Madeira, Portugal
With its mild climate and its scenic backdrop of flowers, waterfalls
and mountains, the archipelago of Madeira, parallel to the West African
coast, is a tourist's delight. It was also a haven for many Jewish refugees.
- Funchal
- Porto Santo
- Other Places of Interest
Funchal
The capital of the island
of Madeira, with its rows of houses and gardens
running down the hillside to the sea, Funchal
not only has a great profusion of ornate churches
and beautiful examples of civil architecture
(such as the Town Hall, the Customs House
and the Fortress-Palace of Sao Lourenco),
but it also has several important museums.
At the Museum of Sacred Art, the visitor will
be pleasantly surprised by the remarkable
collection of Flemish art. Other interesting
museums are the Museu da Quinta (Las
Cruzes (furniture and decorative art), the Museu Vicente (photography) and the Case-Museu Frederio de Freitas (azulejos,
religious sculpture and furniture). The city's
great wealth and natural advantages attracted
the Jews, who arrived there in 1819 from Morocco,
setting themselves tip in the cloth trade.
The synagogue was built in 1836, and the Rabbi David Zaguri
became its spiritual leader in 1857. Another
period of immigration followed in the 20th
century, with the arrival of refugees from
the First and Second World Wars. The "Shaar
Hashamain" Synagogue, which has since
closed down, and the cemetery of the same
name still evoke memories of the Jewish community.
Porto
Santo
With its nine kilometers
of' magnificent beach, Porto Santo has its
main centre of population at Vila Baleira,
where it is possible to visit the house in
which Christopher Columbus is said to have
lived.
Other
places of interest
Island of Madeira: Camara
de Lobos, Chiral das Freiras, Machico,Paul
da Serra, Porto Moniz and Santana.
Sources: Journey to Jewish Portugal courtesy
of the Portuguese
National Tourist Office |