Ha-Lapid, O facho, Orgão da Comunidade Israelita do Porto [periodical of the Jewish community in Porto], edited by Avraham Yisrael Ben-Rosh. Porto (Portugal): Empresa Diario do Porto, 1927-1948. Portuguese.

Volume of issues, containing 110 issues (issues no. 3-110, 141-142), from the first year of the periodical (1927) to its 15th year (1941). Two additional issues from the 22nd year of the periodical (1948).

The periodical was published in the years 1927-1958, and contained news and information on the events in the Jewish community in Porto and other Jewish communities around the world, articles on Jewish topics, various photographs, and more. At first the periodical was published on a monthly basis, but starting in 1929 it began to be published bimonthly (the last issues of the periodical were printed biannually).

Artur Carlos de Barros Basto (1887-1961; Hebrew name: Avraham Yisrael Ben-Rosh). Officer in the Portuguese army. Fought in the 1910 revolution and the First World War; decorated several times for acts of bravery and promoted to the rank of Capitão (Captain). Renowned for nurturing a rebirth of the Jewish community in Porto, and for returning thousands of descendants of Portuguese Marranos and conversos to the Jewish faith. Born in northern Portugal; received a Catholic education. Discovered at a young age that he was descended from Jewish conversos, and familiarized himself with Jewish customs upon reaching adulthood. Underwent halakhic conversion, and married the daughter of one of the leaders of Lisbon’s Jewish community. The main objective of his ambitious efforts was the renewal of the Jewish community of Porto, several centuries after it had been destroyed with the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal. As part of his mission – and while still pursuing his military career – in 1927, Barros Basto founded a journal titled "HaLapid" ("The Torch"). He also published books, articles, and research papers on various Jewish topics. Many of these can be found in the present collection. In addition, he established a yeshiva by the name of "Rosh Pinah."
In order to locate Portuguese Crypto-Jews, Barros Basto would ride his horse through the rural areas surrounding Porto, accompanied by a "mohel", and whenever he came across male descendants of conversos who showed an interest in returning to Judaism, he would suggest they consider undergoing circumcision.

In the early 1920s, he began realizing his goal of re-establishing a Jewish community in Porto, centered around a synagogue originally located in a small apartment. This institution grew and eventually relocated to a large, magnificent building. Known as the Kadoorie – Mekor Haim Synagogue, it was funded by donations from the Baron Edmond de Rothschild and the Baron Lawrence Kadoorie, and was inaugurated in 1938.

Barros Basto’s far-reaching endeavors aimed at renewing Jewish life in Portugal – and in particular, the circumcision ceremonies he promoted – aroused the wrath of the Catholic Church. They also drew the attention of officials in the autocratic regime of António de Oliveira Salazar, sparking an anti-Semitic backlash. As a result, he was falsely accused of assorted crimes, put on trial, and despite his complete innocence, dishonorably discharged in 1937 from the ranks of the Portuguese armed forces. This course of events earned him the title of "the Portuguese Dreyfus." Barros Basto died in 1961 and was buried in his place of birth, Amarante.

Long after his death, in 2012, Barros Basto’s name was officially rehabilitated by an act of the Portuguese Parliament, and he thus posthumously regained his status as a Portuguese national hero.

110 issues. One issue disconnected. Many sequences of leaves. 24 cm. Dry paper. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears, including a few open tears affecting text, partially repaired with paper. New binding.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.