FARO JEWISH CEMETERY & MUSEUM
CEMITREIO ISRAELITA DE FARO E MUSEUM

1838 - 1932 : 5598 - 5692

Without the past we have no present, and without the present their is no future"
Isaac "Ike" Bitton
President and Founder,
Faro Cemetery Restoration Fund, Inc.

Since the first printing of the translated booklet of information on the Faro Cemetery in 1886, several important events have taken place which prompted this additional print. Work on the renovation of the Jewish Cemetery of Faro began in July 1992. Prior to the start-up work on the cemetery, several things happened which should be clarified for those interested. A) Sometime in May of 1992, this Jewish Cemetery was        desecrated by an unknown person or persons. A      gravestone was turned over and graffiti and anti- Jewish     slogans were written on the walls of the cemetery.

B) Illegal bulletin boards were installed and leaning against the outside walls of the cemetery.
     Miscellaneous paraphernalia was prominently exposed.

C) A farmer’s market was open to the public three nights per week next to the cemetery, but on
     the same land.

D) These above mentioned facts culminated in a variety of public offences, as a result these holy
     grounds were being used as ‘restrooms’.

These events promoted immediate action, which was taken by myself personally, as well as a
variety of people which included US Senators, U.S.Congressmen, the U.S. State Department, the Portuguese Embassy in Washington, D.C., the President of the Portuguese Republic, Dr Mario Soares, the Portuguese Department of Cultural Affairs and Archaeology, as well as the
Municipality of Faro under the auspices of the Mayor.

The Faro Jewish Cemetery Restoration Committee is very grateful to his excellency Dr Mario Soares, President of the Portuguese Republic for his prompt intervention and support. The committee appreciates very much indeed all the work performed by the Municipality of Faro, and its Mayor. We also want to thank the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and the Department of Patrimony and Archaeology for their efforts and assistance.

The committee wants to express its wishes and gratefulness for the work performed by Mr. Ralf Pinto, Mrs. Pinto, Mr Gideon Gill, and all of the other members of the team which cleaned up the inside of the cemetery.

It is very encouraging to know that so many people, Jews and Gentiles alike, by helping in the renovation of this old Jewish Cemetery in Faro, Portugal, clearly indicates that " We are our brother’s keeper." Of great significance is the veritable fact that once again dignity and honor has been restored to the image of G-D, and to all of the 106 souls in their eternal rest.

Other than the two Jewish Cemeteries in Lisbon, one in Estrela, and one near Alto Do Sao Joao, the Jewish Cemetery of Faro is the only other surviving Jewish Cemetery in Portugal. The land of Faro cemetery was purchased on December 30, 1851. Some time ago it was classified of Public interest and included in the National Register of National Historical Monuments. Above the cemetery gates there is the Hebrew inscription of the date 5628, which corresponds to the 1878 of the common era.

The renovation was planned as a monument to a Jewish-Portuguese great, Samuel Garcon. Trees were planted around the cemetery in the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes.

Inventory of the Existing Graves in the Jewish Cemetery of Faro

1) David Bendahan 2 Shebat 5676 (1916)

2) Samuel Pimienta, son of Messod. 22 Heshvan 5676 (1915)

3) Joseph Benarosh 27 Nissan 5665 (1905)

4) Ayush Ezaguy 27 Tamuz 5665 (1905 )

5) Joseph Bensimhou 6 Tebet 5654 (1893 )

6) Abraham Ruah, elder son of Moises 23 Tebet 5692 (1932)

7) Hassan Levi, youth 13 Nissan 5648 (1888)

8) Isaac Amram, youth 18 Adar 5635 ( 1875)

9) Indah Amram, Youth 14 Edul 5622 (1862)

10) Abraham Sicsu, youth 25 Ab 5648 ( 1875)

11) Jacob Sicsu ? Heshvan 5641 (1880)

12) Mair Buzaglo, youth 24 Heshvan 5639 (1878)

13) Haim Buzaglo 11 Shebat 5637 (1877)

14) Salomao Buzaglo 5 Kislev 5622 (1861)

15) Eliezer Amram 22 Iyar 5621 (1861)

16) Luna, widow of Joshua Sequerra 5 Tamuz 5681 (1921)

17) Moises Haim Sequerra, youth 12 Elul 5654 (1894)

18) Joshua Sequerra 5 Tamuz 5650 (1890)

19) Samuel Amram, venerable 17 Ab 5640 (1880)

20) Abraham Amram 19 Kislev 5679 (1918)

21) Moses Sequerra, 44 years ? 5688 (1928)

22) David Sabath 27 Nissan 5675 (1915)

23) Semtob Sequerra, elder son of Moses 9 Shebat 5668 (1908)

24) Moses Parienta, son of Rachel 15 Tamuz 5651 (1890)

