Portugal Honors Ship That Saved the Rebbe and Rebbetzin From Holocaust

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Portuguese officials and representatives of Lisbon’s Jewish community unveiled a plaque on Nov. 21 commemorating the legacy of the S.S. Serpa Pinto, the ship that carried thousands of Jewish refugees across the Atlantic and out of Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.

Among its most noted passengers were the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory. Having escaped Paris days before it was occupied by German troops, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin spent much of 1941 on the run—from Paris to Vichy, then on to Nice and Marseille. They boarded the Serpa Pintro on June 12, 1941, arriving in New York 11 days later.

The commemoration ceremony at the Port of Lisbon’s Rocha da Conde de Óbidos—where the ship docked throughout its throughout its service of lifesaving work—was led by Rabbi Eli Rosenfeld, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Portugal, who was joined by the mayor of Lisbon, Dr. Carlos Moedas; the chairman of the Port of Lisbon, Dr. Carlos Correia; the Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat; among other dignitaries, as well as the Jewish community of Lisbon.

“It was a very moving ceremony, where the pride Lisbon has in its consistent and historical support for the Jewish people was on full display,” Rosenfeld told Chabad.org. “The people of this city are tremendously proud of the role they played in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust, and particularly those of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin.”

A hand-painted ceramic mosaic in the traditional azulejo style depicts the Serpa Pinto. It is mounted on a building adjacent to the refugees’ embarkation point, and sits alongside a painted path of footsteps representing those that walked this road towards freedom. Underneath the mosaic, the plaque reads:

The ship Serpa Pinto transported tens of thousands of passengers across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, more than any other civilian ship on record. By bringing its passengers to safe havens, it helped save countless lives from the horrors of the Holocaust, which earned it the nickname of “Friendship.”

The Serpa Pinto’s passenger lists include the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, who, from this very location, departed Lisbon aboard this ship on June 12, 1941.

This plaque recognizes the profound worldwide contributions, impact and legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, made possible by his escape from the flames of Europe through Lisbon aboard the Serpa Pinto.

November 21, 2024, Lisbon

From Lisbon to the World

The plans for the dedication began in March of 2022, when Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries serving communities throughout Europe and Africa gathered in Lisbon for a regional conference, presided over by the late Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad movement. The group was escorted to the pier from where the Rebbe was carried to safety by Mayor Moedas, where they studied an esoteric diary entry the Rebbe authored during his brief time in Lisbon.

In the entry, the Rebbe confronts the paradoxical possibility of evil in the presence of G‑d. The root of such a barbaric spiritual illness, he writes, lies in human forgetfulness. He uses an enigmatic Talmudic passage stating that Moshiach will not come until “a fish is sought for an invalid and cannot be found” (Sanhedrin 98a) as a frame through which to view the events of the time.

“Fish are a metaphor for the knowledge that we are ever submerged in the presence of G‑d,” Chabad.org’s Rabbi Eli Rubin explains in a 2013 article. “Just as a fish cannot live out of water, so the spiritual health of humanity can be preserved only if we are consciously aware of G‑d’s all-encompassing presence. It is at a moment that G‑d’s presence is utterly hidden—when no fish can be found for the invalid—that the redemption must arrive.”

Deeply moved by the experience, Moedas introduced Rosenfeld to the chairman of the port, and they began working on a tribute to immortalize the Rebbe’s flight from Europe. The process took a couple of years and once all was ready, Rosenfeld, in conjunction with the Port, chose 20 Cheshvan, the birthday of the Fifth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn, as an auspicious time for the unveiling.

Carlos Esasguy Coimbra, whose father served as a doctor on board the Serpa Pinto, read the dedication in Portuguese, while Raizel Rosenfeld, who directs Chabad of Lisbon alongside her husband, translated it into English.

Led by community member Ben Atzmon, whose grandfather assisted Jews passing through Lisbon during the war years, the event featured addresses by the mayor, who spoke of his appreciation and support for the Jewish community and shared his hopes that Lisbon will forever be a home for Jewish people. Correia, chairman of the Port of Lisbon, spoke on similar themes. Ambassador Rozenblatt praised Portugal and highlighted the Rebbe’s legacy, sharing his personal experiences with Chabad in locations from Shanghai to Angola during the course of his diplomatic career.

Lisbon Rabbi Reuben Suiza spoke of the Rebbe’s work and noted that Lisbon’s port had helped facilitate it, changing the trajectory of Jewish history and impacting the world forever.

“Though the Serpa Pinto wasn’t the only boat that saved lives during the war, it is remembered as the one with a lasting legacy, largely thanks to having merited to carry the Rebbe to the free world,” says Rosenfeld. “Lisbon was a home for Jewish people when there was no other, and offered hope and a lifeline when there was none. To be an emissary of the Rebbe serving the Jewish community in this city, which continues to proudly support and stand with the Jewish people, is a full-circle moment and the fulfillment of a dream that we will never take for granted.”