The city of Olinda, a small historical town in Brazil, which is practically integrated to the metropolitan area of Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, was founded by the Portuguese during the 16th Century.

Anyone who has been to Olinda  will tell you about the breath-taking beauty of the four hundred-year-old churches and houses that stand on a hill, giving visitors a great view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Recife harbor.

Olinda is a well-known tourist spot both for year-round visitors and for revelers who  flock its streets during the four days of unstoppable partying that happens during  Carnaval.

During Carnaval the city attracts lovers of "frevo," the local beat created decades ago that has people frenetically jumping as they attempt to follow the manic 4-4 beat that dominates its sound.

The city was included in UNESCO's  registry of landmark towns in 1986, and was recently declared a national monument by the Brazilian government.

A few years ago, a piece of Olinda came to us - an altar taken from the São Bento Monastery was included in the "Brazil Body and Soul" exhibit at New York City's  Guggenheim Museum in December of 2001 - a piece of the touring show that both stunned visitors as it drew criticism from the press here and in Brazil.

Despite Olinda's undeniable allure, many of the historical structures there are in dire need of repair, and other buildings need to be returned to their original concepts. 

And its refurbishment is the goal of the recently created Maria Nóbrega Foundation, which hosted "Art in The Park", a fund-raising event at Central Park's Boathouse last February 26th in celebration of  The Gates with that specific aim in mind.

During the event, which had full support from the Brazilian Consulate in New York (among others), several items were auctioned off to several bidders, including works of art from masters such as Christo (one of the artists responsible for The Gates), Jeff Koons, Pablo Picasso, Arman and many others.

"Art in The Park was a great success", said Ms. Elizabeth Nóbrega, the president of the foundation during an interview conducted at the Brazilian Consulate in New York City.

"We only had a few months  to get it together, and the help of the Consulate was invaluable - we couldn't have pulled if off without their assistance."

Ms Nóbrega has been involved with charitable organizations for a long time, and in addition to her work with the Maria Nóbrega foundation, she also chairs the Prince Charles Foundation in Great Britain.

The Maria Nóbrega Foundation has an ambitious project in its hands, which includes the restoration of the João Batista dos Militares Church, which dates from the early days of the Portuguese colonization and one of the few buildings not affected by the 1631 fire started by the Dutch as they seized control of the region.

The restoration project plans to install a new electrical supply system in the building and also to equip a school that will focus on information technology and social skills for 60 students.

Also on the list of priorities for Olinda is the renovation of the Nossa Senhora das Neves Church and São Francisco Convent (Brazil's oldest convent), which dates from 1585 and is in urgent need of repair.

The building is listed on the World Monument Fund Watch List of endangered historic monuments.

It will take several years to bring the structure into full repair, and the cost of refurbishing that building alone will exceed US$ 3 million.

The plan includes upgraded tourist facilities and also a school that will train students to acquire skills in  architectural restoration.

"The people of Olinda want to be educated", said Ms Nóbrega, "not to be given handouts".

"When we first started preparing the plan," she said, "one of the first things the members of the communities asked about was about learning marketable skills that could be used on a long-term basis."

Not many people know about the Jewish heritage of the city of Olinda, which has strong ties with the  first Jewish community that came to North America, establishing in what would later become the city of New York.

For a brief period in the 17th Century, a great part of the northeastern part of Brazil was occupied by the Dutch, who ruled the region from 1630 to 1654.

During the Dutch rule of governor Maurits van Nassau, there was a lot of religious freedom, and many Sephardic Jews originally from Portugal migrated to Olinda and nearby Recife, where the first synagogue ever to be built in the New World was established in 1641.

With the return of the Jewish-unfriendly Portuguese rule in 1654, the Jewish community was given 90 days to sell off their goods and leave on the first available ship. Some of those sailed north and finally reached the island of Manhattan.

Many of the houses built by Jewish merchants still stand today on what was once called "Rua dos Judeus" (Jews' Street), now renamed "Rua Bom Jesus", occupied today by gift shops and other local businesses.

Many are in poor state of repair.

The Maria Nóbrega Foundation aims to acquire those properties over time, restoring them and establishing workshops, small hotels ("pousadas", which would translate in English as "bed-and-breakfast") and also a Jewish Art Museum.

Finally, funds will also be directed to preserve  and protect the Marta do Curado, a 120-hectare rain forest located about 20 kilometers of Olinda, where the foundation will also work towards the creation of a small eco-tourist hotel, an art gallery and a museum.

The Maria Nóbrega Foundation plans to stage other fund-raising benefits in New York ("possibly in the Spring", she said) and elsewhere, hoping to raise enough funds and awareness of the needs of the people and city of Olinda, which needs and deserves to be preserved for its beauty and historical heritage for generations to come.

For more information on the Maria Nóbrega Foundation, log on to www.nobrega-foundation.com.

This article was originally published by "The Brasilians."

Ernest Barteldes is an ESL and Portuguese teacher. In addition to that, he is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The Greenwich Village Gazette, The Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island Register, The SI Muse, Brazzil magazine, The Villager, GLSSite, Entertainment Today and other publications. He lives in Staten Island, NY. He can be reached at ebarteldes@yahoo.com.

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