Okay. I think you’ve waited long enough. Today we get serious, as I attempt to explain to you what brought Micha’el and Tslil and the most fabulous grandson in the world (so far) to Portugal, and, what’s more, to one of the more remote parts of Portugal, 270 kilometres from Lisbon, almost as far from Porto, and further still from the Algarve. And all of this, let me point out, in a country that is only 218 km wide and 561 km long.

However, I know some of you are interested. I have identified three groups of you so far. First, there are the handful of people who assure me (with just a soupçon of what I detect as relish) that the kids are bound to fail, and who catalogue all the things that can go wrong  (you know who you are). Then, there are those who regard not only the kids’ adventure, but even the one Bernice and I are on, as wildly exciting, totally crazy and absolutely fascinating. This is very flattering, although I assure you that, in the modern world and the internet age, the journey Bernice and I are on seems fairly routine most of the time, except for those moments when we suddenly turn to each other and ask ourselves how the hell we got here. And finally, there are those who get it, who understand what has motivated Micha’el and Tslil to embark on this new life.

So, for all of you out there, a little background.

Like much of the rest of Europe, Portugal is experiencing negative population growth, largely because of a falling birthrate. In addition, in the last few decades there has been a transmigration of young adults from rural Portugal to the big cities, mainly on the coast, so that now, only 2% of the settlements (cities, towns, villages) in Portugal have a population greater than 2000, and about 60% of the population live in that 2%.

Most of the underpopulated interior is agricultural (including forestry), and those agricultural lands are increasingly underfarmed or abandoned. The average age of Portuguese farmers is now about 65; it is not difficult to envisage what the situation might be by 2050.

In addition, in very many of these rural communities, the ageing index (the relation between the percentage of the population who are 65 or older, and those who are 15 or younger) makes demographic regeneration very difficult. Since the 1960s, the population in Portugal has aged at a higher rate than that in the remaining European countries and their fertility rate is one of the lowest in Europe.

Apart from the direct economic and demographic dangers of this situation, the weather in recent summers has highlighted another, more immediate, danger. In 2018, Portugal experienced a summer drought and temperatures that reached 46^o C.

This resulted in devastating forest fires, particularly in many unharvested and untended forest areas, where undergrowth had not been controlled. With no prospect of this land being kept under control, and with a dwindling and aging population that will become increasingly unable to prevent or fight the forest fires, the prospect is frightening.

The Portuguese government’s most creative response to these challenges has been to encourage resettlement of these rural areas and the regeneration of agriculture, by making it relatively easy for foreigners to buy land in the rural areas, build homes on the land and farm it. The bureaucracy has been simplified (although, as everywhere, it is still relatively slow, unwieldy and tortuous) and efforts have been made to offer foreigners a more attractive legal status in Portugal.

The hope is that this foreign influx will cut back the overgrown brush, steward the land by farming it, and thereby provide a free fire prevention, early reporting and control service. This all sounds to me suspiciously like a win-win situation.

As a result, Portugal in general, and several rural provinces in particular (including Castelo Branco – the province where the kids have bought land) have been attracting a motley crew of: youngish idealists, seeking a simpler, more fundamental life; would-be escapees from the rat race; aging retiree veterans of Woodstock; and so on, all flocking to a new Jerusalem from many corners of Europe and America, as well as from Israel.

Portugal is proving a popular choice with many Israelis. With a climate that offers summer sunshine to make Israelis feel at home, a relaxed lifestyle among a friendly local population, a fairly relaxed attitude* to recreational marijuana (a part of me hopes that I sound like I know what I’m talking about there….and another part hopes that I don’t), and an attractive food and drink culture (at least for the non-kosher-keeping meat- and seafood-eater), Portugal has a lot going for it.

In addition, Portugal, like Spain, has, in recent years, introduced naturalization laws, which have been described as aimed to atone for the state-led campaigns of persecution against the Jews in the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions from the 16th Century on. Under these laws, Jews who can provide evidence that they are the descendants of Portuguese Jews can apply for citizenship. Naturally, many Israelis find the prospect of an EU passport attractive, and, although few of them contemplate moving to Portugal, these laws have brought Portugal into the consciousness of more Israelis. (Post-Brexit, there will undoubtedly be an upsurge in the number of British Jews applying, as well.)

The fact is that Micha’el and Tslil spent almost two years exploring possible ways of living their dream in Israel. However, the authorities make this virtually impossible. To give just one example: all rainwater in Israel is classified as government property, and collecting rainwater for private use is illegal. (You may feel the need to read that sentence again.) There are many stories of official harassment of communities trying to live off the grid (literally and figuratively). In addition, a population density of around 400 people per km² makes Israel the 30^th most crowded country on Earth, and, as a result, land prices, even in less populated areas, are prohibitively high. (Portugal, incidentally, is the 100^th most crowded country in the world, with a density three and a half times lower than Israel’s.)

In the end, the kids gave up, and started looking elsewhere. Imagine our delight when they chose Portugal rather than their other short-listed destination, which was much further away, and seemed considerably less safe, in South America.

So, that’s why Portugal. As for why Penamacor, the kids, on their first pilot trip, and Micha’el, when he flew over alone (Tslil being, at the time, too close to her due date for Tao) looked at various possible plots in various areas of Portugal. The reason they chose the land they finally bought was because the size and topography of the plot matched what they were looking for, rather than because of the specific area of Portugal it is located in. They had a limited budget, and their money certainly went further just outside Penamacor than it would have done in the flatter, lower-lying, lusher lands of the Portuguese heartland.

Well, I hope you now feel not only older but also wiser. If you are interested in learning more about Micha’el and Tslil’s journey, as it unfolds, please consider following their YouTube channel. It would be wonderful if you subscribed to it, because they are hoping to monetise the channel. (I can almost talk the talk, but I assure you I can’t even limp the walk.) Apparently, to qualify for monetisation, they have to reach a minimum threshold of hours of viewing time, and also (to forestall Bernice, who runs each video on an endless loop) a minimum threshold of subscribers. So, please, if you are at all interested, watch, subscribe, and spread the word to anyone else you know who might enjoy it.

Similarly, feel free to recommend my blog to any of your friends. I have found the warmth of your feedback surprising, and immensely flattering, and I seem to be starting to get a taste for this.

* In case you’re interested, Portugal has decriminalised all personal drug use – including cocaine. However, personal use is still illegal, being now an administrative rather than a criminal offence. Offenders are defined as patients rather than criminals. If you are caught in possession of an amount of cannabis commensurate with personal use, you will not be prosecuted for a first offence. However, second and subsequent offences may lead to compulsory attendance at a support group or payment of a fee.