Sephardic Hispanic Heritage: 13 Facts About ‘Latino Jews’
*Fascinating! VL
By Cedar Attanasio, Latin Times
Sephardic Jews, also known as Spanish Jews or Latino Jews or Arab Jews, are descendants of people who practiced the Jewish religion in Iberia (now Spain and Portugal) and North Africa. For Hispanic heritage month, we are sharing share some quick facts about Sephardic Jews and their descendents, who form an important part of the Latino community in the Americas.
[pullquote]… a New Mexico resident was moving a cross when it dropped on the floor, breaking open to reveal a Hebrew prayer that had been hidden inside for possibly hundreds of years.[/pullquote]1) Spain had an “interesting” year in 1492. A foreign entrepreneur by the name of Christopher Columbus planted the Spanish flag in a continent that no Europeans knew about. The first Spanish grammar book was published. Lastly, of the Jews in Spain were ordered to leave the country under threat of death . That last point is essential to understanding the history of Hispanic Jews.
2) As a result many Jews left the country, hid their faith, or converted to Christianity. But even those who converted or hid their faith were branded for generations as ethnically Jewish conversos.
3) Crypto-Jews hid their traditions and their heritage, secretly practicing judaism under the guise of Catholicism.
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[Photo courtesy of Matzav.com]
