Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as “crypto-Jews”. The term crypto-Jew is also used to describe descendants of Jews who still (generally secretly) maintain some Jewish traditions, often while adhering to other faiths, most commonly Catholicism.
The many Marranos (in the Balearic Islands, Chuetas), who publicly professed Catholicism but privately adhered to Judaism during the Spanish Inquisition, and particularly after the Alhambra decree of 1492, are the most widely known crypto-Jews. Officially they were known as “New Christians,” and there was considerable legislation directed against them in both Spain and Portugal and in their colonies, the chief activity of the Inquisition being directed against them.
The phenomenon of crypto-Judaism, however, dates back to earlier times as Jews forced or pressured to convert by their sovereign hosts secretly kept Jewish rites. The father of Maimonides, for example, is purported to have nominally embraced Islam during the Almohad persecutions of Muslim Spain in 1146.
Some of the Jewish followers of Sabbatai Zevi (known as Donmeh) and later of Jacob Frank (known as “Frankists”) formally converted to Islam and Catholicism respectively, but maintained aspects of their versions of Messianic Judaism.
Conversos – refers to Jews who either chose (or were coerced by the Spanish Government in 1492) to practice Catholicism or be expelled – or face death. They were also called Marrano which when translated from Spanish to English means ’swine’.
Conversos in Majorca are known as Chueta (i.e. pig)*. “Chueta” is based on the word “Jueda” which is “Jew” in Catalan, the dialect in that part of Spain.
* Conversos – * Chuleta=chop (as in lamb chop) - Chueta=pork lard
http://shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/13-05.html
which discusses the whole matters of Conversos in Spain.
This is my journey and discovery please visit and use info. for yours.
Shalom
James [ya‛ăqôb] Blankenship – Saavedra – Campos – Garcia – Lopez – Apodaca – Madariaga – Vigil – Nemesia – Sedillo
G-D Casting Sephardic Revival
