“The exhibit is aimed at educating young Jews who lack awareness of the many counter-terrorism actions that the Israel Defense Forces and Mossad have undertaken in the past and are prepared to undertake in the future,” said Gabriela Cantergi, president of B’nai B’rith Portugal.

The exhibit shows that “neither distance, logistics nor any other challenge would ever prevent Israel from doing the utmost to save the lives of its citizens,” said Israel’s ambassador to Portugal Raphael Gamzou.

‘’Distance, logistics or any other challenge would never be an excuse for Israel not to do the most in order to save the lives of its citizens,” said Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Raphael Gamzu, at the opening of a permanent exhibition dedicated to Operation Yonatan, the Entebbe hostage rescue in July 1976, in the Jewish Museum of Oporto, Portugal.

The exhibit features videos and other materials that tell the story of that momentous rescue of Israeli hostages from Uganda.

In the official video on the Entebbe operation room and its integration in the Jewish museum, Jewish children of the Oporto community are seen thanking Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, who was killed in action during the rescue operation. In the video, the narrator notes: “Thanks to Yonatan and the IDF, the world learned that the abduction or death of Jews would carry a very high price.”

“The exhibit is aimed at educating young Jews who lack awareness of the many counter-terrorism actions that the Israel Defense Forces and Mossad have undertaken in the past and are prepared to undertake in the future,” said Gabriela Cantergi, president of B’nai B’rith Portugal.

“The idea of building a room dedicated to the Entebbe operation arose out of an event on June 21 in Oporto that brought together young Jewish leaders of various nationalities, and their main concern was whether Israel could stop a new Holocaust in any country in the world,” she explained.

“The daring, heroic Entebbe raid is not only the greatest hostage rescue in Israel’s history, it represents Judaism’s commitment to the value of preserving life,” said Charles O. Kaufman,  B’nai B’rith International President.

‘’The rescue of 103 hostages by the Sayeret Matkal commandos took less time than it took to fly from Israel to the Ugandan airport, ‘’ he noted.

Mariaschin said,

“The hostage rescue in Entebbe exemplifies Israel’s strength and resolve. Dedicating an exhibit to that historic moment enables all visitors to the museum to know that Israel protects its people, wherever they may be,” said Daniel Mariaschin,  B’nai B’rith International CEO.

Besides the Entebbe operation room, the Jewish Museum of Oporto shows millennia of Jewish people’s history—the Golden Age in Sefarad, the expulsion from Spain and Portugal, the Portuguese Inquisition, the arrival in Oporto of an Ashkenazi community in the 19th and 20th centuries, the failed rescue attempt of the Bnei Anousim in the 1930s and the current flourishing of the Oporto Jewish community that is essentially composed of Sephardic families who for centuries lived in Balkan, Arab or Muslim countries.

The  Jewish community OF Oporto includes about 500 Jews originally from more than 30 countries. It has a Beit Din, synagogues, mikvaot and kosher restaurants, a Jewish Museum and a Holocaust Museum.