Jacobs, Janet Liebman. Hidden Heritage: The Legacy of the Crypto Jews. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2002. Pages, x + 197. Paper, $19.95. ISBN: 0520235177

Reviewed by John T. Ford, C.S.C.

1492 was not only the year of the "discovery of the New World" by Columbus, but also the year in which an edict of Isabel and Fernando gave Spanish Jews the problematic option of converting to Roman Catholicism or going into exile. From the viewpoint of los reyes católicos, such an edict, coming at the conclusion of the Reconquista, formed part of their over-all strategy for unifying Spain, politically, economically, and religiously; in effect, their decision exemplified the principle cuius regio eius religio: rulers have the right to determine the practice of religion within their domains.

The responses of the Jewish community were varied: to devout practicing Jews, the choice was clearly exile rather than compromise; thousands of Jews left Spain for a problematic existence elsewhere. To non-practicing Jews, the nominal acceptance of Christianity may have been simply a political-economic expedient; still other Jews, the conversos accepted Christianity, though possibly with concealed misgivings. A final group, the so-called marranos or crypto-Jews, observed Catholicism in public and practiced Judaism in private.

Albeit pragmatic the latter option involved a major risk: discovery by the Inquisition, which was a part - though a brutal and basically un-Christian part - of the royal strategy of national-religious unification. The nets of the Spanish Inquisition were broadly cast and caught not only crypto-Jews, but crypto-Muslims, Protestants, and alumbrados—people claiming divine illumination. The suspicions of the Inquisition were easily aroused; its list of suspects included Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa de Jesus, John of the Cross, and Luis de Granada, among many others.

Some crypto-Jews made their way to the New World; but so did the Inquisition, which sought them out in Mexico and elsewhere in the 16th and 17th centuries. Various crypto-Jews were tried and executed, while others found relative safety in what today is northern Mexico and New Mexico, where their descendents continued the secret practice of various Jewish observances down to the present. In recent years, the existence of these "hidden Jews" has come to light - both in terms of their own personal religious self-identify and in terms of historical investigation.

The present study summarizes the results of interviews with 50 ‘crypto-Jews,” 28 of whom are now are observers of Judaism, 12 of whom blend Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices, and 10 of whom adhere to Christianity. The author investigates the implications of family secrecy and personal self-discovery, the role of women in preserving and transmitting Jewish rituals, the blending of beliefs and religious observances, ethnic identity and conversion to Judaism. In some families, Jewish identity was a well-kept secret so that the discovery of their Jewish roots occasioned a variety of personal reactions: for some, it was the catalyst for recovering a “hidden heritage.” For others, it was an additional awareness of their mestizaje; still others seemed to discount this legacy in the face of the more immediate concerns of the present or seemingly did not want to resurrect a problematic past.

On the whole, this study is fascinating not only because of its revelation of long-concealed personal histories, but also because of the many comparisons that the author uses in highlighting the multiple facets of “the legacy of crypto-Jews.” Nonetheless, there are a number of areas that need further consideration.

First, the historical comparisons could benefit from greater depth. For example, the treatment of the Inquisition is presented as a persecution of the Jews - which it certainly was but it is not adequately treated as part of the unification policy of the Spanish monarchs. Moreover, while crypto-Jews were certainly victims of the Inquisition, so were non-Jews. Similarly, the comparison of the Inquisition with the Holocaust seems exaggerated: while even one victim is one too many, the Inquisition which claimed thousands of victims hardly matches the Holocaust's millions.

Second, the investigation of crypto-Judaism needs perceptive ethnographic discernment. On the one hand, such practices as the observance of the Sabbath, the following of dietary laws, and ritual purification clearly seem Jewish in origin, even though some participants in the study may not have been aware of the religious origins of these practices. On the other hand, the presence of a home shrine is not necessarily an indicator of crypto-Judaism, since an altarcito is present in many Hispanic homes (76). Or is this an instance of crypto-Jews combining elements of Judaism and Christianity? Such a question merits further investigation.

Thirdly, one wishes that this volume had included at least some transcripts of the original interviews. Unfortunately there are no full interviews, only select passages incorporated into the text; consequently, readers do not have the entire context for citations. Neither is there a list describing the interviewees; could not such descriptions have been provided while preserving anonymity? As a result, one reads quotations in isolation from the persons involved and so is left guessing whether the same person is being repeatedly quoted; more importantly, readers have little feel for the real person behind the citation. Finally, most of the attention is focused on those crypto-Jews who have opted for the public observance of Judaism; it would be interesting to know more about those who blend Jewish and Christian religious practices, as well as about those who have decided to profess Christianity.

Such reservations aside, readers will find this book a useful introduction to a dimension of the Hispanic/Latino reality that has long been “hidden.”