New Books Reveal Shocking Details of the ‘Portuguese Dreyfus’
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New Books Reveal Shocking Details of the ‘Portuguese Dreyfus’ as Granddaughter Demands €50 Million and Confronts Government Antisemitism
18 November 2024 – Porto, Portugal: In France, Émile Zola famously penned “J’Accuse” calling out the infamously antisemitic “Dreyfus Case.” Now, two pillars of Porto’s Jewish Community — widely considered the strongest in Europe in cultural terms — have leveled similar and timely accusations in two new books.
“The Portuguese Dreyfus Case: A Scandal from 1937 Heard in the European Court of Human Rights in 2024,” alongside “The Plan: Jewish Life Threatened in Europe” uncover the systemic antisemitism that has plagued Portugal and Europe, exemplified by the 1937 persecution of Captain Arthur Carlos de Barros Basto and the 2022 persecution against his granddaughter, Isabel Barros Lopes, and the entire Jewish community he founded in the city of Oporto a century ago.
Often called the “Portuguese Dreyfus”, Captain Barros Basto was unjustly dismissed from the Portuguese army in 1937 for circumcising his young students who were descendants of forcibly-converted Jews in the 15th century. The case against Basto, although ultimately dismissed, began with anonymous letters that tried to besmirch his reputation with fake allegations of inappropriate sexual relations with young men. All of this took place during the early years of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal.
Basto’s granddaughter, 71-year-old economist Isabel Barros Lopes, has been campaigning for decades for his posthumous reinstatement. She is Vice Presidente of the Oporto Jewish community whose first President was Basto. The Community, the strongest in Portugal, is now seeking €50 million in compensation from the Portuguese state, due to a new anti-Jewish persecution based again on slanderous anonymous letters in 2022 which targeted the organization itself and Barros Lopes.
Barros Lopes and the Jewish Community of Porto are calling out what they see as hate against the Jewish community on the part of the government headed by former Prime Minister António Costa. Costa resigned as Prime Minister of Portugal in November of 2023 amid a corruption investigation. He will be heading to Brussels this December — in just over two weeks — to take his seat as president of the European Counsel, the institution which sets the political priorities and policy directions of the European Union.
“Costa’s inactions about my grandfather and the recent action of his government against me and our Jewish community are rooted in deeply ingrained hate against the Jewish success” said Barros Lopes. “We already sent both cases to the European Court of Human Rights to hold the government accountable and the State. This isn’t just about my grandfather; it’s about the systemic prejudice that still thrives in Portugal today.”
In turn, Gabriel Senderowicz, the president of the Jewish Community of Porto, echoed her concerns.
“The refusal of Costa’s government to reinstate Captain Barros Basto and the political persecution against our Jewish community – using the political press and anonymous letters from convicts – speak volumes about Costa’s priorities and his government,” said Senderowicz. “The assumption that corruption exists when a Jewish community prospers, is very much based on and anchored in old antisemitic tropes which historically plagued Portugal.”
In March 2022, incited by unverified anonymous complaint, Lisbon police invaded the home of Isabel Barros Basto, and likewise raided Porto’s historic synagogue looking for proof of financial malfeasance and corruption.
“According to the warrants presented by the police, they were looking for ‘bags of money. “However, the only bags of money every found were those found in November 2023 in the office of then Prime Minister Costa’s own chief of staff,” says Senderowicz, alluding to the scandal which brought down Costa’s government.
Adding to the urgency, “The Plan: Jewish Life Threatened in Europe” contextualizes Captain Barros Basto’s plight within a broader history of antisemitism across Europe. The book highlights how a modern government continued to use legal and political tools to undermine a strong Jewish community.
“The war against the Jewish success isn’t just a relic of the past,” said Senderowiz. “Books like The Plan make it clear that the struggle for justice and equality is far from over. The Soviets annihilated the strongest Jewish communities with the same methods. The less relevant communities were kept alive to show tourists that there was no antisemitism. The result was the death of Judaism in the USSR.”
Despite parliamentary and military recommendations in 2012 and 2013 to reinstate Barros Basto as a colonel, the Portuguese government continues to delay. The campaign by Barros Lopes and Senderowicz, coupled with the Jewish Community of Porto’s advocacy, aims to not only restore the honor of the now deceased Portuguese officer, but also confront systemic prejudice and demand accountability.
“The Portuguese Dreyfus Case and The Plan are essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing challenges facing Jewish communities in Europe and the legacy of historical injustices,” Senderowicz sums up.
The Jewish Community of Porto works to promote Jewish religion and culture, to preserve Jewish heritage, combat antisemitism, and advocate for justice in Portugal and Europe. Through cultural, legal, and educational initiatives, the community seeks to honor the legacy of individuals like Captain Barros Basto and safeguard the future of Jewish life.
https://www.realclearreligion.org/2024/10/11/strongest_jewish_organization_from_a_cultural_standpoint_is_in_portugal_1064553.html
Links to both books are below:
The Portuguese Dreyfus:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHYKN8FP?dplnkId=15682e0c-e3d5-49b1-81e8-486007c34251&nodl=1