^{The director of the Jewish and Holocaust museums, Michael Rothwell, and the Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, spoke with those present at the Holocaust Museum of Oporto. Credit: Jewish Community of Oporto, 2025.}

The Jewish Community of Oporto celebrated the European Day of Jewish Culture this Sunday, September 7, with a special program at the Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue, the Jewish Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and the kosher restaurant Iberia. It was the only day of the year when these spaces were open to the general public, attracting thousands of people interested in learning about Jewish history, culture, and traditions.

The Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue, inaugurated in 1938 and considered the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, impressed visitors with its North African–inspired architecture. Guests were able to visit the art gallery, featuring 20 paintings depicting the history of Jews in Portugal, and the Rosh Pinah library, which houses more than 10,000 works. The synagogue’s great hall also hosted a performance by the Mekor Haim Choir, which performed songs in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino. Yonah Yaphe, a member of both the choir and the Oporto Jewish community, provided explanations about the repertoire.

^{The Mekor Haim choir, under the direction of maestro Leonardo Mendonça, performed in the Synagogue Kadoorie Mekor Haim hall. Credit: Jewish Community of Oporto, 2025}

The Holocaust Museum of Oporto, usually reserved for school visits, welcomed a large number of visitors. The museum portrays the journey of Jewish refugees through the city and displays objects they left behind. The program also featured the moving video testimony of Chaya Lassmann, an Auschwitz survivor. Chaya had a younger sister who was hidden by a Polish woman during the war and was never found again. The community promoted DNA analysis of Chaya in the hope of finding relatives descended from this sister, but the search brought no results. The Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, spoke at the event alongside the director of the Jewish and Holocaust Museums, Michael Rothwell, and Josef Lassmann, Chaya’s son.

^{The director of the Jewish and Holocaust museums, Michael Rothwell, and the Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, spoke with those present at the Holocaust Museum of Oporto. Credit: Jewish Community of Oporto, 2025.}

The Jewish Museum of Oporto also stood out with its collection showcasing the Jewish presence in Portugal over the centuries, including religious artifacts and historical documents. The museum’s cinema screened the films The Light of Judah, 2000 Kidnapped Jewish Children, and 1506 – The Lisbon Genocide, produced by the community, followed by lectures from historian César Santos Silva and a speech by the Israeli ambassador.

^{The historian Cesar Santos Silva spoke about the films produced by the Jewish community of Oporto. Credit: Jewish Community of Oporto, 2025}

The cultural experience was rounded out by the kosher restaurant Iberia, which served traditional dishes such as shawarma and chullent.

This marked the fourth consecutive year that the Jewish community of Oporto commemorated the occasion. The European Day of Jewish Culture is celebrated in the largest European cities, with activities coordinated by the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage, and the National Library of Israel.