Hidden Heritage: The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews

211 Pages·2002·0.93 MB·English

by  Janet Liebman Jacobs

Hidden Heritage
the s. mark taper foundation
imprint in jewish studies
by this endowment
the s.mark taper foundation supports
the appreciation and understanding
of the richness and diversity of
jewish life and culture
Hidden Heritage
The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews
Janet Liebman Jacobs
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley • Los Angeles • London
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution to this book provided by the Jewish Studies
Endowment of the University of California Press Associates,
which is supported by a major gift from the S. Mark Taper
Foundation.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
(cid:3)2002 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jacobs, Janet Liebman.
Hidden heritage : the legecy of the Crypto-Jews /
Janet Liebman Jacobs.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0–520-23346-8 (Cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 0–
520-23517-7 (Paper : alk. paper)
1. Marranos—United States—History. 2. Jews—
UnitedStates—History. 3.Marranos—Religiouslife.
4. Marranos—Social life and customs. 5. Jews—Iden-
ity. 6. United States—Ethnic relations. I. Title.
E184.36.E84 J33 2002
305.892'4073—dc21 2002000857
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Thepaperusedinthispublicationisbothacid-freeand
totally chlorine-free (TCF). It meets the minimum re-
quirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 1997)
(Permanence of Paper).(cid:4)(cid:2)
In memory of my father, Jesse,
my grandmother, Bettie, and
my great-grandmother, Tillie Canella

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. Crypto-Jewish Descent: An Ethnographic
Study in Historical Perspective 1
1. Secrecy, Antisemitism, and the Dangers
of Jewishness 21
2. Women and the Persistence of Culture:
Ritual, Custom, and the Recovery of
Sephardic Ancestry 42
3. The Self-in-Relation and the
Transformation of Religious
Consciousness 67
4. Syncretism and Faith Blending in
Modern Crypto-Judaism 83
5. Conversion and the Rekindling of the
Jewish Soul 100
6. Jewish Ancestry and the Social
Construction of Ethnic Identity 125
Conclusion. Ethnic Loss and the Future of Crypto-
Jewish Culture 149
Notes 155
Selected Bibliography 177
Index 187

Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the generosity and
participation of the crypto-Jewish descendants who so willingly gave of
their time and of themselves over many years of study and research.
Because of the difficulties and challenges posed by the process of recov-
ering ethnic origins, I am particularly grateful to the participants who
gave me their trust and who allowed me to enter into a world of family
secrets, remembered ancestors, and personal soul searching. I am in-
debted especially to Carmen Epstein, whose wonderful restaurant, Ma-
macita’s, provided a starting point from which to begin my study of
crypto-Jewish culture and the recovery of Jewish ancestry.
As my research progressed, many people, all along the way, offered
advice and help. Among those to whom I am most grateful are Max
Costillo, Magda Hinojosa, Stanley Hordes, David Kazzaz, Kathe
MacLaren, Otto Maduro, Joan Markowitz, Anita Rodriguez, Catherine
Lucero Sedillo, and Harriet Silverman. I would also like to acknowledge
and remember, with gratitude, Bertha Muske, whose insights and per-
spectives greatly contributed to my research.
I would not have succeeded in completing this book without the ded-
ication of colleagues and friends who generously gave of their time in
reading and commenting on either all or major portions of the manu-
script. I would like to thank Ira Becker, Lynn Davidman, Robert Ferry,
Deborah Flick, David Gitlitz, Donna Goldstein, Steven Kepnes, and Di-
ane Jonte-Pace. Each of these readers offered critical insights and sug-
ix