(May 25, 2025 / JNS) A new documentary titled 'The 2,000 Kidnapped Jewish Children' has been released for free on YouTube by the HispanoJewish Foundation of Madrid and the Jewish Community of Porto. The 30-minute film explores a little-known but haunting chapter in Jewish history and is dedicated to the families of the hostages abducted during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The film tells the story of Jewish children—aged eight and under—who were seized in 1493 by order of King João II of Portugal. Their families, who had fled Spain following the 1492 expulsion of Jews, were unable to pay the exorbitant ransom demanded by the Portuguese crown. As punishment, the children were forcibly taken from their parents and deported to the remote and uninhabited island of São Tomé, some 7,500 kilometers from their homes.

“When we hear European leaders rewarding terrorism and encouraging the killing of Jews and Israelis everywhere, it becomes imperative to remember what European Jewish life has been like for centuries,” said Gabriel Senderowicz, president of the Oporto Jewish community. “This film aims to recall a historical episode, similar to many others, that is not even mentioned in school curricula in any European country.”

David Hatchwell Altaras, president of the HispanoJewish Foundation, said: “The agony of having our children stolen is something Jews have felt many times in history. We can only imagine the anguish of the parents of those 2,000 children—taken by force and shipped across the ocean centuries ago. Through this film we can connect to Jews taken by force throughout history, including, and especially, those ripped from their homes and the Nova party on Oct. 7.”

The story is documented by Portuguese chroniclers and leading Jewish scholars of the time, including Isaac Abravanel, Samuel Usque and Shlomo Ibn Verga. The film vividly portrays the brutal conditions on São Tomé—a volcanic island plagued by toxic gases, wild animals and 10-meter crocodiles, as described by 16th-century physician Amato Lusitano. In the Jewish world, São Tomé became known as I Ha Timsahim—“The Island of the Lizards.”

Despite the horrors, some of the children survived. Over generations, their descendants built thriving industries in sugar, wine, meat and cheese—offering a powerful testament to the resilience and enduring spirit of the Jewish people.

By connecting this long-buried tragedy with contemporary experiences of persecution, The 2,000 Kidnapped Jewish Children serves as both a historical reckoning and a moving tribute to Jewish perseverance.

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