Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: Conversos and Community in Early Modern Amsterdam

I used this extensively during my dissertation to help draw a picture of life in the Amsterdam Jewish community that … More

Torah Reading for Vayigash- First Aliyah in the Spanish and Portuguese Melody.

The following is a practice run of the Torah Reading for Vayigash. This is the First Aliyah in the Spanish … More

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, … More

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

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

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

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 … More

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 … More