Esther, Mordecai and Haman in Belmonte, Portugal?This past Purim I had the honor of attending the reading the Megillha at the Beit Eliahu Synagogue in Belmonte. To my surprise around thirty men and ten women attended the reading. Their vociferous noise-making when “Haman” was mentioned was not only animated but load. Very load. I tried to imagine how the Megillha was read at the same location a hundred, two hundred years back. The Beira region of Portugal has multiple villages and towns with tons of Neo-christians remnants. Today there are a few locations with active Synagogues and/or Cultural centers, continuing the tradition.