History of the Jews in Madeira History of the Jews in Madeira History of the Jews in Madeira spans the entire length of the history of Madeira itself, from Crypto-Jews to World War II evacuees. Like the Jews of mainland Portugal, Madeira jews are mainly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula. There was once a Synagogue of Funchal, which is now disused. Menasseh Ben Israel was born in Madeira in 1604. Jews from Morocco arrived in 1819 and set themselves up in the cloth and wine trades. The Abudarham family from Gibraltar were involved
Desertas Islands the colony numbered only eight, now, the population numbers approximately twenty seals. The only human presence is the permanent wardens, geologists, occasional boaters, and the few research stations on the islands. Desertas Islands The Desertas Islands (, , "Deserted Islands") are a small archipelago, in the Macaronesia region of the Atlantic Ocean. They are within the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Madeira, and part of the larger Madeira Archipelago. The archipelago is located off the coast of Morocco, roughly between Madeira Island and the Canary Islands. Deserta Grande Island is located about southeast of the eastern tip of Madeira Island, Ponta