The Holocaust Museum of Oporto will welcome members of the Sousa Mendes Foundation, led by Ms. Jeannette Cookie Fischer, on Friday, July 21, 2023. In honour of their visit, the Mekor Haim Choir, under the direction of Maestro Leonardo Mendonça, will present a special concert at 3:30 pm.
The Sousa Mendes Foundation is dedicated to preserving the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in France who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by issuing visas to Portugal, against the wishes of his government. The museum proudly displays documents recording the arrival of refugees in Portugal and indicating their eventual safe destination in a third country.
The Mekor Haim Choir has given monthly concerts at the museum since its opening. Its repertoire consists of songs from the synagogue liturgy, settings of Psalms, popular songs in Ladino, the language of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15 th century, and modern songs like Ani Ma’amin, which are associated with the Holocaust. The choir is part of the rebirth of Jewish life in Porto. Feel free to contact yonahyaphe@hotmail.com for more information about the concert or about joining the choir.
