JNS
‘The 2,000 Kidnapped Jewish Children’ connects hostages across time
May 25, 2025
…The film tells the story of Jewish children—aged eight and under—who were seized in 1493 by order of King João II of Portugal. Their families, who had fled Spain following the 1492 expulsion of Jews, were unable to pay the exorbitant ransom demanded by the Portuguese crown. As punishment, the children were forcibly taken from their parents and deported to the remote and uninhabited island of São Tomé, some 7,500 kilometers from their homes. “When we hear European leaders rewarding terrorism and encouraging the killing of Jews and Israelis everywhere, it becomes imperative to remember what European Jewish life has been like for centuries,” said Gabriel Senderowicz, president of the Oporto Jewish community. READ MORE