BOOK LAUNCH IN BRAGANZA-JACOB DE CASTRO SARMENTO

(A biography by Fernanda Guimarães and António Andrade, published by www.novavega.pt. An English adaptation will be available shortly. To read the English preface by professor Michael Alpert, president of the Jewish Historical Society of England, please visit, http://www.jackwhite.net/iberia/castro_sarmento.html)




On Sunday, June 13, 2010, His Worship, António Jorge Nunes, mayor of the City of Braganza launched a new biography of Dr. Jacob De Castro Sarmento, baptized Henrique in Braganza in 1691, son of Francisco de Castro Almeida and Violante da Mesquita, Marranos from Braganza. Welcomed into the Sephardic fold of Bevis Marks congregation in London after fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition, Sarmento became the first Jew to obtain a PHD in the UK and one of the first Jews to be admitted to the Royal College of Physicians. A pioneer of the smallpox vaccine and a quinine water remedy ("Aguas da Inglaterra"), Sarmento was one of many "Bragantinos" to distinguish themselves in the Marrano diaspora.



His worship, mayor António Jorge Nunes (standing), Carla da Costa Viera (left), PHD student and author of the preface to the book, and co-authors António Júlio de Andrade and Maria Fernanda Guimarães.

His Worship, António Jorge Nunes, mayor of the City of Braganza.


The book launched took place in the municipal library during the annual book fair. The city of Braganza supported the publication and has purchased a building to house a Marrano-Jewish museum.

Fernanda Guimarães, tireless researcher of the Inquisition archives at the Torre de Tombo, national archives. She taught herself German to read the seminal work on Portuguese Marranos in Spain by Marcus Schreiber, " Marranen in Madrid 1600-1670" (Stuttgart 1994).

MARRANO TOURS OF PORTUGAL

(Customized narrated group tours- contact Ladina at ladina.sefarad@gmail.com)



SAMPLE PROGRAMME ( WITH OPTION OF BEGINNING AT BEVIS MARKS-LONDON)

LONDON

Thursday

6.30pm-Reception

Friday

Morning 11.30 Walking tour of the “Old Jewish Quarter” by London walks which includes a visit to Bevis Marks. (http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Home/Fridays_Walks/default.aspx#12886)

Afternoon Seminar: Introduction to the Portuguese Marranos in England.

Evening Shabbat dinner at Bevis Marks (http://www.bevismarks.org.uk). Participants are welcome to attend shabbat services.

Saturday

Free day. Participants are welcome to attend shabbat services at Bevis Marks.

Sunday

Morning 11 am-Walking tour of Jewish east London, Sephardic Jews under Oliver Cromwell and the role played by the Sephardim in the East End. The tour includes a visit to the Sephardic cemeteries Velho and Novo and the site of the great Sephardic Beth Holim. Tour by Clive Bettington of
Jewish East End Celebration Society. (http://www.jeecs.org.uk)

Afternoon Visit to the Jewish Museum of London which contains many treasures donated by the Sephardim of Portugal and Spain.

Evening Seminar: The London Marranos Committee which helped build the only synagogue in Europe in the year of Kristalnacht, will examine the role of such luminaries as Lucien Wolf, Cecil Roth and Paul Goodman, president of the Committee.
Presented by JackWhite.(http://www.jackwhite.net/iberia/index.html)


Monday

Travel to Porto.

Evening Seminar: Introduction to Portuguese Jewish history and the Marranos.

Tuesday

Morning Travel to Braganza by bus (3.5 hours). (Bus talk-The Marranos of Northern Portugal).

Afternoon Walking tour and visit to art gallery. Tour by Emilia Nogueiro (http://historia-e-arte.blogspot.com)

Evening Seminar-The Marranos of Braganza in the 18th century and the Inquisition, Fernanda Guimarães

Wednesday

Morning Seminar: DNA study and the Marranos of Northern Portugal by PHD candidate Inês Nogueiro.
http://noticias.up.pt/img_upload/judeus_braganca
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122685415/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
http://www.cryptojews.com/Tras-os-montes.lbi

Afternoon Visit to Carção, capital of Marranismo (1.5 hours by bus-talk-Marrano resistance and rituals in Carção). Walking tour by Paulo Lopes (http://www.almocreve.pt/). (lunch in Carção).

Evening Return to Porto (Bus talk- Captain Barros Basto, the Apostle of the Marranos). Visit Amarante (45 minutes from Porto), birthplace/burial site of Captain Barros Basto (Kaddish ceremony at cemetery).

PORTO
Thursday

Morning Walking tour-The Olival Judiaria, birthplace of Uriel Acosta (Gabriel da Costa ), perhaps the world's first secular Jew. Baruch Spinosa (Bento de Espinhosa) was 8 years old at the time of his tragic death.

Afternoon Visit the studios of Jose Rodrigues, renowned Marrano artist and sculptor.

Evening Seminar: Spinoza, the Marrano of Reason and Barros Basto, the Marrano Mirage , Alexander Teixeira Mendes, founding member of Ladina and author of, Barros Basto, A Miragem Marrana (http://ladina.blogspot.com/2007/08/blog-post_4083.html.)


Friday

Morning Walking tour of Miragaia Judiaria.

Afternoon Seminar: Captain Barros Basto, the Portuguese Dreyfuss and the campaign for his rehabilitation. Jorge Neves, founding member of Ladina, filmmaker (http://alfandegafilmes.blogspot.com/), and vice-president of the Israeli Community of Porto (http://comunidade-israelita-porto.org).

Evening Shabbat dinner at Kadoorie synagogue, the “Cathedral” of the Marranos. Participants are welcome to attend Shabbat services.

Saturday

Free day: Participants are welcome to attend Shabbat services at Kadoorie synagogue.

Sunday

Literary Club of Porto

Morning Seminar: The Marrano/Sephardic pioneers of the USA


Evening -dinner wrap up

NOTES

1. The tour will be conducted in English. Where a presenter does not speak English, simultaneous translation will be provided.

For more information please contact Ladina at ladina.sefarad@gmail.com