Despite the country's small Jewish population, Portugal has a rich Jewish heritage!

Jewish populations have existed in Portugal even before the country was established, back to the Roman era, or even before – and attested Jewish presence in Portuguese territory, however, can only be documented since 482. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Jews were persecuted by the Visigoths and other European Christian kingdoms who controlled the area then on.

In 711, the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula was seen by the many in the Jewish population as a liberation, and marked as the beginning of what many have seen as the Golden age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula (the Islamic Al-Andalus), even if the Jews, as well as the Christians (the Mozarabs of the Visigothic rite), under Muslim rule were considered Dhimmi, and had to pay a special tax. Rapidly in the 8th century, the Christian kingdoms of the north mountainous areas of the Iberian Peninsula (Kingdom of Asturias) started a long military campaign against the Muslim invaders, the Reconquista. The Jews, since many knew the Arabic language, were used by the Christians as both spies and diplomats on this campaign that took centuries.

As of today, Jews enjoy a peaceful life in Portugal. Today the Jewish population of Portugal numbers about nine hundred, some two-thirds of whom live in Lisbon. The last Converso community can be found in the mountain village of Belmonte. Many of them have reconverted to the Masorti or conservative form of Judaism.

Discover Portugal Jewish Heritage through our exclusive and escorted Private Journey!

Portugal Deluxe – Jewish Heritage Tour will be escorted by expertise guide giving you the insight necessary for a comprehensive and enjoyable Journey. From North to South we will select the Jewish Heritage highlights and include private guided tours to monuments, memorials, museums and synagogues. There are also series of kosher products being produced in Portugal including wine.

There are numerous Jewish cultural heritage sites in Portugal, including five synagogues in the country, in Lisbon (Sha'aré Tikvá - Orthodox/ Ohel Yaakov - Conservative), Porto (Mekor Haim), Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands (Porta do Céu - Shaar ha-Shamain) and Belmonte, and several private places where the Jewish community meets. Marvel with Alfama old narrow streets that survived the 1755 earthquake were Jewish refugees from Spain settled in the fifteenth century. Stroll through the neighborhood's Jewish quarter, or Judiaría, where a brick wall with a pair of decorative arched windows near the top remains of what is believed to have been the quarter's synagogue.

Get to know Belmonte, considered the spiritual centre of Crypto-Jewry, a place where an entire community of Conversos kept large parts of their faith intact and, after 500 years, returned to it en masse. Make a stop at the ruins of the Roman settlement Miróbriga and explore the medieval Jewish quarter, at lovely and picturesque towns, with a medieval atmosphere - narrow cobbled streets and old houses. With the assistance of your guide, find a tiny whitewashed 14th-century building here is reputed to be the oldest existant synagogue in Portugal.

Stopover the tiny historic town of Tomar, best known for the remnants of an impressive Templar fortress and its superb monastery, and indulge on a private visit to the oldest existing synagogue in Portugal, built in 1438.

Get lost in history and find your roots with Us!