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Jewish museum in Portugal’s oldest synagogue reopens

Built in the 15th century, it was abandoned until it was restored in 1921 by a Polish-born Jew, Samuel Schwarz.

The four pillars of the Synagogue of Tomar, Portugal. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The four pillars of the Synagogue of Tomar, Portugal. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

A museum inside Portugal’s oldest synagogue reopened on Tuesday following a two-year renovation.

The Interpretive Center of Tomar Synagogue and Abraão Zacuto Luso-Hebraic Museum in Tomar, Portugal—a little more than an hour-and-a-half from the country’s capital, Lisbon—was built in the 15th century.

It was abandoned until it was restored in 1921 by a Polish-born Jew, Samuel Schwarz.

Inside the synagogue are four pillars, representing Judaism’s four matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

The reversal “sends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,” Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.
Cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts, said the Israeli president, who met Bahraini and Chinese foreign ministers on the sidelines of a pan-Asian conference in Azerbaijan.
Israel’s foreign minister called it a historic day for ties between the two countries and an important day for the capital.
“People need to be aware, and institutions need to repair,” Miri Bar-Halpern told JNS. “Clinicians are engaging in activism. It’s not about therapy anymore.”