King Manuel I decreed that all Jews had to convert or leave Portugal (1496). |
The vast majority -70%- come from Turkey.
The newspaper contacted the Oporto Jewish community and was told they they would not reveal the exact number of applicants because the massive influx of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere who have come to Europe has created hostile reactions and comments and they do not want the Jews to be victims yet again.
It is not clear from the article what is making the Jewish community so apprehensive. Is it the massive arrival of Muslims refugees who, for many, hold anti-Semitic views, or of the Portuguese population itself or of a conflation of both? Will history repeat itself? No it will not because Israel exists.
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