Frederic Brenner (b. 1959) Lighting Shabbat Candles in Hiding

In 1497 the Jews of Portugal were forcibly baptized and barred from leaving the country. Nevertheless, many of them continued to practice Judaism in secret. A small community of conversos from the town of Belmonte preserved those customs until the late 20th century.
One of the rituals retained by the Belmonte conversos was lighting Shabbat candles. They used a simple, common oil lamp, into which they poured olive oil. The wicks were made of flax and woven by the community women. While weaving, they would recite a special prayer in Portuguese that passed down through the generations. The photograph and oil lamp were donated to the museum by Frederic Brenner and Inacio Steinhardt, respectively, after their visit in the 1980s on behalf of the museum to the descendants of conversos in Belmonte.