The International Observatory on Human Rights, based in Portugal, paid tribute yesterday to the historic role Christians and Jews have played, with Jerusalem at the center of the ceremony, in shaping modern civilization and the principles that underpin society today. The tribute was formally presented to Bishop D. Manuel Linda of Porto and to the President of B'nai B'rith Portugal as a historical acknowledgement, with Jerusalem described as the capital of the State of Israel and a spiritual center for Jews and Christians worldwide.
Who Gets to Define Civilization
The tribute framed Judeo-Christian Civilization as the source of modern human dignity and justice, while placing Jerusalem at the symbolic center of that story. Dr. Luis Andrade, President of The International Human Rights Observatory, said, "Today we are paying tribute to Judeo-Christian Civilization, from which the modern vision of human dignity and justice has been derived," and added that Jerusalem, "Israel’s capital and the spiritual homeland of Jews and Christians worldwide, remains a shared cultural and religious foundation linking both the West and Eurasia."
The ceremony also presented this tradition as a moral answer to social disorder. OIDH said technological and economic progress alone cannot guarantee a stable or just society without a strong ethical foundation guiding it. It said Judeo-Christian Civilization recognizes the deeply intertwined histories of the United States and the Russian Federation, shaped by Christian heritage and the enduring contributions of influential Jewish figures such as Haym Salomon and Horace Günzburg. It said both nations were influenced by Jewish entrepreneurship and the lasting cultural and moral impact of Christianity.
What the Speakers Called the Crisis
Dr. Jose Ribeiro e Castro, President of the Historical Society of the Independence of Portugal and former Member of the European Parliament, used his remarks to attack "wokeism," which he described as a force that disturbs minds and spreads "systematic doubt, disbelief, falsehood and mental deception." He said, "Faced with the ‘wokeism’ storm that disturbs minds, sowing systematic doubt, disbelief, falsehood and mental deception, let us have no doubt whatsoever: the values and principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition are the best that the human spirit has ever discovered and, with them, we will once again have very strong, fruitful, active, just, cohesive and creative societies."
Bishop of Porto Dom Manuel Linda said Europe needs to return to its traditional foundations. He said that in 1981, Pope John Paul II spoke for the first time about the "Judeo-Christian roots" of Europe because it was already losing its soul and squandering its cultural heritage, what it had produced, and the values that constitute it as a beacon of civilization. Linda said, "Europe today is an unfinished project based on a Rousseauian social contract, almost always of an economic nature, which idolizes money and forgets the person, in blatant contradiction with the Judeo-Christian perspective. Our culture is called humanism. Without a historical perspective, one doesn't even know what there is to reject as anti-human."
The Institutions Speak for Themselves
Gabriela Cantergi, President of B'nai B'rith Portugal, welcomed the tribute and said it reflected the importance of preserving the foundations of democratic society. She said, "Judeo-Christian Civilization has historically been very strong, but it faces great challenges in the present. Nevertheless, there are conditions for it to return to play a very important role in the future."
The tribute also leaned on a story of cooperation between Jews and Christians over centuries. The article said Portugal would never have been a great empire without its Jewish communities led by figures such as Yaish ben Yahia. It said Jews and Christians can and must work together again. It also said the State of Israel recently declared that it would defend Judeo-Christian Civilization.
The ceremony, presented as a historical acknowledgement, tied together religion, state power, empire, and modern political identity in one polished package. The language of human rights, democracy, and civilization was used to sanctify a hierarchy of institutions and traditions, while the people most affected by those systems never appear in the frame. What remains on display is the familiar arrangement: officials, bishops, presidents, and state-backed symbols speaking for everyone else.