The Jews who were forced to become Christians to survive
In short: For centuries, a unique Jewish identity flourished in the shadows of the Inquisition. These were the 'New Christians'—Jews who converted to Catholicism under pressure, only to later flee the Iberian Peninsula to reclaim their ancestral faith in secret. Their journey created a distinct cultural legacy known as the Western Sephardim.
The distinction between 'Spanish and Portuguese Jews' and other Sephardic groups lies in a period of forced conversion. While many Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497, others remained as 'New Christians' (or *conversos*). These individuals were legally Christian but often practiced Judaism in secret, a practice sometimes pejoratively labeled 'crypto-Judaism' by the Inquisition. Because the Inquisition was established in 1478—over a decade before the formal expulsions—it exerted lethal pressure on these converts, eventually forcing many to flee the Iberian Peninsula between the 1600s and 1700s to find refuge in places like the Netherlands, the UK, and the Americas.
The Western Sephardim developed a unique ritual identity by blending remnants of pre-expulsion Spanish Judaism with influences from Ottoman Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities. They were also shaped by the 'intellectual tools' of their Christian socialization. This identity is distinct from the 'Eastern Sephardim,' who left Iberia as Jews in 1492 and settled in the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, they are separate from 'Sephardic Bnei Anusim,' who remain nominally Christian today, and the 'Neo-Western Sephardim,' a modern group of returnees who have reclaimed their faith in the 20th and 21st centuries without needing to flee the Inquisition's jurisdiction.
Terminology also reflects these complex histories. The label 'Portuguese Jews' was often used in the 17th century to distance communities from Spain during periods of war. Additionally, while the term 'Sephardim' broadly refers to all Jews with Iberian roots, the 'Western' designation specifically highlights the experience of those whose Jewish history was interrupted by a period of being New Christians.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Spanish and Portuguese Jews
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