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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.

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