Belmonte Portugal welcomes new Hebrew teacher
Penina Amid spells out the number 9 for students in Belmont
The Bnei Anousim community in Belmonte, Portugal has a new Hebrew teacher. Penina Amid, who taught Hebrew in the Israeli school system for most of her career and is now retired, is volunteering her time in Belmonte during March as part of an annual project called the “Month of Hebrew.” The program, which is sponsored by the Belmonte municipality, is mainly intended for non-Jews who wish to connect with Belmonte’s Jewish past – the town had a thriving Jewish community prior to the Inquisition. Amid is teaching a weekly class for local residents.
In addition, Amid is teaching Hebrew to the approximately 100 members of the Bnei Anousim community in Belmonte. These classes are being run daily and include both group and individual one-on-one sessions.
Belmonte is the home base for Shavei Israel’s emissary to Portugal, Rabbi Elisha Salas, who teaches the community Jewish topics – in Portuguese. Belmonte’s Bnei Anousim have never had a dedicated Hebrew teacher…until now. Her tenure in town won’t be long, but it is greatly appreciated.
Amid is staying at Shavei Israel’s Beit HaAnusim center in town. Before her visit to Portugal, she also volunteered to teach Hebrew to recent Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel.
We have more information on Belmonte here in this article by Leah Jaya Bisquert Bertomeu, who spent Passover with the Bnei Anousim community in 2013. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin also visited Belmonte and wrote about his trip in 2011.