Olami 2 - Portugal - Rachel Miller-Crews
Rachel Miller-Crews
As I was trying to figure out how to pack for a year, while keeping in mind that I was also going to spend a week in Portugal, I was not aware of the connection I was about to make with a country that I hadn't given much thought to. When I signed up for Olami 2, I was more excited about traveling to India, Uganda, and South Africa, than to Portugal. But once the educational part of our journey into the history of the Portuguese Jews began, I realized that what I learned in a few days would have a huge impact on how I view Jewry worldwide.
Our journey began when we met a Marano jew in her early twenties who had recently made the "return" or conversion back to Judaism. The reason she was called a Marano Jew was because during the Spanish inquisition many Jews that were forced to convert to Christianity secretly kept some Jewish traditions alive, and have only recently come out of hiding. This young woman's grandparents were siblings and her parents were first cousins in order to keep Judaism within the family. This was shocking to hear because I had no idea things like this that are illegal and looked down upon in my society were still being practiced around the world in order to keep a religion alive. I have always had an easy time being Jewish, I have a community in Austin, Texas that supports me and that loves me, and I have never had to be afraid or fight for being Jewish. Although my family was directly affected by the holocaust, I was amazed that this girl and her family were still dealing with the repercussions from something that happened centuries ago.
The day before I left the country my grandmother called to wish me luck and send me her love. Then she surprised me by telling me that during WWII when she was seven her family fled to Portugal and lived in Porto for six months waiting for a visa. According to my grandmother, the ship that my family boarded was the last one to leave Lisbon before the United States joined the war. This information was astonishing for two reasons, the first was that I had no idea that my family had spent any time in the country that I was about to explore, and the second, which I thought about after hearing the stories from the inquisition, was that for my family Portugal was a safe-haven, but for Jews centuries before, Portugal was a land of widespread misery and hidden miracles.
After a few days of learning about the Marano Jews, we were given a taste of what Jewish life is like for Portuguese Jews whose families were not in hiding. We listened to a panel of kids our age talk about how it is hard to be Jewish in Portugal because the country lacks a strong community. There was an obvious separation between the Marano Jews in the community and the other Jews from countries around the world who ended up in Portugal. They explained that there were no Jewish organizations in the country until recently, and that the one that has finally formed is not very strong because the parents of the kids who are now Jewish are not used to sending their kids to Jewish clubs because they didn't go to them when they were younger. They also explained that once the club begins to attract members it eventually goes back to how it was because the kids that made it active go off to university outside of the country. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to be as active as I want in a strong Jewish community. I am glad that I never had to struggle with my identity and that Jewish life has always been so easy for me.
After an exciting week in Portugal I was excited and nervous for my new adventure to the land that Jews from all over the world, whether Marano, hidden, struggling, or lucky like I was, are all connected to through Judaism. As I begin self-exploration in the Holy land, I will always keep in mind the struggle that many Jews from around the globe have had to stay connected to an important religion that I too often take for granted.
