Azorien juutalainen hisoria

Events - 2012

"A Brief History of the Jews in the Azores: from the 15th Century to the Present”
(in Portuguese)

Lecture by Prof. Fátima Sequeira Dias of University of the Azores

March 28, at 12:00 p.m in LARTS, Room 212 (Center's Conference Room), Parking Lot 1, UMass Dartmouth

Event free and open to the public

Prof. Fátima Sequeira Dias of
University of the Azores

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture announces a lecture, “A Brief History of the Jews in the Azores: from the 15th Century to the Present,” by Prof. Fátima Sequeira Dias of University of the Azores. The lecture - free and open to the public - will take place on Wednesday, March 28, at 12:00 p.m. in LARTS, Room 212 (Center’s Conference Room), Parking Lot 1.
In 2004, a genetics study concluded that 13.4% of the Y chromosome of Azoreans is of Jewish origin, a fact that suggests the importance of the Jewish presence in the Azores over many centuries. There are three major instances of the Jewish presence in the Azores - the first dates back to the original settlement of the Azores in the 15th century; the second takes place in the first quarter of the 19th century and the third coincides with the period of the Nazi nightmare in Europe. Commerce was the main economic activity of the Azorean Jewish community, but the islands became too small for their business objectives. The only family to remain on the islands was the Bensaúdes, who have undertaken the most successful investments in the Azores to this day.
Fátima Sequeira Dias is a professor in the Department of Management and Economics at the University of the Azores. She is the author of several books on the history of the Azores, including Os Açores na História de Portugal.
For further information, please contact Melissa Costa at 508-999-8255 or e-mail melissa.costa@umassd.edu.

Azorien saaristo juutalaisten historiassa

Azores: 1) http://www.travel-watch.com/twhtml3/azores.htm

 2)http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Azores.html
Between Europe and America, nine islands rise up from the Atlantic Ocean, quite surprising in their unspoilt natural beauty. Important Jewish families settled here in the 15th century, around the time of their discovery, and again at the beginning of the 19th century.

- Sio Miguel
- Terceira
- Faial
- Other Places of Interest

Sio Miguel

The gates of Ponta Delgada, the island's capital, presage the city's several highlights of secular and religious architecture, such as the churches of Sao Sebastio and Sao Pedro and the palaces of Conceicao Santa Catarina and Fonte Bela. Of the Jewish presence in the city, there remains the synagogue built at No. 16 Rua de Brum and the Jewish cemetery at Santa Clara. The Carlos Machado Museum contains collections of natural history, art and ethnography. But, above all, the island is famous for its spectacular landscape: Caldeira das Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo and Vale das Furnas are the best examples of this.

Terceira

It is not by chance that Angra do Heroismo, the island's capital, has been classified by UNESCO as World Heritage: the historical centre close to the waterfront, with its geometrical streets, is a fine example of Renaissance town planning and the architecture of the period of Discoveries. The Cathedral, with its carved silver altar, the many 17th century Baroque churches (particularly the church of Nossa Senhora da Guia, which is now part of the Convento de Sao Francisco, to which the important Angra Museum is annexed) and the city's fortresses and palaces are expressions of a surprisingly rich monumental heritage. In the last century, the city became the residence of a number of Jewish families, engaged in traditional trading activities that, ever since the time of the island's discovery, had served to turn Angra into a major port between Europe and America. The Jewish cemetery still remains today as a testimony to their presence.

Faial

Horta is the main city on this island and an obligatory port of call for sailors and yachtsmen from all around the world, who, once they have arrived at port, are inevitably to be found recovering from the hardship of their Atlantic crossing in the famous "Peter Bar." There was also a sizeable Jewish community that settled here in the 19th century. Today, the Jewish cemetery, next to the Christian cemetery, remains as a testimony to this presence.

Other places of interest

All the other islands of the Azores are also well worth a visit: Santa Maria, where Colombus landed and attended mass on his return from discovering America in 1494; Sao Jorge with its beautiful manor houses; Flores, more beautiful even than its name (Flowers) suggests; Pico, with its imposing volcanic crater 2351 meters above sea level; Graciosa and its typical windmills; and Corvo, a haven of peace with a poulation of only a few hundred people.