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
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 Crypto-Judaism. Unlike the other books I have published this year, … Continue reading
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 November 5th through Sunday November 6th as part of its Learning … Continue reading
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 July 20, 2014. Mr. Reid Heller graciously allowed us to … Continue reading
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 Peninsula. Some of the earliest references to Jews living in … 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