25) Rev Joseph Toledano, descendant of scholars 12 Adar 5598 (1838)

26) Joseph Sicsu, Hazan ( singer) 24 Tichoi 5632 (1871)

27) Semtob Sequerra, son of Moses 11 Kislev 5632 (1871)

28) Moses Sequerra 18 Adar 5637 (1877)

29) Aarao Sequerra 24 Kislev 5644 (1883)

30) Saul Cagi, elder 11 Adar 5647 (1887)

31) Moshe Cagi, elder, Filho de Saul 3 Nissan 5668 (1908)

32) Solomon Hamu, elder son of Jehuda 8 Heshvan 5676 (1915)

33) Moises Obadia, age 54, son of Joseph ? 5688 (1928)

34) Hanina, widow of Abraham Sabath 18 Shebat 5658 (1898)

35) Simha, youth daughter of Buzaglo 18 Shebat 5672 (1912)

36) Rachel, widow of Samuel Amram 26 Ivar 5646 (1886)

37) Sara. widow of Salomao Buzaglo 28 Adar 5646 (1886)

38) Esther, wife of Messod Cohen 19 Ivar 5635 (1875)

39) Janina, wife of Saul Cagi 13 Tebet 5635 (1874)

40) Hannah Ledicia, wife of Rev. Habib Toledano 4 Shebet 5607 ( 1847)

41) Reyna, widow of Abraham Sicsu 26 Edul 5606 (1846)

42) Batseba, wife of Semtob Sequerra 8 Sivan 5611 (1851)

43) Isaac Beriyor 18 Heshvan 5609 (1848)

44) Judah Attias 1 Iyar 5600 (1840)

45) David Bytton, elder 25 Heshvan 5620 (1859)

46) Abraham Ruah 14 Tichoi 5622 (1861)

47) Salomao Carciente, elder 8 Sivan 5626 (1866)

48) Joseph Taurel 16 Shebat 5643 (1883)

49) Dinar Amzalak 17 Ab 5654 (1894)

50) Yahia Aflalo, youth Rosh Hordesh ?

51) Mazaltob, widow of Semtob Sequerra 4 Shebat 5683 (1923)

52) Ribka, wife of Samuel Bengio 19 Nissan 5667 (1907)

53) Hannah Levy, youth 8 Iyar 5649 (1889)

54) Sarah, youth of Abrm. Ruah 19 Iyar 5645 (1885)

55) Luna, wife of Ruben Benchaya 19 Shebat 5645 (1885)

56) Sinha, elder widow of Abrm. Ruah 23 Tamuz 5641 (1881)

57) Meriam, wife of Joseph Sicsu 5 Tamuz 5618 (1858)

58) Messoda, older widow of Eliezer Malba 8 Heshvan 5617 (1856)

59) Luna, wife of Salamao Tobelem 15 Iyar 5661 (1901)

60) Gimol, youth wife of Mordejai Delmar 24 Kislev 5612 (1852)

61) Rachel, youth daughter of Samuel Amram 12 Kislev 5612 (1851)

62) Hannah Reyna Sicsu, youth 19 Ab 5632 (1872)

63) Sete Sicsu, youth 13 Kislev 5633 (1872)

64) Jacota Benveniste, youth 17 Adar 5633 ( 1873)

65) Simhu, wife of Samuel Pimienta 19 Tichoi 5655 (1894)

66) Dona, widow of Joseph Amram 20 Shebat 5655 (1895)

67) Esther Sequerra, youth 11 Tebet 5656 (1896)

68) Reyna Buzaglo, youth 24 Ab 5656 (1896)

69) Tamo, wife of David Sabath 5 Heshvan 5657 (1896)

70) Hilel Benudis, child 21 Heshva 5682 (1921)

71) Simao Bengio, child son of Salomao 21 Tebet 5655

born em Lisboa em 2-8-1894

died em Tavira em 22-1-1895

The inventory and the study of the epitaphs of the graves, was entered as Document # 27 of the Gen. Heb., and was completed in May of 1980 by Sam Levy, who copied the inscriptions, all in Hebrew, by Jose Maria Raposa de Sousa Abecassis who photographed them, and by Lawrence Lechaud Abecassis who cleaned all the engraved grave stones. The Rev. Abraham Assor, Rabbi of Lisbon translated all inscriptions to Portuguese.

There are a total of 106 graves in this cemetery;
A) 69 have adult inscriptions; 2 have infant or children inscriptions.

B) 4 are adult graves without inscriptions; 31 are infant ot child graves without inscriptions.

THE CEMETERY

The Faro Jewish Cemetery is the only remaining vestige of the first post inquisition Jewish presence in the Algarve.

The entire cemetery is paved with Portuguese calçada and two large shady trees provide a serene ambience. There is a tahara house in which bodies were washed and prayers were said and is now a Museum.

