WHAT A DAY FOR AN AUTO-DA-FE — DIGITALLY AVAILABLE NOW AT ISRAEL NATIONAL LIBRARY
Nearly 500 years after the Portuguese Inquisition began, rare documentation of its proceedings and victims has been discovered in the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People at Jerusalem’s National Library of Israel, and digitized for the first time The 60-page manuscript, written in the 18th century, documents the first 130 years of the Portuguese Inquisition tribunal’s activities, mainly in Lisbon. It includes detailed information about trials conducted by inquisitors against newly converted Christians accused of continuing to secretly practice Judaism.
The document, in Portuguese, is known as “Memoria de todos os autos da fé que setem feito em Lisboa” (“An Accounting of All the Autos-da-Fé that Took Place in Lisbon”), and includes information about autosda-fé — public spectacles in which the sentences of Inquisition victims were read and executed. Most of the information pertains to such ceremonies in Lisbon between 1540–1669, with brief mention of trials in Tomar.
The number of victims at each autos-da-fé, trial dates and locations, as well as the names of the priests who delivered sermons, appear.
The manuscript also contains the number of people burned at the stake. Among those prosecuted were “New Christians” accused of “Judaizing,” yet not all of the defendants mentioned in the document were Jews. “Old Christians”’ (who came from families without any Jewish background) were also convicted of sodomy, bigamy, possession of forbidden books, and sacrilege. and property prices. The Wardens of Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation responded by inviting the Jewish community to join our “shul by the sea” where house prices are lower, you get more for your money and transport links are excellent, including our very own Southend Airport.
Maybe we planted a seed because 65 Chassidic people have since relocated to Westcliff, where they have realised it is a great place to live and have fallen in love with the area and settled down. Enjoying the fresh air, there is an eruv, kosher facilities, schools, a community mikveh and plenty of holiday homes.
After two years in the preparation, they have recently launched a new shul built to a high specification with an inbuilt succah. The new shul opened recently and in the last two months, there has been the inauguration of two new Sifrei Torah with an enormous crowd and large parades through the streets of Westcliff.
There is also much room for traditional, modern orthodox families. “North-West London on Sea” — where there is now more than one “Shul by the Sea!”.
We are very keen to plant more seeds and in the future, it could be “many” shuls by the sea!
Geoffrey Pepper
Warden, Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation