The Mekor Haim Choir of the Jewish Community of Oporto, conducted by Maestro Leonardo Mendonça, will give two concerts in honour of guests from Israel on Friday October 13, 2023 and Friday October 27, 2023 at 15:00 p.m., in the Porto Holocaust Museum.
The groups are led by Isaac Assor of Alegretur from Lisbon (isaac.assor@alegretur.com). The program will feature 10 songs from 7 countries, including melodies from Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, Turkey, America and Israel, composed over 8 centuries, in Hebrew, Ladino, and German. The songs reflect important themes in Jewish life including the Sabbath, festivals, historical events, and faith. Of note in this program is the premiere of the song Wiegala by Ilse Weber. She was a Czech-Jewish author and musician from Ostrava. After deportation to Terezin in 1942, she worked in the infirmary and composed music to comfort the children she cared for. She was deported to Auschwitz to remain with her husband and son and died there. Wiegala is one of her lullabies that was brought out of the camp by her husband, who survived the war
The Mekor Haim Choir, was formed three years ago with the objective of teaching, learning, and performing Jewish music for members of the congregation and the community at large. Regular concerts are given in the Holocaust Museum of Porto on the last Friday afternoon of every month.
All are welcome to attend this concert. For those interested in joining the choir, please contact yonahyaphe@hotmail.com for more information.
