"Have we not all one father?"

the films of cultural and religious cooperation between the Jewish Community of Porto and the Diocese of Porto

Abstract

The book of Malachi, which belongs to both the Jewish and Christian traditions, presents two questions that highlight the root of human brotherhood from the perspective of monotheistic religions: “Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?” (2:10). It is in the context of this common tradition and of interreligious dialogue that the Jewish Community of Porto decided to develop a global project in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Porto. One of the activities of this project was the production of four films: the short film The Nun’s Kaddish (2019), the feature films Sefarad (2019), The Light of Judah (2020), 1618(2021), and a second short film, 1506: The Lisbon Genocide (2024). Taking these films as case studies, this article aims to analyze them and to examine the role of these artistic productions in a project that seeks to unravel the historical relations between the Sephardic Jewish community and the Catholic community in Portugal. More broadly, based on the previous considerations, it will seek to reflect on the contribution that cinematographic art can make to inter-religious dialogue.