## *Henriques Ferreira, a rite of passage: Circumcision at Age 70*27 Hesvan 5482 or 17 November 1721, David. 24 years old, am Selomoh, 21 years old, both sons of Ishac Henriques Ferreira were circumcised by the mohel Moses Athias de Neyra.Their father Ishac, at age 70 was also circumcised three weeks later 14 Kislev/4 December. On that same date his namesake and grandson Ishac, son of Selomoh, 7 months old, was also circumcised.The 4th of December was a momentous date for the family. In addition to the circumcision of grandfather and grandson, David and Selomoh signed their ketubot. respectively with Rachel Henriquez and Sara Henriquez. For Selomoh I also found a marriage ban dated 21 November 1738 which says that he was from Covilha and she was Sarah Lopes Henirques from Bahia. Rachel and Sara were sisters.Reconstructing the timeline I would say that the members of this family had arrived in or shortly before 1721 in Amsterdam, directly from Portugal and maybe, just maybe, with a stop in between in Bahia. Selomoh, and probably David as well, had already been married before their ketubah was signed in Amsterdam, as Selomoh had a seven-month-old son. The circumcisions and ketubot were necessary to gain entry in the Portuguese Jewish Community and to have the right to be buried at Beth Haim, the burial place of the Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam.