MACHADO

The Judaica Encyclopedia, describes the Machados as “A Portuguese Marrano Family.” It is a great honor for us that this Encyclopedia gathers the history of the family and its prominent representatives. It mentions the name of Dr. David Mendes Machado, died in 1753, a theologian and priest that left Lisbon in 1732. The Inquisition suspected that he practiced Judaism in secret. He moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1733, year that he also married Zipphorah Nunez. The next year he was appointed Hassan to serve the Portuguese-Spanish synagogue of New York; The Shearit Israel. This synagogue is considered one of the oldest and most beautiful/famous in the ( new world). It is important to notice that he served the synagogue until he died, and that he was really an expert in Hebrew and Jewish traditions to serve at that level since he arrived in the United States. Dr. Mendes Machado’s daughter, Rebecca (1746-1831), married Jonas Phillips (1736-1803), who was a patriot during the revolution war and received great honor for the Machado family in the United States.

Machado ; "Name of Jews who emigrated from Portugal to Mexico and the West Indies in the 17th Cent. J.E.has eight biographies, and JE article on "Coat of Arms" has the family crest. Related to Nunes/z, Phillips, Moses, Seixas, Uriah P.Levy, Noah and Arnstein."

taken from " Finding our Fathers" by Dan Rottenberg
Adeushalom,
Rufina

E-mail: Rufina Bernardetti Silva Mausenbaum