CVJHP HISTORIAN ANGELA SOFIA BENOLIEL COUTINHO REFLECTS ON GIBRALTAR & MOROCCO

Nota de Carol/ Note from Carol:

Ângela Sofia Benoliel Coutinho, Cape Verdean historian who resides in Portugal, is under contract to CVJHP Inc. to pursue archival and oral research on the presence and legacy of the Jews of Cape Verde -- those who immigrated to Cape Verde in the XIX century, mostly from Morocco and Gibraltar, when Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony. As you know from previous posts, she has been working in the archives in Portugal and Cape Verde, but in mid-2015, CVJHP sent her to Morocco and Gibraltar, the birthplaces of many of the original immigrants, to pursue research in archives and libraries, as well as to meet with academics and archivists. I accompanied her on both trips to facilitate contacts and expedite our work, which, oxala, will culminate in a book in the not-too-distant future. Here, in Portuguese, are her personal reflections:

Ligação entre Gibraltar/Marrocos e Cabo Verde

Aquando da estadia em Gibraltar, foi muito boa a recepção por parte dos membros da Comunidade, e foi possível obter dados sobre as famílias oriundas do estreito, tanto nos registos da Comunidade Judaica como nos National Archives, que contudo, terão muito mais documentação disponível para consulta a partir do Verão de 2016. Foi também possível obter bibliografia especializada sobre a comunidade judaica de Gibraltar, à qual ainda não tínhamos tido acesso. Através da análise destes novos elementos, revelou-se um relacionamento intenso e multi-secular entre Gibraltar e Portugal, sobretudo com Lisboa e com o Algarve. Assim, algumas das famílias que estamos a estudar, tendo ligações a Gibraltar, instalaram-se primeiro em Lisboa, e só depois em Cabo Verde. Descobrimos também que em Gibraltar existiam relações comerciais particularmente intensas com Tétuan, em Marrocos, e com Alger e Oran, o que poderá explicar a presença em Cabo Verde de indivíduos nascidos nestas duas cidades argelinas.  

Dra. Benoliel Coutinho w/Jewish archivist, Mesod Belilo, in Gibraltar

Em Marrocos, Rabat e Casablanca, foi surpreendente e profundamente gratificante, o interesse demonstrado por especialistas, artistas, jornalistas, dirigentes da Comunidade Judaica, assim como o acolhimento por parte do Sr. Ministre Chargé des Marocains Résidant à l’Étranger et des Affaires de la Migration. Foram especialmente tocantes a atenção e a disponibilidade por parte de M. André Azoulay, Conselheiro de S. Magestade, o rei Mohammed VI. A extensa bibliografia existente sobre a História e a Cultura dos Judeus Marroquinos, pela sua qualidade e diversidade, irá contribuir muito para enriquecer o nosso estudo. Conversando com a directora do Museu do Judaísmo em Casablanca, descobrimos que as famílias judias marroquinas que se instalaram em Cabo Verde no século XIX têm diversas proveniências históricas: se a maioria tem raízes na Península Ibérica, tendo chegado a Marrocos a partir do século XV, outras são de origem berbere, com presença milenar no Norte de África, e outras, ainda, são oriundas do Médio Oriente, com uma presença multi-secular em Marrocos.    

H.E. Andre Azoulay & Dra. Benoliel Coutinho, Palais Royal, Rabat

Por fim, numa nota pessoal, direi que foi emocionante para mim pisar pela primeira vez a cidade de Rabat, de onde são oriundos os meus antepassados.  

--Ângela Sofia Benoliel Coutinho, 27 de Setembro de 2015

This post was also published in English on the World Monuments Fund site (See link below). CVJHP thanks the World Monuments Fund for the grant that underwrites costs of Ângela's archival research. 

https://www.wmf.org/blog/morocco-and-gibraltar-keys-understanding-cape-verde%E2%80%99s-jewish-heritage

CMRG DESIGNATES JEWISH CEMETERIES AS "MUNICIPAL CULTURAL PATRIMONY"

The Jewish cemeteries in Penha de França and Ponta do Sol have been officially classified as Municipal Cultural Patrimony or  "Património Cultural Municipal" by the Camara Municipal de Ribeira Grande (CMRG) -- City Hall in Ribeira Grande, island of Santo Antao.

