Wardens of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of London

David Abrabanel (Manuel Martinez) Dormido (d. 1667) and Elijah (Eliau) de Lima (dates unknown) were the first parnasim (synagogue officers) of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation in London, while Moseh Baruh Louzada served as its gabbai (treasurer). Dormido, a descendant of New Christians, was born in Andalucía, where he was a tax collector. Arrested by the Inquisition in 1627, he fled first to Bordeaux and later to Amsterdam, where he joined the Jewish community and became one of its leading members. In 1654, he accompanied the son of Menasseh Ben Israel to London, petitioning Cromwell to readmit Jews to England. In 1656, Dormido signed the petition requesting freedom of worship for Jews reclaiming their religious identity. He was one of the first lay leaders of the unofficial community and signatory to the constitution of the community formally established in 1663. De Lima and Louzada were also signatories. Nothing more is known about de Lima. Louzada was a broker. His descendants flourished in England and the West Indies.