In 2014, I had the opportunity to present a brief lecture on comparisons between Conversos and Samaritans in rabbinic literature.…
George Washington’s Letter to the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
Visiting the Touro Synagogue this week was an amazing experience. I knew about its history but actually walking into the…
The Touro Synagogue
This video shows my recent visit to the Touro synagogue in Newport Rhode, Island. I stopped by the historic Spanish-Portuguese…
The Toleration of Jewish Life in Christian Territory
This position of Jews in the medieval period stood in contrast to their positions under the Visigoth codes in Spain…
Forced Converts and Contemporary Coercion
The problem of conversion under physical duress may seem relevant to history of Spanish and Portuguese Jews forced to convert…
The Position of Spanish Jews as Royal Property
Religious issues aside, there was another issue which made Jews vulnerable in the late 14th and 15th centuries. As in…
13th Century Portrait of a Spanish Jew
The Jewish Journal reported that archaeologists in Spain have identified a drawing of a Jewish man on a pottery fragment from…
Vicente Ferrer and the Post 1391 Era
The Dominican friar Vicente Ferrer had participated in the onslaught of the Jewish communities in 1391 by eagerly accepting Jews at…
A Treasury of Sephardic Laws and Customs
Anyone interested in learning about the minhagim/customs of the four groups that historically lie within the framework of Sephardic Judaism…
The Jewish Population of the Kingdom of Castile
Despite changing conditions, from the 13th to the 15th centuries, the Hispanic kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula were home to…
B'nei Anusim Center for Education 