This is the first book in Hebrew which is dedicated exclusively to Portuguese Jewry which has been rather neglected by scholars in Israel. This book is designed to remedy partly the situation.
From a cultural point of view Portugal was part of medieval Sefarad which,
under Muslim rule, included almost the entire Iberian Peninsula. The articles
included in this volume are meant to counteract the unfair treatment that
Portuguese Jewry had received in Jewish historiography. It is hoped that the
present volume will be the first in a series that will promote the study and research of the Jews of Portugal. So far most of the research concentrated on their oppression and suffering, on the New Christians and the Inquisition. Although these topics are treated in this volume, our goal is to bring the history of the Jews of Portugal to the focus of Sefardi studies.