I received the following message from Francisco Dias, Vereador da CMRG in late August 2015. 

"Ontem foi um dia muito especial para os Cemitérios dos Judeus. Foi aprovado por unanimidade por todos os deputados municipais, a elevação dos cemitérios dos Judeus de Ribeira Grande (Ponta do Sol e Penha de França) a património cultural municipal. O processo seguirá brevemente para o governo requerendo a elevação a categoria de património cultural nacional."

----Francisco Dias, Vereador da CMRG - Santo Antão, 29 de Agosto, 2015

  

Engineer Orlando Delgado, President (Mayor) of CMRG, told me in late July 2015, when I was in Ribeira Grande on a site visit to evaluate the status of restoration of the two cemeteries, that he would press for this designation. CVJHP Inc. salutes the CMRG for fulfilling its commitment. 

Above is the refurbished Penha de Franca cemetery in Ribeira Grande. Finishing touches such as painting and signage will be completed in the coming months by early 2016.

The Jewish cemeteries are in the process of being restored and preserved with financing and advice from CVJHP Inc. and by a capable technical team from the CMRG. Their recent designation as "municipal cultural patrimony" is an important first step toward their eventual designation as cultural patrimony by the central government. Why is this so critical? It means that the people of Ribeira Grande value and honor the contributions and legacy of the many Sephardic Jews who once lived and prospered on the island. The designation legally protects the cemeteries from attempts by developers, the state or individuals to destroy, alter or deface the cemeteries. Most of all, it reflects the view by the CMRG and the citizens therein that the cemeteries are an inextricable part of their history and identity, even if no practicing Jews remain on the island today. Thanks to the CMRG, the memory of the many Jewish families: The Benros, the Brigham, the Cohens, the Pinto, the Wahnon and many more .... will live on through the poignant cemeteries and the many descendants in Cape Verde and abroad.  It will also help to promote cultural tourism in the island of Santo Antao. CVJHP Inc. fervently hopes that the other municipalities with Jewish cemeteries, namely Praia and Boa Vista, will emulate the measure taken by CMRG and vote to designate their respective cemeteries as "património cultural municipal." Such a move will greatly benefit the economic and cultural development of the entire country. 

Antonio Mota and Francisco Dias, Terrace of Ponta do Sol Cemetery, RG

Francisco Dias, Antonio Mota Ponta do Sol, RG

 

 

GIBRALTAR - CAPE VERDE CONNECTION

We apologize for the gap in communication, but CVJHP has been on the move since we last connected and in the next posts I will catch you up with our activities regarding cemetery restoration and research. For now, we'd like to share the article below, which appeared in the newspaper Panorama in Gibraltar after CVJHP historian Ângela Sofia Benoliel Coutinho and I traveled there in June 2015 on a research visit. John Culatto interviewed us and wrote the following:

http://capeverdejewishheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/GIBRALTAR_CapeVerdeConnection.pdf

If you have trouble viewing the article, you can read it on our website at:  http://capeverdejewishheritage.org/about-2/in-the-news/

Se tiver dificuldade em ler o artigo, favor ver nosso website: http://capeverdejewishheritage.org/about-2/in-the-news/  

In the first photo below, Carol Castiel stands next to Rabbi Ronnie Hassid outside the Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue, also known as the Flemish Synagogue, on Line Wall Road. 

I took the following photo in the office of Mr. Mesod Belilo, archivist for the Jewish community of Gibraltar. He is sharing 19th century marriage records with Ângela Sofia Benoliel Coutinho, CVJHP historian, as part of our research on the Moroccan Jews who settled in the archipelago in the mid-1800's.