In an exceptional show of solidarity, on September 25th, four senior members of the Portuguese parliament, representing the four main political parties and 90 percent of the Portuguese political landscape, attended an event initiated by a 2023-2024 Irwin Cotler Fellow, João Reis, and organized by the Irwin Cotler Institute and the Lisbon Jewish Community, in the courtyard of the Shaaré Tikvah Synagogue in Lisbon, entitled “Antisemitism: A Fight without Borders That Calls on Everyone.”

The event, packed to the brim, was attended by a number of other senior officials, including a personal representative of the Portuguese Chief of Staff, and Ambassador Manuela Franco, National Coordinator of the European Strategy to Fight Antisemitism and Promote Jewish Life.

The four members of parliament, MP Pedro Frazão (Chega Party), MP Pedro Delgado Alves (Socialist Party), MP Rodrigo Saraiva (Deputy Speaker of Parliament – Liberal Party), and MP Alexandre Poço (Social Democratic Party), addressed the importance of the IHRA definition and the need for a zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism. As representatives of rival factions, their joint presence at the event sent a powerful message of commitment.

Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Cotler Institute, noted that Portugal’s peaceful revolution of April 25, 1974, charted the way for what political scientists term as “the third wave of democratization” that swept the world until the late 1990s and is now in alarming retreat. He elaborated on the reasons for the recent global rise in antisemitism attacks, as well as urged participants to read the Charter of Hamas for themselves, noting that those who wish to advance peace in the region should be the first to demand the total, unmitigated defeat of Hamas.

Dr. Carl Yonker, Academic Director of the Institute, spoke about online hatred and presented an operational framework for combatting the phenomenon.

João Reis, a 2023-2024 Cotler Fellow, shared about his experience as an international student in Israel following October 7.

David Botelho, President of the Jewish Community in Lisbon, argued in his speech that Jews in Portugal enjoy good cooperation with homeland security, which helps keep antisemitic incidents at a very low level.

Jose Eduardo Vera Cruz Jardim, President of the Commission for Religious Freedom, offered closing remarks.

Following the event, the MPs and all other guest enjoyed a visit to the synagogue, in which Joao Oliviera, head of the board of the Jewish Community, provided brief explanations about Jewish traditions.

A day before the event, Prof. Shavit gave an interview on the current situation in the Middle East to Portugal’s national news agency, that was syndicated to several Portuguese language media. Separately, the Cotler Institute team met with the leaders of the community to learn about its current situation and plans.