On April 11, 2025, the Portuguese government has recognized the educational project of the Jewish Community of Porto as being of “Manifest Cultural Interest,” a designation that allowed private donors to support the initiative in exchange for tax benefits. The Community's project impacts the education of young people, internationalizes Portuguese Jewish culture, and allows the Portuguese state to fully fulfill its international obligations, particularly with the IHRA (Holocaust education) and the European Commission, the Project for the Promotion of Jewish Life until 2030.

For over a year, the Community's contacts with non-Jewish Portuguese patrons revealed their fear of supporting causes indirectly linked to Israel. The Jewish state has fallen out of favor in Portuguese political and media circles. For years, adverse propaganda targeting Israel instilled fear in private donors, companies, and banks.

Given that the "Jewish question" returned in modern forms, the Community was forced to radically change its strategy. Its objective became to gather a body of Jewish patrons around the world to support the organization's cultural and educational project. It is simple. Jews as a people are fanaticized by the need to educate new generations, even if adults are incorrigible and have to be discarded.

While the Portuguese state does not contribute to the ongoing cultural project, not even with policing, the Community's patrons assume the costs alone, and provide a valuable service to the state, educating Portuguese youth, internationalizing Portuguese history, and giving the country a prominent place in the IHRA and the European Commission.

The Jewish Community of Porto operates two synagogues, the Jewish Museum of Porto, the Holocaust Museum of Porto, a library, and an art gallery. It promotes a male choir, runs educational and cultural programming, and has also produced films including “1506, the Lisbon Genocide” and “1618,” the most internationally awarded Portuguese film. The Holocaust Museum of Porto has drawn more than 300,000 visitors, while the community’s YouTube channel has received more than 3 million views.

Money, money, money...

Thirteen million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, two hundred and nineteen euros and thirty-nine cents (13.192219.39) was the value of the Community's main investments in cultural facilities, museums, history films, and the rehabilitation of its magnificent headquarters monument. Six million two hundred and ninety-two thousand euros (€6,292,000.00) was the value of the Community's main investments in religious matters in Porto, including the construction of a Jewish cemetery, study center, kosher restaurant, kosher grocery store, and the rehabilitation of the central synagogue. Four million nine hundred and twenty-one thousand nine hundred and thirty-two euros and thirty cents (€4,921,932.30) was the value of the Community's donations to Jewish religious institutions around the world. Chabad Lubavitch has received one million seven hundred and fifty-nine thousand one hundred and thirty-seven euros and seventy-five cents (€1,759,137.75), divided as follows: Chabad Portugal (1,160,570.00), Chabad Russia (225,000.00), Chabad Thailand (100,000.00), Chabad Ukraine (60,000.00), Chabad Mumbai (45,000.00), Chabad Argentina (40,051.61), Chabad Israel (36,000.00), Chabad Sydney (25,000.00), and others in 14 countries, including the Chabad Hamburg/Altona (25,000.00). A curious detail is that the Community donated 285,000.00 to the Russian and Ukrainian Chabad (225,000.00 + 60,000.00), which corresponds to the sum of 1,140 fees like the one of 250 euros that was paid. by the famous Roman Abramovich. One thousand one hundred and forty.

In 2022, the Jewish Community of Porto was portrayed by the Portuguese political and media powers, as an organization without credibility whose leaders were dividing millions among themselves, both from the fees of thousands of applicants. Yet, the person who handled the Community accounts, always and at all times, was the granddaughter of the founder, the “Portuguese Dreyfus”, Isabel Lopes, a septuagenarian economist loved by everyone. The amounts collected over the years from the sum of the fees of thousands of applicants were used to create Jewish life, in its triple religious, cultural and philanthropic dimension.

The socialistas and their press were uncomfortable seeing Jewish money used for Jewish purposes, This spirit spoke for itself. The reality, however, was quite different, and today it shames all those who will descend into their graves being portrayed for history as antisemites and corrupts of state.

Corrupt people always call others what they themselves are. In a culturally dead country, the Jews of Porto insist on thriving and educating. This generation of so-called elites will die out. The Jews will deal with the next one. The Jewish patrons of the Jewish Community of Porto are looking forward to the next generation.