The Lisbon massacre of 1506 and the Holocaust of the 20th century are related as historical manifestations of European antisemitism. While the Holocaust was a systematic, state-sponsored industrial genocide and the 1506 event was a spontaneous, religiously-fueled urban pogrom, they share deep thematic roots,
Both tragedies involved using Jews as scapegoats during times of societal crisis. The 1506 massacre erupted during a severe plague and drought, while Nazi ideology blamed Jews for Germany's economic ruin after World War I.
The 1506 pogrom specifically targeted "New Christians" (Jewish converts to Catholicism who were suspected of secretly practicing Judaism), driven by religious fanaticism. This demonstrates a precursor to the 20th-century hatred, transitioning from religious persecution to the racialized demonization that fueled the Holocaust.
In both events, mass violence was incited by dehumanizing the victims, framing them as a threat to the dominant society, and utilizing mass burnings and brutal physical extermination.
When the Jewish Community of Porto produced the docudrama "1506, the Lisbon Genocide", they stated that the 20th-century Holocaust did not arise in a vacuum, but was the tragic culmination of centuries of systemic antisemitism and genocidal violence across Europe, including historical massacres in Portugal.
The community's leadership, including Holocaust and Jewish Museum Director Dr. Michael Rothwell, designed the film to illustrate that the Holocaust was preceded by hundreds of years of European demonization and slaughter of Jews, with the 1506 Lisbon Massacre serving as a stark example on Portuguese soil.
The film documents the April 19-21, 1506, pogrom in Lisbon, during which up to 3,000 "New Christians" (forcibly converted Jews) were hunted down, mutilated, and burned on pyres by mobs and Dominican friars. The community emphasized that historical tragedies—from 1506 to the Holocaust—highlight how antisemitic violence often repeats itself when ancient prejudices are weaponized.
