Tag
Crypto Jews
4 articles
The Inquisition and the Jews: Conversos, Crypto-Jews, and Survival
The story of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions — forced conversion, crypto-Judaism, auto-da-fé, and the remarkable survival of secret Jewish communities across five centuries.
Crypto-Jews: The Hidden Heritage of Secret Judaism
For five centuries, families descended from forced converts secretly maintained Jewish practices — lighting candles in cellars, avoiding pork, reciting half-remembered prayers. Now their descendants are coming home.
Jews of Mexico: From Crypto-Jews to a Thriving Modern Community
Mexico's Jewish story begins with conversos fleeing the Inquisition, includes some of its most dramatic victims, and continues today with a vibrant community of over 40,000.
Jews of Brazil: From Recife to São Paulo
Brazil's Jewish community has roots in the 1500s, when crypto-Jews fled the Inquisition. Today it is Latin America's second-largest Jewish community, thriving in São Paulo and beyond.