In 1391 massive antiJewish pogroms spread across Spain Thousands of Jews were forced to convert to Catholicism Over the next century there were many more forced conversions until in March of 1492 the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella issued the infamous Alhambra Decree ordering all Jews in Spain to convert or leave the country by August [...]

First Annual International Conference Society for Sefardic Studies Jerusalem January 911 2011  The first annual international conference of Sefarad the Society for Sefardic Studies was held this past January 911 2011 in Jerusalem Founded in 2009 by Yom Tov Assis its current chairman Sefarad is affiliated with the BenZvi Institute and is administered through the [...]

Some years ago I was working on a series of paintings rooted in the  more recent history of urban life in New Mexico I used calaveras (skulls) as a metaphor for times past as I drew on stories from friends and relatives about places and situations the stuff of familial legend (see insert) At that [...]

Review of Literature For almost three decades the story of the descendants of Jewish conversos or cryptoJews of the American Southwest has been big news in the popular press Everyone from the New York Times to Hadassah Magazine to the Forward has had a go at it on more than one occasion Over the years [...]

My name is Joe Arnold Trujillo I am the first son and second child of Jeremias (Jerry) Trujillo and Maria Rosana (Mary Rose) Quintana I was born on the farm of Felipe Quintana my maternal grandfather near Capulin Colorado Capulin is located in the San Luis Valley of southcentral Colorado The Rio Grande River the highway [...]

Bimuelos: Honeyed Fritters from the time of the Inquisition Judging from Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition testimonies and from other documents relating to Iberian Jews Hanukah seems to have been an extremely minor holiday in late medieval Iberia Despite the holiday’s minor status in the lives of Iberian Jews a memorandum was prepared as a guide [...]

The Narros of Saltillo Mexico in History and Literature By Kathleen Alcalá Presented to the Society for CryptoJudaic Studies   August 21 2001 Pueblo Colorado   Published in Halapid Volume IX Winter 2002 My name is Kathleen Alcalá and I am a writer who lives in Washington State My first novel Spirits of the Ordinary [...]

Several years ago Professor Seth Kunin and I attended a national conference of messianic congregations where I had been invited to lecture on the history of cryptoJudaism in New Mexico As we passed by the numerous displays of talletim kippot and prayer books Seth whispered to me "As a rabbi I’m appalled but as an [...]

Early Member of SCJS He Attended First Conference A bookshelf takes up a whole wall of the room History books occupy most of the available space and a large portion of them are California History books One shelf contains early first editions dating back to the late eighteenth century Here is an eyewitness account of the [...]