01In brief
Yisroel Avrohom Portugal was the Skulyan Rebbe, leader of the Sculian Hasidic court in Borough Park, Brooklyn. JewishGen records that he was born in 1925 in Skulyany, immigrated to the United States in 1960, and succeeded his father as Rebbe in 1982. The National Library of Israel catalogs his life years as 1923–2019, creating a discrepancy over his birth year. His leadership also included directing the recovery of the destroyed Jewish cemetery site in Sculeni and the erection of a memorial there in 2005.
02Early Life
JewishGen records that Portugal was born in 1925 in Skulyany and belonged to the town's hereditary rabbinical family.[1] His father, Leyzer-Zise Portugal, was rabbi of Skulyany, and his grandfather, Isrul-Avrum Portugal, had also served as the town's rabbi.[1]
The National Library of Israel instead gives Portugal's life years as 1923–2019 without more precise dates. The two records therefore differ on his birth year.[2][1]
In 1960, Portugal immigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, where his father led the Sculian Hasidic court.[1]
03Career
04Legacy
At Portugal's instructions, David Kahan, president of the Association of Jewish Romanian Americans, worked to recover the site of the Jewish cemetery in Sculeni, which had been destroyed during the Holocaust.[3] The land was acquired from local people, and a monument was erected in 2005 to Portugal's grandfather and other members of the family and community.[3]
Because the cemetery had been destroyed, the precise location of his grandfather's grave could not be established.[3] Fragments of inscriptions were gathered near the monument, which marks the best approximation of the burial place.[3] The memorial also honors people of Skulyan whose names or burial locations could no longer be determined.[3]
Sources
- 1JewishGen, Bessarabia Special Interest Group, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 2National Library of Israel, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 3JewishGen, Bessarabia SIG, The Jewish Cemetery of Sculeni: Final Report, accessed on October 7, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
Who was Yisroel Avrohom Portugal?
Yisroel Avrohom Portugal was the Skulyan Rebbe, leader of the Sculian Hasidic court in Borough Park, Brooklyn. He came from a hereditary rabbinical family in Skulyany, where both his father and grandfather had served as rabbi. He succeeded his father as Skulyan Rebbe in 1982 and held that role until his death in 2019.
When and where was Yisroel Avrohom Portugal born?
The exact birth year of Yisroel Avrohom Portugal is disputed between two sources. JewishGen records that he was born in 1925 in Skulyany, while the National Library of Israel gives his life years as 1923–2019, placing his birth two years earlier. Both sources agree he was born in Skulyany.
How did Yisroel Avrohom Portugal come to lead the Sculian Hasidic court?
Yisroel Avrohom Portugal succeeded his father, Leyzer-Zise Portugal, as Skulyan Rebbe following his father's death in 1982. His father had led the Sculian Hasidic court after its establishment in the United States, and Portugal continued that family rabbinical leadership from his residence in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
What did Yisroel Avrohom Portugal do to memorialize the Jewish cemetery in Sculeni?
At Portugal's instructions, David Kahan, president of the Association of Jewish Romanian Americans, worked to recover the site of the Jewish cemetery in Sculeni, which had been destroyed during the Holocaust. The land was acquired from local people, and a monument was erected in 2005 honoring Portugal's grandfather and other members of the family and community, as well as people of Skulyan whose names or burial locations could no longer be determined.
Why could the precise location of Portugal's grandfather's grave not be established at the Sculeni memorial?
Because the cemetery in Sculeni had been destroyed during the Holocaust, the precise location of the grandfather's grave could not be determined. Fragments of inscriptions were gathered near the monument, which marks the best approximation of the burial place rather than a confirmed grave site.