Israeli filmmaker Nili Portugali recently visited Portugal to present her documentary And the Alley She Whitewashed in Light Blue, which focuses on the city of Safed, one of the major historic and spiritual centers of Judaism. The visit was supported by the Embassy of Israel and included screenings and presentations for students, professors, and other guests.
The film was presented at the Catholic University of Portugal, within the framework of the Chair of Jewish and Christian Biblical Studies, and at the Manuel Teixeira Gomes Higher Institute, part of the Lusófona Group, in Portimão.
Located in the mountains of Upper Galilee, Safed is one of Judaism’s four Holy Cities and holds a particularly important place in Jewish spiritual and cultural history. Over the centuries, the city became an important center for Jewish religious literature and one of the principal places where Kabbalah flourished, a tradition closely associated with Jewish mysticism and spirituality.
Safed’s history is also closely connected to the diaspora of Portuguese Jews. Following the forced conversion of Jews to Christianity and the establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal, many Jews left the country and made their way to the Land of Israel. A significant number settled in Safed, contributing to the city’s religious and cultural life.
It is within this historical context that Nili Portugali’s documentary takes on a particularly personal dimension. The film offers an intimate journey into the filmmaker’s family roots in Safed, exploring the relationship between memory, identity, history, and place.
Beyond its historical and religious significance, Safed is portrayed in the documentary as a city shaped by diversity and coexistence, where different layers of Jewish history converge and continue to form part of the city’s identity.
