Putting on tefilin in Brazil

At the entrance to the fabled Amazon River, on the northern tip of Brazil, sits the teeming town of Belem. Colonized in the early 17th century by the Portuguese, the first settlers in the town also included Jews fleeing the Inquisition who later hid their identities, and whose descendants we call today Bnei Anousim.

Belem has a small but thriving Jewish population of 1,500, including both Anousim and Jews who immigrated in the 19th century from Morocco. But travel south for 200 kilometers and you'll arrive at a tiny, isolated community of Anousim, just over 100 strong, nestled in the picturesque town of Campina Grande.

That was the setting for an eight-day seminar in February - the first ever for the Campina Grande community - organized by Shavei Israel's David Salgado. Thirty eager Anousim participated in the seminar, which was led by Rabbi Moses Elmescany, the chief rabbi of Belem.