## *SEPHARDIC WORLD MEETING, SUNDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2021*## *WITH FLORBELA VEIGA FRADE*## *THE NAÇÃO PORTUGUESA IN ANTWERP*Without Antwerp, there may have been no Western Sephardic diaspora. After the Expulsion from Spain and before the emergence of Amsterdam as a Sephardic hub, there was a community of New Christian merchants in Antwerp. Linked to the Spanish Crown through the pepper monopoly, they operated an international trade network from the city. The community self-identified as the Nação Portuguesa, the Portuguese Nation.The best-known family is Mendes Benveniste, but others have been identified. Almost all descend from Abraham Senior, the last rabbi of Spain who converted and whose descendants moved to Portugal. The Antwerp community's wealth allowed them to sponsor artists and writers. Their Obras Pias - Pious Works - helped not just orphans and widows but also New Christians escaping from Portugal.They were suspected of Judaizing. In fact, the Inquisition had information on several houses where families met on Jewish feast and fast days. Many of the families are linked to New Christians who lived in Portugal, and to Jews in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Italian communities, and even Thessaloniki.***Dr. Florbela Veiga Frade ***received her doctorate in Modern History from the University of Lisbon. She is an expert on the Portuguese Jewish Nation in Hamburg, Antwerp, and related communities. She has worked at the University of Porto and the Institute for the History of German Jews. Her new book on the community in Antwerp fills a major gap in our knowledge and is an updated version of her doctoral thesis.The meeting is on Sunday 26 September 2021 at 11am in LA, 2pm NYC, 7pm London, 8pm Paris/Amsterdam, and 9pm Jerusalem. Patrons can join us on Zoom. The link is shared at our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/sephardiEveryone is invited to join us for free at: https://www.youtube.com/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory/ Please subscribe to the YouTube channel. It helps us a lot and reminds you when we are going live!Over the last year and a half Sephardic World has become the leading forum for learning about Sephardic history and genealogy. We have no commercial sponsorship or public funding. There is no charge to attend our meetings or to view our content. If you are not a patron and can afford it, please consider supporting our work: https://www.patreon.com/sephardi*Best wishes,**Ton and David**Sephardic World*