Some 150 renowned rabbis participated Tuesday in a memorial and dedication ceremony in memory of those murdered in Israel on Oct. 7 in the new cemetery of the Jewish community in Porto in northern Portugal.
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The names of those who perished were commemorated on a memorial that was revealed to participants during the event, which included a prayer led by Rabbi Simcha Steinberg of Eindhoven, Holland. Among the speakers were Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, chief rabbi of the Inter-Provincial Chief Rabbinate of the Netherlands, and Rabbi Netanel Lev, a member of the rabbinical council of Lubavitch, Paris and father of the late Binyamin Lev who fell in battle against the terrorists.
"My son Binyamin fell in battle on Oct. 7 when he went out to defend the people of Israel with his body. He was an outstanding soldier in the paratroopers, and was specially selected to arrive in the Gaza Strip that morning. One thing comforts me, and that is knowing that he gave his life to protect and save other Jews. May the memory of my son and the other soldiers who were killed be blessed," Lev said. "Binyamin came out of his hiding place to help rescue a wounded man and was wounded himself. A few days earlier we had spoken for the last time. I told him I was proud of him for contributing his body to the defense of the country, and he replied in his typical style, 'I know.'"
Jacobs told the attendees, "We are witnessing here today a combination of the normal and the abnormal, the acceptable and the unacceptable. A new and permanent Jewish cemetery and the terrible monument to Oct. 7. And we see with tears in our eyes that the world accepts the unacceptable by condemning Israel and not condemning displays of anti-semitism."
The Chabad chief emissary in Portugal, Rabbi Eli Rosenfeld, spoke emotionally to those present. "Today's gesture expresses the resilience of the Jewish people. Despite the pain experienced during Simhat Torah, the people of Israel will continue to live and prosper. Am Yisrael Hai!"
The Porto Jewish community inaugurated its new cemetery last year, in April 2023. The ceremony took place on Memorial Day for Israel's fallen, and included a tribute to fallen IDF soldiers as well as ceremonies dedicated to the new sacred site. The event was presided over by rabbis from Portugal, Israel, the United States and Britain.
