Secret Jews: The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews and Crypto-Judaism

I am extremely happy to announce the release of my book titled Secret Jews: The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews and … More

Coming Sephardic Lectures in the Dallas Area

For those in the Dallas area, the Jewish Federation of Dallas will be hosting a series of lectures on Saturday … More

Song From a Withered Limb: Las Posadas and the Converso Crisis of the 16th Century

The following article was originally presented  at the national conference of the Society for Crypto Jewish Studies in Dallas, Texas … More

Hasdai Crescas and the Violence of 1391

Hasdai Crescas was a brilliant Talmudist of the 14th century in Spain. Crescas is of particular note to those interested … More

Spanish Village Named “Kill the Jews” Changes Its Name

For regular readers of this blog, you are well aware of the long history of Jews living in the Iberian … More

Who Owns the Touro Synagogue?

There is a joke about a Jew marooned on a desert island. He is stranded for years but is eventually … More

For the Moment, a Celebration of Coexistence in Turkey

In aftermath of the First World War, the once mighty Ottoman Empire was no more. In its place a Turkish state … More

A Fading Shavuot Tradition from Salonika

The Spanish and Portuguese exiles from the Iberian Peninsula  in the 15th and 16th centuries found rest in what might … More

Crypto-Jewish Sabbateans: The Donmeh

The story of Crypto-Judaism usually revolves around Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicisim between the 14th and 16th … More

A Key Social Difference between Sephardim and Ashkenazim

One of the clearest differences in how Christian and Muslim society impacted Jewish communities is in the area of marriage … More