B'nei Anusim Center for Education
Bringing Together and Educating Descendants of Sephardic Conversos
Did Crypto-Jews Reach Ireland?
The migration of Crypto-Jews from Spain and Portugal to France, England, Germany, and the overseas Spanish and Portuguese empires has been well documented. Numerous studies have discussed the communities that were established by former Conversos.
To my knowledge, little mention however, has been made of Conversos finding safety in Ireland. The following article by Carl Hoffman from Esra Magazine discusses this very issue.
Posted by Rabbi Juan Bejarano-Gutierrez, the director of the B’nei Anusim Center for Education, and author of What is Kosher?
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Our family, the Leeman of Armagh, Ireland, who farm around Emain Macha at farms named Rosebrook, Creeveroe and the Navan, were (maybe still are) crypto Jews from Alsace. The first ones in Ireland were two brothers who arrived during the 17th century 30 Years War. However, a recent comprehensive DNA test (181 markers) revealed the paternal ancestry was overwhelmingly Siberian (Tungus/Evenk). An American Jewish commentator, who has similar DNA, suggests a converted Khazar ancestry. Since one of our family markers is from Yemeni/Ethiopia., this suggestion may be true.