Remembering the Slaughter of our Portuguese-Jewish Ancestors

Remembering the Slaughter of our Portuguese-Jewish Ancestors : 19th - 21st April, 1506

Querido Irmaos e Irmas of Saudades-Sefarad

Thank you Laura for posting Nuno's site: www.ruadajudiaria.com ... and thank you Sergio Mota for your beautiful tribute in remembrance of this sad & tragic period of our history. I appreciate the forum so very much and in spite of not being able to participate always look forward to the many interesting and enriching posts.

I feel very strongly about this time in history and hope you will all be supportive by honoring our (Portuguese-Jewish) martyrs of 19th April, 1506 . Let us say kaddish wherever we are.... let us, the descendants of Portuguese Jews make our own remembrance day! Lets not wait for others to "give us permission... or a date". We have a date! We have the memories and the scars.

For those who are in Portugal, please take a friend and go to the Rossio in respect for those who were slaughtered.! No matter your religion.... [for those who are Jewish please say kaddish] those who wish to show their respect can do so by taking a candle.

Let us light up the Rossio with our presence & love. I give my personal support to Nuno Guerreiro and hope you will do the same ... I would like your permission to speak for all of us here at the SAUDADES SEFARAD FORUM . If you decide to add your voice in agreement to the blog, please do so as a member of SAUDADES.

For those who do not share our Portuguese-Jewish heritage and history, please remember this issue crosses all boundaries -it is not only about being Jewish today but it has everything to do with correcting history and honoring our dead.

What really shocks me is that so few Portuguese [people] know about this..... and even more worrisome, when they do find out they argue the point!! Let us, members, friends & family of Saudades give our support to Nuno and those of us in Portugal.... PLEASE show your support by honoring those poor souls who were so brutally tortured, raped & burnt. I ask ALL of you.... Jewish & Christian brothers and sisters to remember in your own personal way. Those of us who identify as Jewish, Hebrews or Israelites, please recite Kaddish on Thursday 20th.

Nuno Guerreiro, who writes on www.ruadajudiaria.com: "ADENDA: on the 19 of April they go to the Rossio in Lisbon and light a symbolic candle for each one of the victims. Four a thousand candles that illuminate the memory. ADENDA II : Apercebi in the beginning exists a problem of Halakah : the 19th is one of the last days of Pessach , by that commemorations of this género are forbidden for observant Jews. Therefore, instead of modifying the date, I would like to ask that you go instead to the Rossio to recite Kaddish, preferential with Minyan, on the day 20th April ( Thursday evening) the day designating the end of the slaughter, also coincides with the day of the Service of Izkor de Pessach in Memory of the Mártires.

Please support SAUDADES-SEFARAD and the RuaJudiaria Blog by adding your voice. By honoring, remembering, lighting a candle, saying a prayer, going to the Rossio. If not possible for those of us who are scattered throughout the world, please join me in saying kaddish, telling your rabbi's, pastors, priests, friends, Portuguese Embassies, newspapers, ......let us spread the word:

This is in remembrance of our Portuguese-Jewish Martyrs.

Abraços and blessings, your irma e amiga -Rufina www.saudades.org Celebrating our Portuguese-Jewish Heritage