Yesterday, about 20 Jewish passengers on board the AmaVida Riverboat, touring the Douro River Valley in Portugal, requested to visit the Synagogue Kadoorie – Mekor Haim when we stopped in Porto. It is very common for Jewish people to visit shuls in far away places in order to show solidarity for each other.

While many of us knew there was a shul in Porto, none of us was aware of how beautiful it is. We were surprised when we arrived in front of the temple on Guerra Junqueiro Street. The synagogue is the largest in the Iberian Peninsula but only has 50 members. I don’t mean 50 families; I mean 50 congregants. It just doesn’t seem possible. That is the total number of Jews in Porto who want to belong to a Jewish center.

A spokesperson for the Kadoorie Synagogue told us that in all of Porto there may be 500 Jews, 3000 in all of Portugal. Many don’t want to be identified or were forced to convert many years ago to avoid persecution.

The temple is 75 years old and has somehow survived with very few members. Eliot and I saw similar situations throughout Eastern Europe. It worries me that these historic houses of worship may someday be closed all together.

I would love to start a foundation that supports older synagogues so they always remain active. I would use the Internet to reach out to Jews everywhere and other interested parties to help chip in for such a worthy cause. This is perfect for social media.

Years ago I was involved in an HGTV program that helped raise money for historic sites in the U.S. like the New Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and Edith Wharton’s Home.

If anyone knows of a Jewish organization that is already funding older synagogues, please let me know.

We need as much help as we can get.

Thank you.