By Steve Kramer
NETANYA, Israel — Michal and I recently attended a fascinating lecture by Genie Milgrom, an American citizen of Cuban heritage. Although raised as a Roman Catholic, Milgrom had an affinity towards Jews and the Jewish religion from an early age. She described her conviction for Judaism as something that you don’t know about until it happens to you. What happened to Milgrom led her on a years-long quest to discover her heritage.
Eventually it was proven that Milgrom’s ancestors were Marranos: Jewish converts to Christianity, also known as cristianos nuevos (Spanish) or cristãos-novos (Portuguese), which means New Christians; conversos (the converted); or anusim (Hebrew for “forced”). Anusim is the preferred term among their descendants and some scholars.(wikipedia.com) Milgrom’s entire matrilineal line were Spanish Jews who were compelled to convert to Christianity in the late 15th century.
Most people know that the Spanish Inquisition for the discovery and punishment of heresy began around the time of Christopher Columbus. What many do not realize is that the Inquisition was not directed at Jews or other gentiles. In Spain and Portugal, it was specifically aimed at converts who were suspected of being false converts, such as the Conversos, who surreptitiously continued their Jewish traditions.
The original Inquisition was instituted by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) in Rome. “In 1242, the Inquisition condemned the Talmud and burned thousands of volumes. In 1288, the first mass burning of Jews on the stake took place in France. In 1481 the Inquisition started in Spain and ultimately surpassed the medieval Inquisition, in both scope and intensity. New Christians (Jewish converts) were targeted because of their close relations to the Jewish community.
“Fear of Jewish influence led Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to write a petition to the Pope asking permission to start an Inquisition in Spain. … More than 13,000 Conversos were put on trial during the first 12 years of the Spanish Inquisition. Hoping to eliminate ties between the Jewish community and Conversos, the Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492.” (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
It had never occurred to Milgrom that she could have Jewish roots, despite some strange family customs. While she had an affinity to Jewish girls at her summer camp, it wasn’t until the death of her grandmother that she was inspired to delve into her deep-seated inclination.
Milgrom’s grandmother was buried immediately, per the family’s somewhat strange (for Catholics) custom. Her bequest to Milgrom was even odder: a Hamsa (Middle Eastern good luck charm) and an earring inscribed with a Jewish star. Milgrom was reminded of various family customs which were Jewish-oriented. (Typical ones are lighting two candles in a closet and/or eating a special loaf of bread on Friday nights.) In her case, Migrom remembered her grandmother always took a separate bit of dough when making bread and threw it in the oven for “good luck.”
In time, Milgrom converted to Judaism through an Orthodox rabbi, which was no easy matter. She later hired a Spanish genealogist, a former priest, in an attempt to understand her Jewish inclination. Far from wanting to find Milgrom’s Jewish roots, the genealogist wanted to prove Milgrom wasn’t Jewish. In spite of that, he found the opposite!
Once her genealogy indicated Jewish roots, Milgrom resolved to absolutely prove her lineage so that her daughter would be Jewish according to Jewish law, eliminating the need for conversion. Because Jews tended to reside in groups and to intermarry, the rabbis Milgrom consulted told her she must find at least one Jewish family in her ancestral village, Fermoselle.
Milgrom traveled to Fermoselle a number of times during her quest. Her efforts to find Jewish connections there were unrewarded until she revealed her original family name to the caretaker of the ancient synagogue, who then provided her with the contact she required. It turns out that there were many New Christians in Fermosselle, who all married among themselves since they were ostracized by the original Christians.
Another synagogue was revealed to Milgrom by the elderly ex-mayor. It was an underground chamber which was interconnected with all the basements of the Jewish families. Coincidentally, it turned out to be her own family’s synagogue!
Milgrom, upon sighting the swarms of cockroaches which inhabited the hidden chamber, felt the absolute need to regain the “lost day” her forebears had suffered when they were forced to “join the cockroaches.” The documents she required were eventually found in files from Portugal’s Inquisition, not Spain’s. Evidently, Milgrom’s family had fled Fermoselle for nearby Portugal, which was just across the river and where the Inquisition was delayed for about a decade.
In the end, the (religious) Bet Din certified her ancestral link to Judaism, adding to the certification she had received from the prominent rabbi, Marc Angel, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City.
Milgrom has led a fulfilling life as a Jew who converted before discovering that no conversion was necessary. Although her husband is Jewish, her grown children are from her first marriage to a Catholic. They are “interested” in Judaism but haven’t accepted Judaism themselves. The rest of her family, including her mother and sister, remain firmly Catholic.
The venue for Milgrom’s talk was the Academic College of Netanya, which is proud to be the home of Casa Shalom, whose mission is to research the communities of secret Jews, to educate about them, and to help their descendants recover their Jewish past and identity. Casa Shalom presents lectures and seminars for this purpose and is headed by Gloria Mound, who was very happy to introduced Milgrom to the fascinated and appreciative audience.
Many in the audience purchased Milgrom’s short but fascinating book available at Casa Shalom or from Amazon: My Fifteen Grandmothers. It chronicles Milgom’s life and the search for her roots. At the time of the book’s publication, Milgrom had found 15 generations of “grandmothers.” However, her research has now uncovered 22 generations, a remarkable chronicle of Jews’ persistence.
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This article was previously published by the Jewish Times of South Jersey. Author Steven Kramer is based in Alfe Menashe, Israel. His works may also be read on the website, www.encounteringisrael.com