There is a lot of talk about Azorean emigration, but the Azores also received many immigrants in the past, including Jews!
Today, December 8, in 1978, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died. This Israeli politician led Israel during the Yom Kippur War that lasted from October 6 to 26, 1973. In this war, the USA, Israel’s traditional allies, gave support and did so using the Lajes base in the Azores!!
Regarding the presence of Jews in the Azores, it is worth mentioning the arrival of a group of Jews who began to settle in São Miguel from 1819, of Moroccan origin and from the 1930s onwards began to develop their economic and financial activities in São Miguel, but also in Terceira and Faial. In 1832 and 1834 they founded 2 Hebrew cemeteries, in Angra do Heroísmo and Ponta Delgada respectively. They found some synagogues (temples of the Jews), and one of those that remains in better condition is that of Sahar Hassamaim, today a place of worship and museum, in Ponta Delgada. This synagogue was in operation from 1840 to 1960 and is one of the oldest synagogues in Portugal! In the recovery of the synagogue to highlight the role of people like Fátima Sequeira Dias, Susana Goulart Costa, Igor França, José de Almeida Mello and others!
Of the several Jewish families that arrived in the Azores, the Bensaude family was responsible for founding what would become one of the largest business groups in the Azores, having businesses in the area of commerce, transport, fuel, tourism, etc.
Last modified: 30 de December, 2021
