The Portuguese Conspiracy
In 1640, the Duque de Braganca (King Joao IV) succeeded in throwing off Spanish rule in Portugal. Portuguese settlers were now seen as potential subversives. In Lima, the Inquisition conducted a … Continue reading
A List of Recommended Books on the Sephardic Experience
I found an excellent list of books on the Sephardic experience. It was put together by David Shasha. E.H. Lindo, The Jews of Spain and Portugal (London, 1848, digital reprint) … Continue reading
Articles on Conversos, Portuguese New Christians, and Moriscos
Academia.edu is an excellent resource for finding scholarly research on a wide variety of topics. The following three articles are just a small sample of the material that is available. … Continue reading
A Portuguese Town Tries to Amend the Past
The Portuguese town of Monsaraz is looking to make amends for one aspect of its history by opening a Jewish cultural center. 80 residents of this town were persecuted hundreds of … Continue reading
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 seem an unlikely place today -the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of … Continue reading
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 in the medieval period. But the concept of duress or … Continue reading
