06/15/2026
WORLD CUP NEWS
Cabo Verde's (Blue Sharks) make their debut Monday, June 15, against , which is ranked second in the world. Despite the "David and Goliath" match-up (Cabo Verde is ranked 67), the upstart team has made steady progress fueled by diaspora talent and domestic investment. One of those talents is striker, Gilson Benchimol, a descendant of Hillel Benchimol, a Moroccan Jew from Tetouan who immigrated to Cabo Verde in the 19th century when it was a Portuguese colony. Hillel was one of dozens of Moroccan Jewish traders who sought economic opportunities in Cabo Verde, which was a major commercial hub in the mid 1800's. Gilson’s Moroccan Jewish ancestry has sparked enthusiasm and pride among Moroccan Jews from Manaus to Tel Aviv as evidenced by this article by Ynet sports editor Yair Kattan, who recently contacted me to discuss Gilson’s background, for the Israeli publication:
https://www.ynet.co.il/sport/worldcup2026/article/rjgq11gu11fx?utm_source=ynet.co.il&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=copy_url
To ensure wider readership, I had the Ynet article translated into English via AI. I reproduce it here:
By: Yair Katan | Updated: June 10, 2026, | 04:10
Gilson Benchimol, Cape Verde National Team Striker, Was Born in the Former Portuguese Territory and Has Become Its Great Hope for the World Cup. Behind His Surprising Name Lies a Fascinating Historical Story About a Deep Moroccan-Jewish Community.
"There are also people named Benoliel, Levy, Pinto, and others here, but most are Jewish only on their father's side."
Cape Verde's first-ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup will provide an excellent opportunity for one of its most talented players to prove himself. Born in the country and having moved to Portugal as a teenager to pursue football, he reached Benfica's reserve team and currently plays for the Russian club Akron Tolyatti. The national team's number 9 also found the net in the impressive 3–0 victory over Serbia in a friendly match in Portugal a week and a half ago. At age 24, this could be the stage for his breakthrough.
Meet Gilson Benchimol. Yes, you heard that correctly.
Welcome to the fascinating world of the deep Jewish roots found in the small island nation that remains largely unknown in Israel. Jews who arrived there in the nineteenth century, primarily from Morocco and Gibraltar, left a lasting imprint on what was then a Portuguese territory. Among them was the renowned Hillel Benchimol — a merchant and landowner of Tetouani origin (from the community of descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal who settled in Morocco). Born in Oran, Algeria, he moved to Santiago, one of Cape Verde's islands, for business purposes. His grave in Santa Catarina is a well-known site in the country.
“The Moroccan Jews Here Are Crazy About Him”
“There is absolutely no doubt that the national team's striker is his descendant,” says journalist Carol S. Castiel, president of the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project, an organization dedicated to preserving Moroccan Jewish history and restoring Jewish cemeteries in Cabo Verde.
“All the Benchimols here are of Moroccan Jewish origin. However, the Jews who came here became so deeply assimilated that there are no longer any observant Jews in Cape Verde. There are also Benoliels, Levy’s, Pintos, and other well-known Sephardic surnames, but most are Jewish through their fathers, which, as you know, is not recognized under Jewish law. Yet, they are very proud of their Jewish heritage.”
So, can we not claim that there is a Jewish player in the World Cup?
“It is difficult to know how much of the Jewish heritage in Gilson's family has been preserved over the generations, especially since he is still so young. But descendants of the Moroccan-Jewish community in Cabo Verde are absolutely enthusiastic about him. All the members of the Benchimol family that I know in Cape Verde are highly respected people—intelligent and well-educated. They will be very pleased to hear about the interest Israelis are showing in the player ahead of the World Cup.”
The results in the warm-up matches, together with the fact that Cape Verde finished ahead of the powerful Cameroon in the qualifiers, indicate that its qualification for the World Cup is no accident. Nevertheless, Cape Verde will face a very difficult challenge in Group 8 alongside formidable opponents Spain and Uruguay.
The football federation has assembled players from across the world, particularly from the large Cape Verdean community in the Netherlands and from people of Cape Verdean descent living in Portugal. Another “Israeli” connection is Helio Varela of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Perhaps he and Benchimol will help balance the presence of Roberto “Pico” Lopes, the Irish-born national team defender who used his father's citizenship to reach the World Cup and who has meanwhile become a vocal supporter of the campaign in Ireland to boycott matches against Israel in the UEFA Nations League.
Benchimol, show them! END IT
جمعية ميمونة Association Mimouna Ministério do Turismo e Transportes Yan Delgado Hetty Fortes Rafael Benoliel de Carvalho Jose Levy Celia Delgado Christie Wahnon Adilson Varela Moreira Januario Da Rocha Nascimento Ministério da Cultura e das Indústrias Criativas Yan Delgado Abraham Levy Lima
ז'ילסון בן שימול, חלוץ נבחרת קייפ ורדה, נולד בטריטוריה הפורטוגלית והפך לתקווה הגדולה שלה לגביע העולם. מאחורי השם המפתיע שלו מסתתר סיפור היסטורי מרתק על קהילה יהודית־...
