The Jewish Community of Porto, affiliated to the European Jewish Association and not to the European Jewish Congress, communicates the following:

- The Community published an extensive and detailed book intitled "The Plan!" about what happened in Portugal in recent years to destroy the strongest Jewish community (Porto) and the law that granted nationality to Jews of Sephardic origin.

- The European Jewish Congress, through its affiliate the Jewish Community of Lisbon, rejected in full the allegations expressed in that book without even having read it.

- More seriously, the arguments presented are completely false and only demonstrate the irresponsibility and uselessness for the Jewish world of whoever wrote such an EJC statement.

- The Community was destroyed through the most complete state corruption that involved all powers, the media and even professional burglars of law offices and private homes.

- Fake news about alleged abuses of the Community began to be published in December 2021, a year and a half after parliamentary actions against the law took place, even comparing the reproduction of the Sephardim to the reproduction of the coronavirus.

- Fake news about alleged abuses began to be published in the same month in which the Jewish Community of Porto rejected a government regulation project as being unconstitutional.

- In addition, the alleged abuses that led to the illegal invasion of the largest synagogue in the country were aimed at a multimillionaire whose origins were certified by the Lisbon Community (and rightly so) and currently there is absolutely nothing against the Porto Community.

In the communiqué of the Jewish Community of Lisbon, the current and previous national Coordinators of the European strategy to combat antisemitism and to promote Jewish life are mentioned. There are two social media posts on this subject that show the differences between the Jewish communities of Oporto and Lisbon and the immoral role that the European Jewish Congress played.

On February 21, 2024, regarding the appointment of the new coordinator for combating antisemitism and promoting Jewish life, CIL wrote on its Twitter page: "The Jewish Community of Lisbon (CIL) publicly expresses its satisfaction with the appointment, by the government, of ambassador Maria Manuela Ferreira de Macedo Franco, to act as national coordinator of the European strategy to combat antisemitism and promote Jewish life. CIL wishes Ambassador Manuela Franco all the best for the performance of the important mission entrusted to her. Everything remains to be done with regard to this agenda. Europe has moved forward and Portugal wasted the last year due to lack of attendance and lack of commitment from the previous coordinator, Prof. Pedro Carlos Bacelar Vasconcelos. We were pleased with this change that was imperative. There is a lot of work ahead. Now is the time to get to work and work together to eradicate the scourge of anti-Semitism and promote Jewish life."

On February 23, 2024, Prof. Pedro Carlos Bacelar Vasconcelos, himself, replied to CIL, on its social network: "It is regrettable that, omitting my name, the authors of the second paragraph of this statement refer to my short exercise of functions – from April 2023 to February 2024, with such carelessness and lack of rigor. Although in the meeting with the CIL board, shortly after my appointment, I had appealed for his contribution to the most appropriate definition of the promotion of Jewish life, I received nothing until the end of February 2024. Strange therefore the reference to a "balance" that could only be of self-criticism. The authors of that 2nd paragraph should be inspired by the work of other Jewish communities, for example, the Jewish Community of Oporto, with exemplary work to combat anti-Semitism and promote Jewish life, which I had the privilege of knowing and supporting. I therefore await an apology."

- We invite EJC to retract, under penalty of being sued by us for defamation.

The Board of Directors

Oporto Jewish Community