Despite being raised as Catholics, Ramon and Gloria both have
known for some time that they are modern-day descendants of the hidden Jews
of Spain. Their ancestors were Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism
in 1492, yet chose to continue living secretly as Jews by keeping their traditions
alive in their homes and cellars. Living in constant fear of discovery by the
Inquisition and its sentences of imprisonment, torture or death, these hidden
Jews left a legacy of hiding for 500 years. Now Gloria and Ramon are trying
to reconnect, to close a circle across five centuries of lost history.
Their voyage takes them from dusty archives and ancient moorish
synagogues, to remote mountain villages nearly unchanged since the middle ages.
In the village of Belmonte, Portugal, Ramon and Gloria have an emotional meeting
with a small community of hidden Jews who themselves are newly reconnecting
to their Jewish past. Welcomed as relatives, they share remarkably similar experiences,
while nearby the sign of the Inquisition remains carved in the doorposts of
homes in the old Jewish quarter. "With hundreds of years of adversity,
their faith has carried them through a lot," Gloria reflects, "We
had the same circumstances, being hidden from the same God. This is a great
inspiration."
In Corral de Almaguer, Spain, the local padre listens carefully
to Ramon and Gloria’s family lore that tells of one forefather who came
to the New World from the town in 1590. He pulls down a dusty leather-bound
sixteenth century volume of church records and invites them to look through
it themselves. Eagerly searching through the hand-scribed listings of marriages
and baptisms, Gloria and Ramon are stunned to find the familiar name. "We
weren’t looking for the holy grail," Ramon explains emotionally, "But
we knew the name of one ancestor who came to New Mexico, and now we are sitting
in the very town in Spain where he was born, staring at the original proof of
his birth. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life."
"The Hidden Jews of New Mexico: Return to Iberia"
is the third in a series of radio programs chronicling the emergence of this
extraordinary facet of Hispanic history. For nearly a decade, award-winning
producer Benjamin Shapiro has followed the rediscovery of the hidden Spanish
Jewish culture in the Southwest and explored its impact on New Mexicans like
Gloria and Ramon. "I first interviewed Ramon in 1987. The return to Spain
and Portugal is really the culmination of much of his life, and I tried to carry
over that excitement and sense of adventure to listeners."
Public radio stations will be airing "The Hidden Jews of
New Mexico: Return to Iberia" in the spring. Check with local stations
for the exact broadcast schedule. The program is funded in part by a grant from
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Radio Program Fund with additional support
from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and National Public Radio. Dr. Stanley Hordes,
internationally-known expert on 16th/17th Century Spanish-Jewish history, is
historical consultant to the project, and Nan Rubin is the Project Coordinator.
For more information or to order cassettes,
contact Nan Rubin, 122 W. 27th St. 10th Fl. New York NY 10001; 212/463-7411.
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