Spain’s Balearic Islands, home to 800 to 1,000 ethnic Majorcan crypto-Jews who had been persecuted since the 1492 inquisition, has finally recognized the abuses perpetrated against ethnic Jews.
For me, descending directly from the generations that had to make vows to another religion in order to survive, Kol Nidre became a beacon of light during a very dark time.
Drawing on newly digitized records, the community was able to identify 842 people, ranging from 10 to 110 years old, who were victims of the Inquisition locally.
The entry for the word “judiada” — which notes that the term “originated with antisemitic intent” — has two definitions: first, “a dirty trick or an action that is detrimental to someone,”.
The event was presided over by rabbis from Portugal, Israel, the US and the UK.
JPOST Digital Library
