We continue our Hanukah tour of Shavei Israel communities celebrating the Festival of Lights with visits to the Bnei Anousim of Portugal, El Salvador, Colombia, Palermo and San Nicandro, Italy. Happy Hanukah from Shavei Israel!...
It is not surprising to hear that Jewish life in Italy through the ages constitute a rich chapter within Jewish history. We could easily grasp its dimension by just mentioning such luminaries as Leone Ebreo (Don Yehuda Abarbanel), the celebrated medieval thinker, Rabbi Moshe Chaim...
How were your holidays? For the Bnei Anousim celebrating in Spain, Portugal and South America, the Jewish holidays were a time of reflection, inspiration, joy and rediscovery. The High Holy Day period is now over (and the rain we prayed for has already begun to fall here in...
The Jewish community of Belmonte, Portugal, knows how to celebrate Shabbat with gusto. Here are a few photos from a recent Friday before sundown with Shavei Israel's emissary to the community, Rabbi Elisha Salas, who gives some of the men an impromptu lesson in tying the knots on...
This weekend, the Jewish world celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, marking the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago. The Subbotnik Jewish community in Visoky, Russia, hasn't been around quite that long - the community was formed when peasants in southern Russia embraced Jewish...
Last week we reported on the planned Shabbaton that was to take place at the newly kosher Har Sinai Hotel in Belmonte, Portugal. Now we have pictures from the event itself. Shavei Israeli’s emissary Rabbi Elisha Salas and Rabbi Isroel Nachum from Safed hosted a group...
Waving Israeli flags, singing songs in Hebrew and brandishing letters in support of the Jewish State, the Bnei Anousim community of Portugal gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Lisbon on Yom Ha’atzmaut last week to celebrate Israel’s 68th birthday. The rally was organized in...
It’s Purim and Shavei Israel communities around the world are celebrating. Purim commemorates the Jewish victory 2,000 years ago over Haman’s evil plans in ancient Persia. There are enough surprising twists and daredevil turns in the story to keep the plot of the Megillah, the...
The Bnei Anousim community in San Salvador held a festive Hanukah party last week with games and presents, plus a typical El Salvadoran food called "Pupuzas," made of cornmeal stuffed with mozzarella and black beans (kosher of course). We have pictures and video....
Shavei Israel’s emissary to Brazil, Rabbi Yeshayahu Bin Nun, has been keeping busy since he started visiting Bnei Anousim communities in South America’s largest country earlier this summer. He's sent us pictures from two of the communities he’s visited recently in the beach resort town...
