In Memory of Bernard Lewis, A”H, who authored the equivalent of “an entire syllabus on the history of the Middle East” over the course of a scholarly career spanning 75 years. Lewis’ work combines sympathetic understanding with tough-mindedness and an unflinching commitment to truth, an unrivaled grasp of the details with the capacity to see grander vistas, and, to top it off, a lucid style that guarantees that his books will continue to nourish grateful readers for a long, long time.
Sephardi Ideas Monthly is a continuing series of essays from the rich, multi-dimensional world of Sephardi thought that is traditionally delivered to your inbox on the second Monday of every month.
For the June issue of Sephardi Ideas Monthly, we continue our exploration of crypto-Judaism and crypto-Jewish identity in the Americas with Schulamith C. Halevy’s 1995 Solomon Goldman Lecture at Chicago’s Spertus Institute, “The Last Inquisition.” Halevy, an accomplished scholar and a celebrated poet, descends from a family of Sephardim who trace their lineage to the 1492 expulsion from Spain.
Halevy’s academic work focuses on crypto-Jewish traditions that have been preserved among various communities around the globe. Her work is distinguished, however, by an impulse that transcends any purely scholarly impulse, extending her sympathetic understanding to the psychological difficulties suffered by many crypto-Jews even while thinking clearly about how to determine the roots of authentic Jewish identity.
In her lecture, “The Last Inquisition,” Halevy tackles head-on the million-dollar question: “How does a person exploring the possibility of Jewish descent ascertain the truth about his or her family?”
Schulamith Chava Halevy (Dershowitz) (Photo courtesy of Roni Na’aman)
The Last Inquisition
Many anusim, or descendants of forced converts, suspect that they might be Jews thanks to seemingly inexplicable customs practiced by their families with parallels in the Jewish tradition. In order to determine the possibly Jewish origins of such practices, Halevy emphasizes that a distinction needs to be made between customs of biblical and rabbinic origin:
The customs among anusim first reported by modern scholars and the media were mostly of biblical origin, leading to skepticism on the part of cultural anthropologists and rabbis alike, since many fundamentalist churches tend to promote similar observances. It is therefore especially helpful to anusim to discover that they do observe rabbinic laws, especially ones that are mentioned in rabbinic responsa regarding the anusim of Spain and Portugal.
Some Christian communities enthusiastically adopt Biblical practices for themselves, and descendants of these congregations later interpret such practices to be evidence of Jewish ancestry. Therefore, in trying to determine authentic Jewish identity, it is especially important to locate customs that, “could not have been derived from a reading of the Bible and are not shared by non-Jews.” The continuance of such practices, argues Halevy, “bear strong evidence of Jewish origin.
”What are some examples of these rabbinic customs? Says Halevy,
Among anusim living in Mexico and in former Mexican provinces now part of the U.S., I have found surprisingly widespread observance of obscure rabbinic practices, including: fasting on Mondays and Thursdays as penance (of medieval origin); orienting beds north-south (Talmudic); and… sweeping towards the center of the room (medieval Sephardic).
In fact, these customs of apparently rabbinic origin are sometimes still observed today, “by people who often have no awareness of their religious nature.” They explain to themselves preservation of these practices by attributing them to, “the costuma d’antigua--the ancient customs of Iberian Nobility.” Noble indeed, but from a land a little further to the east.
Careful research isn’t always sufficient for determining with absolute clarity the origins of people who claim crypto-Jewish ancestry, and ultimately Halevy recommends humility and sensitivity. Regarding crypto-Jews who express a desire to (re)connect to Jewish communities, says Halevy,
If such a person reveals to any of us that she or he is Jewish, let us not be their last inquisitors; after over half a millennium of being suspect Christians, over half a millennium of struggle to maintain their Jewish identity, in danger and at sacrifice none of us can comprehend, succeeding against all odds--let them not be treated as suspect Jews. They have had enough, are tired of having to prove themselves yet again. Who are we to subject them to their last inquisition?
