The world is still only slowly opening itself up after months of quarantine, but traveling freely across the world is still not an absolute certainty. While there are some locales that have not been struck as badly as others, it seems that stays at kosher resorts and vacations abroad will have to wait a bit longer. However, that doesn’t mean one can’t plan ahead and make an itinerary of post-pandemic travel destinations. If you’re interested in imbuing your vacations with Jewish heritage, why not visit a historic synagogue? There’s a lot you can learn about the different Jewish communities around the world based on the synagogues that they established. Here’s a few that should interest you. The Esnoga of Amsterdam The Portugese Synagogue or the Esnoga is a historic building, with strong ties to the Sephardic Jewish identity of the people who established it. It was built around the late 17th Century by Iberian (dubbed “Portugese”) Jews during the Dutch Golden Age. It is an active place of worship and is also home to the Ets Haim Library, home to many rabbinical papers and one of the oldest libraries of Jewish texts in the world. The Kadoorie Mekor Haim of Portugal Porto is one of the most luxurious and relaxing places to visit in Portugal, owing to its nearness to the sunny Douro Valley and its fame for its world-renowned port wine. It is also home to a community of Sephardic Jews whose ancestors hid from the Portugese Inquisition by masking their faith. The Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue was born of the efforts of Captain Artur Barros Basto to establish a place of worship for Jews in Porto in the early 20th Century. Nowadays, it is known as the largest synagogue in Iberia, and is worth visiting on your future Jewish vacations through Portugal.
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