Hello friends of CVJHP,

Cabo Verde's stellar performance in the World Cup has catapulted the tiny but mighty nation onto the world stage. And the "Blue Shark's" forward, Gilson Benchimol, whose ancestor, Hillel Benchimol, is from Tetouan, has highlighted Cabo Verde's Moroccan Jewish heritage. Click on the Cabo Verde World Cup News banner on our Home Page and see the press coverage (in red). Here is one.

In April, CVJHP led the first-ever Moroccan Cultural Mission to Cabo Verde. Click on the above hyperlink, to read/view the many media spots from Cabo Verde and Morocco. The purpose of the visit to Praia, São Vicente and Santo Antão was to allow our Moroccan friends to bear witness to the vestiges of the Moroccan Jewish presence (cemeteries, places, descendants), exchange ideas, and forge lasting academic and cultural ties between the two nations. Judeo-Andalusian singer, musician, and composer, Michel Abitan, performed Hebrew prayers at each cemetery to honor the deceased as well as H.M. King Mohammed VI and the entire Moroccan royal family. See video below.

CVJHP will start accelerating cemetery maintenance and signage efforts to respond to a groundswell of interest in Cabo Verde (as a result of the World Cup) as a unique tourist destination.

In May, Cabo Verdeans elected a new government led by the opposition PAICV and Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho, who was previously mayor of Praia. CVJHP congratulates the people of Cabo Verde for a peaceful transition of power. In April, the Council of Ministers granted me Cabo Verdean citizenship based on my more than 40 years of contributions to Cabo Verde's socio-economic and cultural development. I am very honored.

Prof. Leila Maziane, Dean at Hassan II U. & José Evora, CV UNESCO Rep. at the Treaty of Tordesillas monument in Ponta do Sol. Mission participants at Casa da Morna, in Mindelo, and in Xoxo in Santo Antão.

João Manuel Lopes da Silva (Cohen family) & daughter, Gisela de Morais Lopes da Silva, Ponta do Sol.

Michel Abitan praying at the tomb of Hillel Benchimol in Sta. Catarina, Santiago.

Please Donate 

We are grateful for your individual and institutional donations, which have helped CVJHP accomplish most of its goals. But important work remains to be done to ensure that the memory of the Moroccan Jews of Cabo Verde is never forgotten. Our signage, tour guide training, book translation and other educational initiatives are vital to making sure the legacy of the Moroccan Jews is recounted as part and parcel of the nation's multicultural history and makeup. CVJHP is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you for your generous financial and moral support.

Warmly,

Carol Castiel

President, CVJHP