Sahar Hassamain Synagogue

Sahar Hassamain (whose possible translation is "Gates of Heaven") is located down the street from Brum nr. 16 in Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island in the Azores . It stands out for being one of the oldest in Portugal and one of only a few remnants of Jewish culture in the archipelago. Founded by Abraham Bensaúde along with other members of the Jewish community of the city in 1836, in a building purchased for this effect, is the oldest synagogue Portuguese built after the expulsion of the Jews from the country. It was one of five formerly existing in Ponta Delgada , becoming the only one still existing, having served both as a residence for the cult of the rabbi . The first references to the establishment of Jewish families in the Azores dating from the first half of the nineteenth century, originating from Morocco, from where they left due to economic restrictions that were being imposed on them there at the time. In the same period, the action of the Holy Office had declined in Portugal, and the advent of liberalism, particularly after the Liberal Revolution of Porto (1820), attracted these populations, likely with Portuguese ancestry. Thus, many families began to rush to the Azores, registering fixing the Abohbot, Benarus, Levy, Zagory or Besabat. The acceptance of Jews in these communities at the time, in contrast to the persecution by the Inquisition in previous centuries. Established in 1836, and closed for more than fifty years, is temporarily open on Saturdays for guided tours from March 2009, in the context of the celebrations of 190 years of the arrival of the first Jews to the Azores . The municipality undertook recently to lead the recovery process of the Synagogue whose property is owned by the Jewish Community of Lisbon . On the exterior, the building is not recognizable, since it was built with the facade of a typical dwelling house Azorean. The interior retains its original character and is on display some objects of worship, especially a chair of circumcision ( 1819 ), chandeliers and diverse historical documentation in Hebrew. Besides temples, synagogues still had the function of schools and meeting places for the community. The archipelago came to have other synagogues beyond this, the islands of Terceira and Faial . Besides this synagogue, there remains only the Hebrew cemetery of Santa Clara in the same city, dated 1834, and the Hebrew Cemetery in Angra do Heroismo in 1832 . In 2010 were found cult objects, manuscripts and printed documents which constitute a valuable collection on the history of the community. The site of the former synagogue were donated by the Jewish Community of Lisbon Municipality of Ponta Delgada, which is finalizing the technical projects for the recovery of the property, seeking its reclassification as a museum and boosting its space for cultural and tourism. The works may begin in 2012, if they obtained the necessary support.¹