Dear Friends, I was in Portugal this month and thought some of you might enjoy to hear a little about the Jewish community there. First, it should first be said that Portuguese in general are very warm and welcoming...no sign of the Inquisition anywhere!I met first with an American couple, David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson, two retired professors currently in Portugal to research how some Jews fled to Mexico to became silver miners. They spent two weeks in the archives in Lisbon, pouring through old documents. They have written a number of books on the Anusim, In Lisbon, they showed me some notable spots, including where a pogram in 1506 took place. A prominent memorial stands there today. I also met with Susana Moreira Marques, a Lisbon-based journalist (and member of this group) who first took an interest in Spanish & Portuguese Jewry while in London covering the 350th anniversary at Bevis Marks. Since then, she has written several more articles and is now working on a book about what happened to the Jews after they left Portugal. On Friday night, I visited the synagogue, a beautiful building a little over 100 years old. Though founded by Moroccan Jews, the synagogue seems quite connected to its Spanish & Portuguese links. There is a very nice rabbi, Elizier Shai di Martino, originally from Italy. It's a small community but they are working hard to strengthen and expand with a mix of locals and newcomers from the U.S., Israel, and elsewhere. One project now is to produce a kosher recipe book, and community member Carl Tishler (also now I think a member of this group) says they would be very happy to receive some good recipes from Spanish & Portuguese communities abroad! (Coming soon...notes from Porto)