While the idea of Convivencia (positive social interaction and tolerance) is perhaps exaggerated with regards to Jewish life in Spain, the…
The Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue in Curaçao
A few weeks ago I posted about my visit to the Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue building in the United…
Jewish Wedding in a Turkish Synagogue
When faced with the edicts of Expulsion in Castile and Aragon and eventually in Portugal, one of the principal regions…
Mah Nistanah in the Sephardic Syrian Tradition
I had intended to post this before Passover, but better late than never. This version of the Mah Nishtanah is…
Samuel Usque’s Approach to Wavering Conversos
Once Conversos fled Spain and Portugal, returning to Judaism openly was not always an attractive option. Many Conversos wavered in…
Benjamin Netanyahu and his Sephardic Roots
B”H The current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is known for his right of center policies and tough stance…
The Concept of Taqiyya and its Impact on Iberian Jewry
The Islam conquest of Spain began in 711 CE and would extend over parts of the Iberian Peninsula through the…
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal
B”H Since I am traveling on business to Canada later this year, I decided to do some research on the…
The Sabbatean Prophets
B”H Traveling on business can be difficult but one benefit is that it gives me the opportunity to read. I…
Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition, and Identity in the New World
B”H Roger Martinez, a professor at the University of Colorado and former president of the Society of Crypto-Judaica Studies, and…
B'nei Anusim Center for Education 