Portugal's rise from a medieval county into a global empire was deeply shaped by Catholics and Jews. While Catholic monarchs provided the military drive and state legitimacy for the Portuguese Empire, Jewish scholars, merchants, and financiers supplied the vital knowledge, capital, and global networks that made expansion possible.

Today, traditional religious temples in Portugal, particularly Catholic churches, are experiencing a decline in regular worshippers. While census data notes that the vast majority of the population identifies as Catholic, only a fraction attend weekly mass, with the shift driven by secularization, particularly among younger generations.

In turn, the Jewish Community and particularly that of Porto continues to grow, after centuries of erasure. On the way to completing 11 uninterrupted years of minyan, the institution is ready to complete Bamidbar's book, as the next Torah reading for the Jewish diaspora (outside of Israel) on Saturday, July 11, 2026, is the double parashah of Matot-Masei, which concludes the fourth book of the Torah.

Next week, on July 18, 2026, the Diaspora will read Parashat Devarim, which begins the fifth and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy (Devarim).

The next Shabbat is being awaited with great anticipation. While Masei (Travels) reviews the 42 journeys of the Israelites through the wilderness, representing life’s unpredictable trajectory, raising vital modern conversations around restorative justice, due process, and the ethical management of accidental harm in society, Matot (Tribes) focuses heavily on the power of spoken words, oaths, and responsibilities, and it also explores the tension of Reuben and Gad requesting to live outside the physical borders of the Promised Land, prompting a modern reflection on living in the diaspora and balancing dual civic, cultural, and spiritual identities.

In Porto, a Jewish project that, in addition to becoming the world leader in promoting Jewish culture, also faithfully maintains a minyan for over 4,000 days, shows that the malice, envy, vanity, and mediocrity of opponents, were not capable of defeating Jewish competence, good fortune, energy, and resilience in the face of adversity.

After this Shabbat, there will be 9 individual parashiot (Torah portions) left to complete the 54-portion annual cycle in the Diaspora. The cycle concludes on the holiday of Simchat Torah (October 3, 2026) with the reading of V'zot HaBerakhah. The remaining readings include Devarim (July 18), Vaetchanan (July 25), Eikev (August 1), Re'eh (August 8), Shoftim (August 15), Ki Teitzei (August 22), Ki Tavo (August 29), Nitzavim / Vayeilech (usually combined (September 5), Ha'azinu (September 19), and V'zot HaBerakhah (October 3).

The Jewish Community in Porto has moved beyond merely surviving to a state of sustained, everyday vibrancy. An uninterrupted minyan in Shabbat and Yom Tov for almost eleven years in Europe is a profound symbol of Jewish resilience and institutional revival in a region historically decimated by the Holocaust. Only as Shabbat, between the 2015 and 2026 Simchat Torah cycles, exactly 594 weekly Torah portions were read in the Diaspora.

Beyond rebirth, maintaining a minyan for 4,000+ consecutive days symbolizes a dedicated core of congregants, demonstrating that the community has successfully passed the mantle of tradition from older generations to newer ones, as well as integrating new arrivals.

Porto shows European Jewish life extends beyond seasonal holidays or commemorative events. The is a rhythm of normalcy and belonging where public Torah readings and communal prayers can occur.

It will be up to Chabad Lubavitch - the strongest Jewish religious organization in the world - to keep the minyan cohesive and even develop it in the coming decades. A new generation of community leaders, all in their 30s, is already being prepared to manage the community's future, keep Jewish life active, and deliver the well-deserved sweeping blow that its enemies of all eras have always deserved.