Bnei Anousim

Dozens of Portuguese crypto-Jews will gather next week in Lisbon, Portugal for a special seminar and Shabbaton being organized on their behalf by the Jerusalem-based Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org) organization, which reaches out and assists “lost Jews” seeking to return to the Jewish people.
For the first time, an Israeli organization has dispatched a rabbi to northern Brazil to do outreach work among the numerous Bnai Anousim (descendants of Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition) living in the region. Rabbi Avraham Amitai, a graduate of Israeli rabbinical seminaries who is fluent in Hebrew, English and Portuguese, was sent recently to serve as a full-time emissary in the Brazilian cities of Recife and Fortaleza by the Jerusalem-based Shavei Israel organization (formerly known as Amishav).

Amishav Seminar on Crypto-Jews in Madrid  More than fifty descendants of Spanish and Portuguese crypto-Jews attended an intensive three-day seminar held in Madrid this past weekend by the Jerusalem-based Amishav organization, which reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. The participants,...

The Jerusalem Post    Today marks the anniversary of one of the most important events in Jewish history in the past one thousand years. It is an episode that forever altered the destiny of the Jewish people, as well as that of European civilization, giving rise to seismic shifts in spheres as varied as cartography, commerce and mysticism.
The Jerusalem Post - Winter Supplement    When Dr. Larry Rubin of Jerusalem stood in front of the congregation on Shabbat Lech Lecha to say the birkat hakohanim (blessing of the priests), many of his fellow worshippers had tears in their eyes. The reason for these tears was a profound one: Larry Rubin was the first kohen to bless this community of Jews in 500 years. As he said the words of the blessing with his prayer shawl over his head, others copied him, putting their own prayer shawls over their heads. A few brought young children up to him to be blessed. They had only heard of the birkat hakohenim, but had never seen it before.
Dozens of Majorca´s "lost Jews", or Chuetas, whose ancestors were forcibly converted during the Spanish Inquisition, will gather this Friday for a seminar in Palma de Majorca exploring their Jewish roots.
Hadassah Magazine  One growing group seeking to come home to Israel is bringing with them an unexpected bonus: Anousim have a devotion to Judaism that many have lost. Maria Villaralla knew that her mother’s family had Jewish origins in Spain. “We practiced Jewish tradition as much as we knew,” she says. a Ayelet Corona has Jewish roots on both sides and says her mother’s family came from a village in the Mexican state of Michoacan where most of the inhabitants “don’t mix milk and meat, didn’t work on Saturday and leave pebbles on tombstones.”
To understand the relevance of the Jewish presence in Portugal, we must recall the antiquity of the Jews in the Iberian Peninsula and the roots of Portugal as a nation. The truth is that we don’t have any written evidence of the time and circumstances of the arrival of the first Jews to the territory that was to be Portugal.
The Jerusalem Post    With its marble floors, ornate furniture, and rare artwork, Lisbon's Belem Palace could easily compete with some of Europe's finest museums. Although not a cultural institution per se, the palace does serve a central function in the life of Portugal: It is home to the president of the republic, Dr. Jorge Sampaio. Sampaio has served as president since 1996, having been re-elected to a second five-year term in 2001. Unlike in Israel, the presidency in Portugal is more than just a ceremonial post. He is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the power to dissolve parliament and call for national elections.