Credit: CIP/CJP
Tonight. Monday, April 13. The Holocaust Museum of Porto hosted a commemoration of Yom HaShoah. Distinct groups of Jews and Israelites of the city came together in a unified act of remembrance, honoring the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It was a day not only of mourning but also of reflection, education, and the reaffirmation of a collective commitment to memory and vigilance against hatred.
The evening began with a guided tour of the museum led by Michael Rothwell, the museum’s director. Rothwell brought a deeply personal dimension to the visit, sharing that his maternal grandparents perished in Auschwitz. As attendees moved through the exhibits, his insights bridged historical narrative and lived memory, offering a poignant reminder that the Holocaust is a legacy still carried by families today.
Credit: CIP/CJP
Participants gathered for a presentation by Morel Maya, an Israeli resident in the city. Speaking with quiet intensity, Maya recounted her family’s experiences during the Holocaust in Central Europe. She described the immense hardships they endured — displacement, loss, and survival under constant threat — bringing to life the human stories behind historical statistics. Her testimony resonated deeply with the audience, many of whom were visibly moved.
The event concluded with the recitation of the Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead and offered in memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust. In a moment of shared silence and solemnity, attendees stood united across different backgrounds, degrees of observance of Jewish law, and traditions, embodying the very spirit of remembrance that Yom HaShoah represents.
Credit: CIP/CJP
This unprecedented collaboration among diverse Porto’s Jewish communities underscored a powerful message: that remembrance is strongest when it is collective. In coming together, these groups not only honored the past but also reinforced the bonds of a diverse and growing Jewish presence in the city—committed to memory, education, and the enduring values of humanity.
Hundreds of students from across the country are also expected to visit the Holocaust Museum of Porto Tuesday morning so that they, too, may deepen and broaden their understanding of this dark chapter in the history of humanity. The programme is part of an ongoing educational effort of the Porto Jewish Community based in the Kadoorie synagogue to ensure that younger generations engage meaningfully with the history of the Holocaust—not only as a distant historical event, but as a profound human tragedy with enduring relevance. Through guided tours, testimonies, and exposure to historical artifacts and personal stories, students always are encouraged to reflect on the consequences of hatred.
