Posted on 10/29/2005 6:07:22 AM PDT by Pharmboy
HOUSTON, Oct. 28 - When she was growing up in a small town in southern Colorado, an area where her ancestors settled centuries ago when it was on the fringes of the northern frontier of New Spain, Bernadette Gonzalez always thought some of the stories about her family were unusual, if not bizarre.
Her grandmother, for instance, refused to travel on Saturday and would use a specific porcelain basin to drain blood out of meat before she cooked it. In one tale that particularly puzzled Ms. Gonzalez, 52, her grandfather called for a Jewish doctor to circumcise him while he was on his death bed in a hospital in Trinidad, Colo.
Only after Ms. Gonzalez moved to Houston to work as a lawyer and began discussing these tales with a Jewish colleague, she said, did "the pieces of the puzzle" start falling into place.
Ms. Gonzalez started researching her family history and concluded that her ancestors were Marranos, or Sephardic Jews, who had fled the Inquisition in Spain and in Mexico more than four centuries ago. Though raised in the Roman Catholic faith, Ms. Gonzalez felt a need to reconnect to her Jewish roots, so she converted to Judaism three years ago.
"I feel like I came home," said Ms. Gonzalez, who now often uses the first name Batya. "The fingerprints of my past were all around me, but I didn't know what they meant."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping...
I'll order a gefelta fish taco please with a side of refried coogle.
This is unexpected.
There are a lot of Jews in American history.
There are a lot of Jews in prominent and heroic roles in world history as well.
"Ms. Gonzalez started researching her family history and concluded that her ancestors were Marranos, or Sephardic Jews, who had fled the Inquisition in Spain and in Mexico more than four centuries ago. Though raised in the Roman Catholic faith - - - - "
Like Patty Hurst, they joined their persecutors.
http://nanrubin.com/html/hidden.html
Hidden Crypto jews of NM, very interesting.
Last week the NYT was running articles about enlightened Mexican women becoming Muslims. I smell a liberal...
LOL!!
From your link:
"In 1492"
Which was the same year they finally chased the last of the mooselimbs out of Spain.
"the Spanish Inquisition"
No, that was Isabella and Ferdinand.
"forced more than 200,000 Jews to chose between expulsion or forced conversion to Catholicism."
There ain't no such thing as "forced conversion." They were offered the choice between voluntary conversion and leaving.
"Many became crypto-Jews, insincere converts, appearing to be devout Catholics but secretly maintaining Jewish rituals in their homes and passing down their true faith to their children."
And it was *these* people that the Inquisition sought to uncover. No person who could say, "Yes, I'm a Jew. Everbody knows it, and I've never pretended to be anything else," was ever touched by the Inquisition.
Your definition of "voluntary" and mine are quite different. Ain't nuthin' voluntary about "convert or leave."
If any of you have the opportunity to visit Santa Fe, please tour the Palace of Governors Museum on the Plaza. It has one whole room dedicated to the Jews who settled NM and their roots up to today, how they assimilated into the native and catholic culture but still retained their roots. It is all there.
Slightly belated welcome to FR. Are you another NM Freeper?
I've been there a few times (prolly the last time in the early '90s) but never have seen that. Will look for it next time I'm there--thanks.
As you go in the front lobby, where they take your money, it is~~or was~~the large area to the left (West).
"Your definition of "voluntary" and mine are quite different. Ain't nuthin' voluntary about "convert or leave."
How about the word, "or."
Try it this way: "All you Jews get out and take your skills and technology with you. Oh, by the way, if you feel you can convert to Catholicism, you can leave."
It was the expulsion, ordered by Ferdinand and Isabella that was involuntary. Voluntary conversion was a way to escape it.
I have a childhood friend who lived in Albuquerque for about 15 years (the family has since moved) and would therefore visit The Land of Enchantment. Quite a country out there...especially enjoyed the trip to Acoma, even though the Indians were miserable to us touristas.
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