Les Juifs de Madère

Madeira, the Portuguese Atlantic island, attracted from the time of its colonization New Christians — descendants of converted Jews — in the context of the rise of the sugar economy. Subject to inquisitorial surveillance, some maintained crypto-Jewish practices in secret for several generations. The Jewish presence there remained discreet and eventually faded through assimilation. In the nineteenth century, a few Jews, notably of North African and British origin, settled on the island, leaving traces such as a cemetery.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