Truth be told, Halevy’s call to openly embrace crypto-Jews is not shared by many rabbinic leaders and Jewish communities. They tend instead to be more circumspect when it comes to accepting crypto-Jews into the fold. However, so long as confusion continues to surround the character of crypto-Jewish identity, Halevy’s clear and sensitive voice will remain an essential one for navigating the emotionally charged terrain. Sephardi Ideas Monthly is very pleased to introduce to our readers Schulamith Halevy’s learned and thoughtfully provocative lecture, “The Last Inquisition.”
The featured sage for the month of June is Hacham Raphael Elashvili
(1934-2005).
Born in 1934 in Kolashi, West Georgia, R’ Elashvili served in various rabbinic positions in Georgia through 1972, when he made aliya to Israel. Once settled in the Holy Land, he served as the Chief Rabbi of the Georgian community of Israel until his passing in 2005.
R’ Elashvili wrote a commentary on Ethics of Our Father, Pirkei Raphael (“The Chapters of Raphael”). The book is animated by R’ Elashvili’s emphasis on sensitive, ethical behavior, and in a passage from his commentary, below, R’ Elashvili’s Sephardi sensibility is manifest in his equation of piety with mindfulness and the application of that simple yet deep virtue to various aspects of our daily lives:
"Rav Yehuda says: One who wants to be pious should observe the matters of tractate Nezzikin. Rava said, the matters of Avot. And some say, the matters of Berakhot." Just as we are mindful about blessings, in knowing which blessing is to be recited for each and every commandment - since we must apply mindfulness in blessings, in particular - and just as we must devote our thought to precepts concerning damages and monies in ruling Halacha and in passing judgement, so - concerning the words of Avot – we must be mindful of how we comport ourselves and should circulate among people in a civil manner.
A representative view of a torture chamber used by the Spanish Inquisition. With priests at the ready to receive confessions of heresy (including “Judaizing”), suspected crypto-Jews and other heretics were put to “the Question” by means of horrific tortures, including the ones pictured here: feet burning, the toca (waterboarding), and the strappado, which entailed putting the victim’s hands behind their back, tying a rope to their wrists, and hoisting them to cause significant pain, and usually shoulder dislocation(s) (“Diverses manieres dont le St. Ofice fait donner la QUESTION.” Engraving by Bernard Picard, 1722. Scan courtesy of The Wellcome Library).
Thursday, 14 June at 8:00 PM
(Followed by After Party)
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
The cast includes: Charles Gray (Leporello), Anna Cley (Donna Elvira), Pablo Veguilla (Don Ottavio), Donna Anna (Jennifer Allenby), Masetto/Commendatore (Javier Ortiz), Zerlina (Yi Wang) We look forward to having you join us!
(Including VIP seating and access to an After Party)
Yemenite Faces and Scenes & Episodes in Yemenite History
The Teimani Experience, which closed on 5 June, continues in part with a photographic exhibit in our Leon Levy Gallery and an art exhibit in the Myron Habib, A"H, Memorial Display.
On view until September
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Yemenite Faces and Scenes: Photographs by Naftali Hilger
Intrepid photographer and photo-journalist Naftali Hilger traveled extensively in Yemen in the late 1980s and early 1990s photographing structures, street scenes, and the last remnants of Jewish life. These images—including of Yemenite children learning to read Torah upside-down in their father’s shop and a family relaxing in their diwan (salon)—depict an existence that has faded into history as the ever-shrinking community has found refuge in a government compound at Sana’a.
Episodes in Yemenite History: Paintings by Tiya Nachum
A series of eight paintings by the artist and sculptor Tiya Nachum of Encino, CA. The paintings reflect the tragedies and triumphs of Yemenite Jewish history, from the Mawza exile to the founding of the Inbal Dance Troupe by Sara Levy. Each painting tells a story and each story is a history onto itself.
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