Like Judaism itself my story has several sides historical cultural and spiritual that blend together to become a complex entity I grew up in a small South Texas town within a small group of Baptist families of Mexican - American decent We were a minority within a minority so it always felt natural to be [...]

In his presentation to the 1999 SCJS Conference in Los Angeles Seth Ward told of a woman from Northern New Mexico whom he had interviewed She was describing the Crypto Jewish practices of her family and told about playing cards every September with her Grandmother Playing cards was an annual ritual of the family that [...]

This is based on two articles The prime source was: "La poesá­a de Leonor de Carvajal y la tradición de los cryptojudá­os en Nueva Esapaña" by Michelle M Hamilton (University of California Berkeley) which appeared in Sefarad Año 60 Fasc 1 Madrid 2000 Additional information was obtained from an article by Moshé Shaul in Aki [...]

During the sixteenth century reigns of Alfonso and Ercole of the House of Este the Duchy of Ferrara became known as a spiritual haven and a safe place for Sephardic Jews and conversos Those who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism could return to the faith of their ancestors and all could practice Judaism again [...]

Dr Hector Nuñes lying in the throes of approaching death in September of 1591 commended " unto God and to his protection his honor Lord Burghley and all his noble familie" In the same breath he also sought Burghley’s aid "to protect and assist my poore wife in all needful and reasonable causes" These comments can [...]

(On August 24 1998 I was in Lima Peru to witness the return of Felipe Natal to Judaism Here is Felipe’s story Arthur LBenveniste (translated from Spanish) My interest in converting to Judaism and joining with the people of Israel began seven years ago I remember that between the years 1990 and 1991 certain happenings [...]

I enjoyed reading Judith Gale Krieger’s article title "Pablo de Santa Maria ’The Purim Letter’ and ’Siete edades del Mundo’" (Halapid Spring 1998) I was impressed especially by how she contrasted the rich and lively quality of his "Purim Letter" which he composed while he was Rabbi Solomon Halevy to the dry and detached impression [...]

Pablo de Santa Maria a converso whose original name was Solomon Halevi was born in Burgos in the middle of the fourteenth century A teacher scholar and chief rabbi of Burgos before his conversion to Christianity he later became an important member of the Castilian establishment and a highranking Christian prelate While still a Jew he [...]

It is the contention of this paper that Dr Hector Nunes’ mean spirited reaction to William Fox’s petition to the Lord Chancellor of England Sir Christopher Hatton in 1588 can be attributed to the weight of financial losses and debts incurred since 1569 In particular this paper will emphasize specific events that led to his [...]

I made up my mind after due reflection on how to write this article to view the International Symposium SANTANGEL 98 The Life and Times of Luis de Santangel with rosecolored glasses For this gathering which took place over four days in August at Dominican University near Chicago appeared to have the best of intentions [...]