Jews fled the Iberian Peninsula to escape the inquisition at the end of the XVth Century. Their descendants, traders and businessmen in Gibraltar and North África, were invited back to Portugal by the Mar quise de Pombal to help rebuild the economy after the devastating earthquake in 1755. They settled in Faro, a thriving 60 family community, known as «Little Jerusalem ». They had 2 synagogues of which neither remain now. The community became defunct due to the migration of the young to the cities and the aged dying.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

The cemetery fell victim to neglect due to the demise of the Jewish Community. The graves were inventoried in 1980 by Samuel Levy, José and Lawrence Abecassis and the inscriptions were translated by the Reverend Abraham Assor, of the Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa.
1984 saw the establishment of the Faro Cemetery Restoration Fund inc, which was registered by Mr. Isaac <<Ike>> Bitton, native of Lisbon who realised that there was a distinct possibility of the Cemetery, now on prime land, making way for development. His fund raising efforts provided the money for the actual restoration which was arranged by Ralf Pinto of the Jewish Community of Algarve in 1992/93.

A rededication ceremony took place on the 16th of May 1993, in the presence of Dr. Mário Soares, President of Portugal, and some 400 Dignitaries and invited guests. The international guest list included all denominations, including the Bishop of Algarve. Dr. Soares ceremonially planted the first of 18 trees in honour of the late Dr. Aristides de Sousa Mendes. Dr. Mendes was the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux, France, in the 1940's. He saved the lives of thousands of Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany, by issuing transit visas through Lisbon against the direct orders of his Government. He was demoted for this. The trees were donated by Leonard Oblowitz. A plaque commemorating Gacon was unveiled by Dr. Botelheiro, Mayor of the Faro Câmara. 

O Cernitério Israelita de Faro é o único veígio da próspera comunidade judaica aqui estabelecida nos princípios do século XIX. Conhecida por Pequena Jerusalém, compunha-se de sessenta familias. Tinham duas sinagogas, que não chegaram até nós.

O terreno onde se instalou o cemitério foi comprado, em 1851, por Joseph Sicsu, o Cantor, Moses Sequerra e Samuel Amram. À entrada, por cirna do portal, está a data de 5638, correspondente á data cristã de 1887, que terá sido aí colocada aquando da construção do muro envolvente. O cemitério está pavimentado corn calçada portuguesa e tern duas grandes árvores. Tem tambérn uma talhara (casa) onde Os corpos são lavados e onde se reza.

O cemitéro foi abandonado aquando do desaparecimento da comunidade israelita, por um lado devido à migração dos jovens, por outro, com a morte dos idosos.

Em 1980, as sepulturas forarn inventariadas e as inscrições traduzidas por elementos da Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa. Em 1984, nasce a fundação Faro Cemetery Restoration Fund inc. que promove o restauro do cemitéro.

A cerimónia de reconsagração teve lugar a 16 de Maio de 1993, tendo estado presente o Presidente da República Portuguesa. O Dr. Mário Soares plantou então, simbolicamente, a primeira das dezoito árvores fronteiras ao frontispício, em honra do Dr. Aristides de Sousa Mendes, cônsul em Bordéus, em 1940, que salvou a vida de centenas de judeus ao emitir-lhes vistos transitórios para saírern da Europa e deste modo fugirem dos nazis.

0 Cemitério foi utilizado, aproximadamente, durante um século, tendo como datas limites do primeiro e do último enterramento 1838 e 1932.

There are 71 inscribed marble gravestones and 35 small pebble graves. The burials span the period 1838 to 1932.

The first burial was that of the Reverend Joseph Toledano. The Hebrew inscription translates as follows: - «Burial Gravestone - of a true Scholar, lauded in Israel, risen from Scholars - Rabbi Joseph Toledano. Died on Friday 12th Adar 5598. May his soul be united to the sheaves of the living».

Samuel Forteira Gacon, morador na judiaria de Faro, localizada na Vila-Adentro, no local onde foi construído mais tarde 0 Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, imprimiu, em 1487, o Pentateuco, tido como o primeiro incunábulo português.

Atendendo a que esta obra se encontra em Londres, na British Library, 0 Governo Civil de Faro promoveu, em 1991, a sua edição fac-similada.

Samuel Porteira Gacon did the first ever printing in Portugal in his shop in Faro in 1487. He printed the Pentateuch in Hebrew in Incunabula print. An original preserved in the British Library.

In 1991 the Civil Governor of Faro commissioned a limited edition facsimile copy of Gacon’s Pentateuch which was presented to the community in his banqueting hall in May 1993. Gacon also printed divorce treaties and talmudic tractates.

E-mail: Rufina Bernardetti Silva Mausenbaum