The Jewish Community of Lisbon (Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa) has appointed Rabbi Natan Peres, who formerly served in Manchester, London ( Lauderdale Road and Bevis Marks) and at the Esnoga in Amsterdam, to lead the congregation.
Born in Brazil, Rabbi Peres grew up in New York and received ordination there as well as from Chacham Pinchas Toledano in Amsterdam. He is also a certified Shochet and is currently undertaking studies at the Montefiore Endowment in London to be a Dayan.
Rabbi Peres is a strong proponent of Rabbi Samsom Raphael Hirsch’s “Torah im Derech Eretz” approach to Judaism, which advocates a blending of Jewish and secular studies and a Judaism engaged with the world (which is also a great legacy of the Portuguese communities historically). He has built a legacy of both solid Jewish education and commitment to Jewish life and communities, combined with an active career in the IT field.
He is currently a senior IS Director (Big Data Analytics and Business Intelligence) at Reckitt Benckiser. Rabbi Peres speaks fluently Portuguese, English, Hebrew and Yiddish.
As the new Rabbi of Lisbon’s Jewish Community, his key focus will be to revitalize and further the community’s long-term growth potential.
