in 1497. Not only were they converted to Christianity but also not allowed to leave the country to a place where they could practice their religion freely. So many went to Church but continued to practice part of the Jewish ritual of their ancestors in the secret of their homes. I have witnessed such practices in certain villages in the north of Portugal, almost 400 years after they were converted and persecuted by the Inquisition, many of them were burned alive.
Since this was recently after the islands in the Atlantic were discovered and the Portuguese were populating them, several such forced converted managed to move there (a continuation of the Portuguese territory), hoping to escape the grips of the inquisition.
However, as
early as 1555, the Bishop of Angra, Jorge de Santiago, has denounced to the
Holy Office in Lisbon, two groups of New-Christians in his area of
jurisdiction, who were caught practicing certain Jewish rituals in secrecy.
Some were embarked to Lisbon, by order of the Inquisition.
From that time on and up to 1802, the Church authorities in the Azores were after judaizers, and also after other heretics and sexual
prevaricators. This included frequent inspections in search of forbidden books
into ships moored at Azorean ports.
In point of fact they were not very successful. Throughout that period only 112
individuals from the Azores were condemned to different sentences by the Lisbon
Inquisition, of them only 26 on charges of Judaism.
Particularly
important is the story from the 16th. century of a ship carrying
fugitive Jews that was caught by a storm and had to put into the island of Terceira.
The governor allowed them to settle in the island, but not in the main city,
Angra do Heroismo. So they went up the coast, a little bit to the north and
settled in the place that became known as Porto Judeu (The Jewish Port). The village still exists
and is a very nice one, but there is no
memory of Jews there.
Eventually some of them reached Brazil and settled there. But I wouldn't be surprised if some Azorean families still keep some "strange" traditions and rituals, ignoring that they are Jews.
If you were told by a grandmother or an old aunt of such observances you are welcome to ask me if they may have any Jewish connotation, but please be specific as much as you can.
Although I read the Inquisition files of some people from the Azores that were caught in such practices, I am not aware of any still practiced there in our days.
The second period of Jewish presence in the Azores was in the 19th. century.
The first Jews to settle in Portugal, after the Inquisition, were Moroccan Jews, coming from Gibraltar and Morocco. As from 1815 several families settled in the Azores. Those were real practicing Jews, who even opened small domestic synagogues in several islands where they lived and had their business. They even built a synagogue in Ponta Delgada, which is now to be reconstructed as a museum. They also had at least three Jewish cemeteries in Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroismo and Faial.
The reason they came to the Azores was because the local economic conditions were very much underdeveloped and this offered an opportunity to help develop the islands and make money too. For instance the only cloths used in the Azores were handmade by the women in the villages. The newly arrived started to import cloths from England and other places. Not only were they of a much better quality but also much cheaper. Because of the poor economic conditions there were no customs duties in the Azores. So the Jews started to introduce many new products that were unknown by the local population and at prices that were unheard there.
Of course they were met by a very strong opposition from the local merchants who demanded from the authorities to forbid the Jews to do business in the Azores. Their cheap prices were ruining the local trade. In stead the authorities determined that they could do business only in the condition that all the money made in the Azores must be employed in buying local goods, which were mostly agricultural.
This was a further challenge for the newcomers. They started to export local oranges and other products making also a large profit. So the economy of the region rose sharply to the benefit also of the other local businessmen
By 1870 the conditions changed, import duties were already imposed and the Moroccan Jews began leaving the islands to continental Portugal, Brazil and the United States.
Some of them however owned already very important companies which continued to exist to our days. The Bensaude family, for instance, had at one time a tobacco manufacturing company, a shipping company, an airline, etc. The Bensaude have intermarried with Catholic families, but they are still one of the most important, if not the most important, business concern in the Azores. They own shipyards, a chain of hotels and other enterprises.
Some of you may be descendents from the 19th. century Moroccan families.
In the 20th century some Ashkenazi (Central European) Jews who settled in Portugal, opened also businesses in the Azores. They all left since.
To the best of my knowledge there is only a half Jew in the island of S. Miguel, whose mother was Jewish and he is very much devoted to the conservation of the synagogue and the cemetery. In Terceira, lives an English Jew, married to a Catholic lady.
Inacio
Inacio Steinhardt
Journalist - Translator -Researcher
Ein Hanoch 18/20 - Ganei Tikva 55900 - Israel
Tel. (972)3-5341204
Fax (972)3-5344278
MEMBER OF:
Tel Aviv Journalists Association, Tel Aviv
Israel Translators Association, Tel Aviv
Society for the Study of the Jews of Sefarad and the Sefardi Diaspora, Jerusalem
__________________________;
Web sites:
www.steinhardts.com (English)
www.steinhardts.com/ishluz (Português) steinhardts.wordpress.com (História das Palavras)
Semperfimama
Miguel, was among those who were sent to Lisbon to stand trial for
practicing Jewish customs. He was convicted and sentenced. His
mother was known to be a "new Christian". Consequently, Jewish
practices were not passed down in my family.....I'm sure out of great
fear. It was an answer to prayer that we even found out about
him......thanks to George Pacheco's research of the Inquisitional
records of the Azores.
Thank you for offering your help to the list regarding the Jewish
genealogy on the Azores.
Kind regards,
Beth Barcellos Bell
JR
Beth, what is the name of this ancestor? In all my research I have
found only two very good references to people of Jewish faith or
origins. I have read that in Madeira and Terceira that are many more
references.
JR
Semperfimama
trial in the Inquisition in 1592 or thereabouts. Unfortunately, it's
very difficult to find any references.....they just aren't there in
the usual genealogical records, from what I've been told. However,
the RCC kept very good Inquisitional records.....and that's how we
found my ancestor.
Kind regards,
Beth
JR
JR
Inacio Steinhardt
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Shirley Sereque
In all my research I have
> found only two very good references to people of Jewish faith or
> references.
>
> JR
JR:
My ancestors' names were Benarus and Bensabat, plus Seriqui (all the
Seriquis came to the USA). I saw the names Benarus and Bensabat on a
plaque on a Jewish cemetery in Terceira (that someone else had
photographed). But I have no idea about their tombstones (that would
tell a lot!).
- Shirl -
nancy jean baptiste
I read an interesting article today written in 1997 by some travel writers named Frommer who went to the Azores looking for jewish insights. I couldn't attach the link but if interested just google it. I found it by googling .....what's it like to live in the azores.....
Nancy
> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:00:01 -0500
> From: Shirl....@verizon.net
> To: azo...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: [AZORES-Genealogy] Re: Jewish genealogy in the Azores
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Azores+un...@googlegroups.com. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive.
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