which Sephardic Jews found themselves dispersed, wandering to the remotest parts of the planet only to have the horrors of the Spanish Holy Inquisition visited upon them again and again. All this serves as evidence of the corruption and aberrant behavior of the institutional church. From the 15th century on the Inquisition maintained its power, pursuing “crypto-Jews” around the world. It wasn’t until the 19th century that it officially closed following the papal decree of July 15 1834. The pressures of centuries of assimilation, the years of mixture and cultural diversity caused many of the Sephardic descendants to lose their historical memories disconnecting them from their ancestral Hebraic roots. But the remains of the Sephardic community have been indelibly stamped all over the world. The general archives of the prison of the Holy Office, the general and historical archives of various countries, the National Library of Spain and thousands of private and public documents throughout Europe and the Americas confirm this. In Israel the Diaspora Research Institute maintains an extensive collection of genealogical material from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Holland, Italy, Romania and Latin America among others. Some 20,000 last names of Spanish Sephardic origin appear in these archives. Presently the total number of dispersed Sephardim is unknown, but according to data provided by the Israeli press it is considered that in Latin America alone there exist no less then 35 million Hispanic descendants of Spanish-Jews. Today many of these Sephardic descendants have begun to leave the shadows in search of their long lost Jewish heritage. A historic visit took place in August of 2004 when a delegation representing the “Anussim” communities (Marranos) of Spain and Portugal came to Israel. This is considered the first visit of Sephardic Jews after 500 years of persecution. This visit may be considered the beginnings of the fulfillment of prophecy. In Obadiah, G-d speaks of the return of the people to the land of Israel with specific reference to Sepharad (Spain). The prophet Obadiah writes: “Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; also, possess the territory of
Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev. The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion. To judge the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom will be the LORD’S”. (Obadiah 1:19-21) Verses 19 and 20 of Obadiah specifically indicate the recovery of territory by returning Israelites. With the descendants of Sepharad (Spain) taking possession of the area known as the Negev. Today these areas of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza find themselves compromised by the combined pressures of terrorism and the “peace process.” The prophet Obadiah assures us that this will not remain so and goes on to detail the forceful taking of the land preceding the coming of the Messiah. This assures us that the descendants of Iberian Jews will have an active participation in this exciting event. Our times are the result of a series of historical events coming together to form our present reality. For this reason one should take care and heed the warnings of history. In the documented history of 1492 Catholic Spain we encounter one terrible and heartbreaking truth, this was not solely the result of the repulsive hatred of the Spanish monarchy, but also the increasing indifference of a people that tolerated and promoted by action or omission the horrors of anti-Semitism. The intention was to cut and to limit, to snatch rights and destroy the noble souls of an entire people. But even this was unable to kill the dreams and hopes of the Sephardic Jew. These times are wicked and it is precisely in such times that we must stand firm with truth and justice as our guide. The first thing we must do is to rid ourselves of the comforts of selective amnesia. In the end, past events give us much to ponder on. However, we cannot allow ourselves the luxury of falling prey to our emotions, this will lead us to forget the vital actions of history’s actors. As some one once said, “sometimes history is not like history when one is living it.” JAC Reprinted with permission from Elias Lira, Tzemach Institute for Biblical Studies: http://www.tzemach.org
September - October 2006 • Elul-Tishrei-Cheshvan 5766-5767
722 BC: Shortly after Assyria conquers the ten northern tribes of the kingdom of Israel and takes them away into captivity, records tell of a large influx of people who move to the Iberian Peninsula. According to legends, these people have Hebrew-like names and are of Hebrew descent. 586–549 BC: Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar sacks Jerusalem and forces the remaining two southern tribes into exile in Babylon. Many Jews flee to Tarshish during the time of the Babylonian exile but historians debate the exact point the escape to Tarshish took place. The Hebrew exiles could have escaped during the deportation from Jerusalem to Babylon, during the oppressive Babylonian exile, or once the Babylonian exile was over. Most likely, the largest Jewish migration across the Mediteranean happens at the end of Babylonian exile in 549 BC, after the united Media and Persian empires conquer Babylon. The new King Cyrus gives permission for Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. At the time of the mass return to Jerusalem, it is expected some Jewish exiles opted for Tarshish instead of Jerusalem to join the Jewish community and traders already believed to be living there. 135-409 AD: After the Romans suppress the Jewish revolt in Jerusalem, many Jews flee across the Mediterranean to Spain. For three hundred years the Jewish community in the Roman province of Hispania (Spain) enjoys a period of prosperity in trade and prominence in the sciences and arts.
306 AD: The Council of Elvira, the first Christian council held in Spain, passes an edict prohibiting Christians from marrying or socializing with Jews and from Jews blessing the crops of Christians. The Jerusalem Connection A Page 7