Italian Pierpaolo Punturello Named Chief Rabbi of Lisbon

Since January, the Jewish Community of Lisbon has had a new Chief Rabbi: Pierpaolo Pinhas Punturello. His contract uses the title “Rabino Sénior,” a term historically used in Livorno, Tuscany, for “Chief Rabbi.” The Livorno Jewish community long kept Portuguese as its official language.
Born in Naples, Rav Punturello is now 48 years old. He lived in Madrid for years, where he directed Jewish studies at the Centro Ibn Gabirol. In Lisbon, he will initially serve as a “consulting chief rabbi” while the community plans to appoint a younger, permanent rabbi. He commutes between the Portuguese capital and Madrid, spending five days in Lisbon every two weeks.

Rabbi Punturello is impressed by the vibrancy of Jewish life in Lisbon. “Judaism in Portugal is growing strongly, developing an ever-growing identity and nuances.” Between three and five thousand Jews now live in Lisbon. On Yom Kippur, around one thousand people gathered at the synagogue.”

The new “Rabino Sénior” explained that many reasons contribute to this vitality. In 2015, a law allowed tens of thousands of people, descendants of those expelled from the country at the end of the 15th century, to obtain citizenship, which had an impact. Additionally, Portugal offers a high quality of life and favorable taxation. These factors have made Portugal an increasingly attractive destination, not only for Jews, but for people of all nationalities.

“Israelis, South Africans, English, Brazilians. Everyone is represented in the synagogue, which has multilingual signs and offers Portuguese courses through the community,” noted Rav Punturello. His goal is to establish a network of hospitality that caters to this diverse population. Portugal has many Jewish roots that must be cultivated. Otherwise, the risk is becoming a museum.”

Rabbi Punturello is the second Italian rabbi to serve in Lisbon. Before him, the position was held by the Roman Rabbi Eliezer Di Martino from 2006 to 2014. “More than ten years have passed, and the community has changed a lot since then. Today, it is much more international,” says Rabbi Punturello. “Every Friday evening, a communal dinner is organized for Shabbat. Every three chairs, the language of reference changes. It is a great challenge.”

Translated by Elizabeth El Khoury and revised by Caterina Mansani, students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainees in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities – Pagine Ebraiche.