Belmonte, Portugal, Sdept. 24, 2024 (Lusa) - Belmonte Town Hall has bought the oldest complete Torah in Portugal. It is over 400 years old and comes from Jerusalem. The Torah is already on display in the town.
According to the president of the Belmonte Municipal Company, Joaquim Costa, speaking to the Lusa news agency, this is the oldest complete Torah in Portugal. It is "a gem" and "an asset" for the Jewish Museum, which, around three years ago, no longer had the most important book in Judaism.
"This Torah has a long history to tell those who visit us. It's a Torah written in Spain, before the expulsion of the Jews, and then passed from Spain to Morocco and from there to Israel, in Jerusalem, where the rabbis guarded it," Joaquim Costa told Lusa.
The official said the document, which represents the first five books of the Pentateuch, the fundamental text of Judaism, was bought, although he wouldn't reveal the amount paid.
"There's no point in talking about values. It was a symbolic amount, but for the history that this Torah has, and for the years, this Torah is priceless," emphasised the president of the Belmonte Municipal Company.
According to Joaquim Costa, the Sephardic Torah is over 400 years old, complete, has 384,805 words, and was written by hand in kosher ink.
He said that the Jewish Museum, which opened in 2005, had the most important book in Judaism, owned by the Belmonte Jewish Community, which took the document to the synagogue on the most important festivals, as stipulated in the protocol. Still, for around three years it had not been returned to the museum space.
"The new rabbi who came to the community ordered the Torah to be taken away. We were never told why," emphasised Joaquim Costa.
About two years ago, contacts were made with people in Israel to acquire the document, which was eventually brokered by two rabbis, Eliahu Birnbaum.
"It's the most important book in Judaism. It's a historical book and, at the same time, a religious book. It teaches the religiosity and spirituality of the people of Israel," explained the president of the Belmonte Municipal Company.
Last year, the Belmonte Jewish Museum received 29,000 visitors. Still, it began to receive cancellations since the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas began, and this year has seen an 18% drop in the number of visitors.
Joaquim Costa pointed out that there used to be daily routes between Lisbon and Israel and that now "fewer aeroplanes are travelling that route".
Belmonte, in the north of the Castelo Branco district, maintains a community of crypto-Jews, people who practised their religion in hiding when the Jews were expelled from the country.
"They've managed to survive for five centuries. They have a unique history. That's why the Jewish Museum, with its artefacts and history, is an attraction for many Jews worldwide," he emphasised.
AYR/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
