ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

The International Observatory of Human Rights honored the memory of Rabbi Baruch Portugali on Sunday, which coincided with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Rabbi Portugali, a renowned figure of Portuguese-Sephardic lineage and ancestor of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad, was honored at a ceremony at the B’nai B’rith Portugal headquarters by more than 100 Portuguese Jews.

The tribute was presented by Luís Andrade, President of the International Observatory of Human Rights, to Rabbi Eli Rosenfeld, Director of Chabad Portugal.

Rabbi Rosenfeld described it as “a deep honor to participate in this tribute in honor of Rabbi Baruch Portugali. His memory connects generations, and his enduring influence reminds us that even through exile and hardship, the light of Torah and Mitzvot can shine across centuries.”

Portuguese teenagers walking at Porto's Jewish Museum next to a memorial of the ancient Jewish community of Porto, March 20, 2024.
Portuguese teenagers walking at Porto's Jewish Museum next to a memorial of the ancient Jewish community of Porto, March 20, 2024. (credit: Bizarro/CIP)

Honoring Chabad's roots

Speakers at the event spoke on the international character of Chabad and its roots in the Iberian Sephardic tradition.

“Chabad is further proof of the multinational nature of the Jewish family," David Garrett of the Porto Community noted. "Born in Lubavitch in Eurasia, that spiritual movement soon integrated descendants of Iberian Sephardic Jews such as Rabbi Baruch Portugali, Rabbi Yosef Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, and the Baal Shem Tov.”

“In the 18th century, they (the US) welcomed Haim Solomon, a Portuguese Jew born in Poland who became the principal financier and broker for the American Republic during the Revolutionary War; and in the 20th century, they welcomed an organization linked to Portugal called Chabad, and in honor of the Rebbe, Education and Sharing Day is celebrated in that great nation," Isaac Assor of the Lisbon Community noted.

Ido Itshayek of the Algarve Community reflected that “this ceremony honoring Rabbi Baruch Portugali helps us to keep the connection with the past alive, respecting those who have contributed significantly to the world through actions, works, and ideas, inspiring future generations.”