Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project

08/18/2026

Merci à L'ambassade du Reino de Marrocos, especialmente chargé d'affaires, Hassan Zarafa, et diplomate Khadija Bouhajah, for a lovely reception/convívio to kick-off the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project Delegation-Cabo Verde. Grateful for patriarchs like António BENROS accompanied by his beautiful wife and children Rosy Benros and former CVJHP Representative Sofia De Oliveira Lima who brought her mom, Inês Wahnon, and former Prime Minister Carlos Wahnon Veiga. Glad to have US DCM, Mark Weinberg with us. CVJHP Representative Simão Levy spoke about the need for "Djunta mon" in jump-starting Delegação activites, like maintaining the precious Jewish cemiteries of their ancestors and showing them to tourists in the months and years ahead. Mashallah! Natália Bentub Christie Wahnon Celia Delgado Victor Barros Varela Adilson Varela Moreira Carlos Bentub Euridice Monteiro U.S. Embassy Praia, Cabo Verde See family photo at Hotel Barcelo, Praia.

07/17/2026

Check out Gardenia: https://youtu.be/uGNVSiPz8uo

To hear some of her songs from the March 2018 performance Magen David Sephardic Congregation click here: https://capeverdejewishheritage.org/moroccan-jews-of-cabo-verde-magen-david-sephardic-synagogue-march-2018/

VOA Portuguese-language Service broadcaster Alvaro Andrade covers C...

07/17/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DhSbq9umA/

To hear Gardenia and see more about this March 2018 event, click here: https://capeverdejewishheritage.org/moroccan-jews-of-cabo-verde-magen-david-sephardic-synagogue-march-2018/

This Voice of America TV spot by reporter Alvaro Andrade covers Cab...

07/14/2026

https://youtu.be/_jDQ4A-ezoY

Le Nouvel Observateur conducts a language interview with Carol S. Castiel Castiel, President of Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project (CVJHP), in Casablanca in 2014. Castiel discusses the genesis and evolution of the Project that grew out of her passion for culture and history, the people and her love of and Verde. After creating the nonprofit CVJHP in 2008, Castiel began raising awareness about the dilapidated Jewish cemeteries in Cabo Verde and the need to raise funds to restore them. H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco was among the first and most prominent and generous donors to CVJHP, enabling the organization to defray restoration expenses for all four Sephardic cemeteries. H.M. King Mohammed VI, like his Royal Family forebears, value their Jewish brethren who have been (and continue to be) an integral part of the multicultural Kingdom of Morocco for more than 2,000 years.

Le Nouvel Observateur conducts a French language interview with Car...

07/14/2026

https://youtu.be/ewBdKbL7ZDw
Laurindo Vieira, host of "Tons da Morabeza," at the Fall River, Massachusetts-based Portuguese-language channel "Radio Voz do Emigrante" talks with Carol S. Castiel President of Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project about the first-ever Cultural Mission she led to in April 2026. A group of scholars, historians, and a professional Jewish singer from Casablanca bore witness to the Moroccan Jewish cemeteries and other places of memory. They participated in a symposium on the topic in Câmara Municipal da Ribeira Grande - Santo Antão, interacted with the descendants of the Moroccan Jews, like Simão Levy, Celia Delgado Januario Da Rocha Nascimento Christie Wahnon, who immigrated to Cabo Verde in the 19th century, and met with senior government and university officials Universidade de Cabo Verde - UniCV and diplomats. Carol says it is the first of many cultural and educational exhanges she hopes to catalyze in the years to come to strengthen Moroccan-Cabo Verdean relations based on their shared history as Atlantic nations.

Laurindo Vieira, host of "Tons da Morabeza," at the Fall River, Mas...

07/11/2026

Obrigada, Shirley Nigri et Shabbat Shalom à todos. Viva e ! Simão Levy Celia Delgado Jose Levy Januario Da Rocha Nascimento Victor Barros Varela Jaime Crespin Daniel Afriat Michel Abitan

By José Alberto R. Silva Tavim e Ângela Benoliel Coutinho and coordinated by Carol Castiel. Lisboa: Edições Colibri, 2024 (2nd edition)

07/07/2026

Um grupo de jovens judeus sefarditas de França, visitaram hoje os túmulos dos nossos ancestrais Judeus Marroquinos no cimitério da Várzea, que deram seu melhor e aqui ficaram como vestigio da presença Judaica em Cabo Verde!

07/05/2026

5 de Julho de 2026: Feliz Dia da Independência Cabo Verde! And parabéns Tubarões Azuis! Obrigada por ter colocado Cabo Verde no mapa mundial e ter personificado a garra, a capacidade e a força que caracterizam o povo Cabo Verdiano.

Here is an article from the "Athletic Soccer" describing the Cabo Verde - Argentina game and which illustrates that no one should underestimate or take Cabo Verde for granted ever again. Be on the futebol (soccer) field, business or in world affairs - Cabo Verde is a strong democratic ally and economic partner with a powerful global Diaspora. Like the "Blue Sharks" it has enormous potential and can go compete with countries a thousand times its size. Here's the spot.

The Athletic Soccer
Cape Verde, you were amazing
By Hannah Vanbiber, Matt Piper and Chris Sprow

"There was a shot after the final whistle of Cape Verde-Argentina that showed Argentina players collapsing in each other’s arms like they’d just won the World Cup again.

That pretty much says it all about Cape Verde.
This was the No. 1 team in FIFA’s official rankings vs. the No. 67 team — the largest disparity in the history of the World Cup, more lopsided than a 1 vs. 16 March Madness game. Reminder: Cape Verde’s population is a half-million people. And it went toe-to-toe with the champs.

It almost made no sense. It was, in a word, astonishing.
After Lionel Messi scored in the 29th minute, deftly receiving a pass off the outside of his left foot and roofing it over keeper Vozinha for the Golden Boot lead, you felt like “OK, this Cape Verde thing has been fun, but …”
Cape Verde kept coming. And in the second half, Deroy Duarte leveled it. Scenes:

Goodness, you thought. That’s pluck. That is some serious pluck.
*Vozinha kept making huge saves, including several on Messi.
*There was a goal-saving clearance that was almost an own goal.
*And when Cape Verde forced extra time, you started to think, “Could they … actually …?”
… but then minutes into extra time a flicked corner fell to Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez for the go-ahead goal. It’s over, you thought. This is what the champs do, they — Except, no, wait … what?! WHAT?!

This is the biggest underdog in World Cup history?! Are we sure this isn’t France? Are we sure that’s Sidny Lopes Cabral, not Kylian Mbappé? That may be the goal of the tournament.

Finally, finally, Argentina scored the actual winner in the 111th minute when Cristian Romero headed a Messi cross goalward and it deflected in off a Cape Verde defender’s hand … but even then, the champs needed fingertips save from keeper Emi Martinez to deny a late Lopes Cabral free kick:

This was as good as soccer gets — as good as the incredible France-Argentina final in Qatar. And Cape Verde players can be as proud as anyone who’s ever played in this tournament. A stunning performance. It was a loss, sure. But for anyone who watched it, you felt like the expanded field of the tournament had been validated. More teams, and more chances like this for a country like Cape Verde, have to be the rule." END IT

Photos: In studio Radiovozdoemigrante Radiovozdoemigrante ; Screenshot playing Argentia; Cape Verde Airlines Counter at Providence Airport, Rhode Island