Openly Jewish major Western Sephardic Communities - An historic Timeline

 

A short animation showing when major Western Sephardic communities "came out" as being Jewish!

 

 

 

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Where to find Sephardic burial records in England

 An introduction to where to find Sephardic burial records in England. 

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory

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Zoom meetings on Jewish History and Genealogy

Join the Sephardic World mailing list for access to weekly talks on Jewish history and genealogy.  https://mailchi.mp/sephardicgenealogy/ars1w3v45e

Menasseh ben Israel vs. The Rabbis

Do you think conflicts within Jewish communities are something new? It is possible that the re-admission of Jews to England was a consequence of a squabble between Amsterdam's leading rabbis.

With the merger of the three original Amsterdam Sephardic communities, the city found itself with four rabbis. All of them were strong characters. Inevitably, there were disputes over who had religious authority and who should be paid the most.

It is possible that Menasseh's trip to London, and the establishment of a Jewish community there,  partly had its roots in his differences with Saul Levi Morteira, Isaac Aboab, David Pardo.

Sephardic World's expert speaker this Sunday 8 November 2020, Professor Steven Nadler, is Professor of Philosophy and of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on philosophy in the seventeenth century. He has written extensively on Descartes and Cartesianism, Spinoza, and Leibniz. He also works on medieval and early modern Jewish philosophy. His publications include biographies of Spinoza and Menasseh ben Israel.

If you are not on the Sephardic World mailing list, sign up for free at https://mailchi.mp/sephardicgenealogy/ars1w3v45e

The Sephardic Poor of Amsterdam and London

 

THE AMSTERDAM AND LONDON POOR

 

After the Holidays, Sephardic World is back!

 

The popular conception is that Sephardim in Amsterdam and London were rich. Sadly this is not the case. This week we shall discuss impoverished Sephardim - maybe half the community - and how the community leaders managed the situation. There is a wealth of records in the archives dealing with the Sephardic poor, including the support they received from the congregations, including at festivals, and how they were managed and disciplined.

 

One solution was to put poor people on a boat, and send them somewhere else! This is how many of our ancestors reached the places they later called home. Ton has been studying the 'Despacho' records from Amsterdam and London.

 

You can watch live at: https://www.facebook.com/sephardicgenealogy/

 

The talk will later be uploaded to: https://www.youtube.com/c/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory

 

Fashion Meltdown?

 Sephardic Genealogy merch is now available! 

 

Show the world your Sephardic pride and good taste! https://teespring.com/en-GB/sephardic-genealogy?pid=389&cid=100029

 

 

Portuguese Sephardic Citizenship Lawyer

I have made a short video to help explain the Portuguese nationality law for Sephardim. I am not a lawyer and if you want authoritative advice I would recommend asking your country's embassy in Portugal for their list of approved solicitors. 

It may be a mistake to hire a lawyer advertising online. Members of the Portuguese National Assembly recently proposed amending or even abolishing the Sephardic citizenship law because they felt unscrupulous lawyers were exploiting it to obtain European Union passports for their clients.

The Portuguese citizenship law is not complex. The most difficult part is to collect the genealogical evidence and to present it as demanded by the folks in Portugal. The application process to Portugal is far simpler than to Spain. I advise most of my professional genealogy clients not to use a lawyer, but this is a matter of personal preference. If the genealogy has been presented correctly, your lawyer may just be a very expensive way of putting your application in the mail. Of course, some lawyers are excellent, but I have heard from people who have been advised to obtain unnecessary documents. 

If you need a professional Sephardic genealogist to research the family history part of your application, you can contact me through the social media below.

 

 

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Website: http://sephardicgenealogy.com/

Sephardic Surnames

"Sephardic surnames" are a relatively new invention. This short video looks at where the idea came from and how accurate it may be. If Sephardic surnames are a myth, how can you tell if your Iberian surnamed ancestors may have been Jewish?

 

 

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Website: http://sephardicgenealogy.com/

 

Sephardic World: The Art of the Jewish Family by Laura Arnold Leibman

SEPHARDIC WORLD MEETING - SUNDAY 30TH AUGUST 2020

 

In The Art of the Jewish Family, Laura Arnold Leibman examines five objects owned by a diverse group of Jewish women who all lived in New York in the years between 1750 and 1850: a letter from impoverished Hannah Louzada seeking assistance; a set of silver cups owned by Reyna Levy Moses; an ivory miniature owned by Sarah Brandon Moses, who was born enslaved and became one of the wealthiest Jewish women in New York; a book created by Sarah Ann Hays Mordecai; and a family silhouette owned by Rebbetzin Jane Symons Isaacs. These objects offer intimate and tangible views into the lives of Jewish American women from a range of statuses, beliefs, and lifestyles—both rich and poor, Sephardi and Ashkenazi, slaves and slave owners. Laura Arnold Leibman is Professor of English and Humanities at Reed College. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1995. She is an engaging speaker and an expert on early American Jewish history.

 

Zoom meeting., Time: Sunday, Aug 30th, 2020 07:00 PM London (This is 7pm British summertime; GMT +1, which is 2pm in New York). https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83902947096

If you can't get into the Zoom meeting, there is an overflow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sephardicgenealogy

We can't broadcast live on YouTube until we have 1,000 subscribers. Please help us by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpz6pgNSg_KWP-4KbErjU2g

Spanish Passport for Sephardic Jews

Recently I have received a number of inquiries from people hoping to obtain a Spanish passport due to Sephardic Jewish ancestry. This is a reminder that Spain has ceased offering nationality to Sephardim. However, Portugal is still an option if your family tree leads back to someone in a Sephardic diaspora community. 

Have a watch of the short video below! If you need a professional genealogist to help with your genealogical research, my email address is at the end. Most applicants for Portuguese nationality due to Sephardic ancestry do not use a lawyer, but that is a matter of personal choice.

 

 

 

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Website: http://sephardicgenealogy.com/

 

 

Music in the Lives of Crypto-Jews in Portugal

Dr Judith R. Cohen spoke to the Sephardic World group on Zoom and Facebook on 23^rd August 2020. In “Music in the Lives of Crypto-Jews in Portugal” she focused on the best-known Portuguese crypto-Jewish community, that of Belmonte in the district of Castelo Branco. As an ethnomusicologist, she has visited the area for decades and recorded the last years of the semi-isolated community before the Internet entered all our lives. There are a number of villages and towns with such communities but the tradition survived most strongly in Belmonte. In the age of the Internet, mass tourism and transport, much has changed. Some of the crypto-Jews have now embraced normative Judaism and have moved elsewhere, including to Israel. Others are exhausted by the commercial exploitation and Disneyfication of their community.

Judith touched on the history, including the activities of Samuel Schwarz and Artur Carlos de Barros Basto. She said that everyone in the villages knew who was “Jewish”. When the Inquisition arrived, the question was not about whether someone was known to be “Jewish” but whether they would be denounced by their non-Jewish neighbours. Her main focus on the women and music. The music of the crypto-Jews differs from that of their non-Jewish neighbours but and includes traditions that seem very old. Of course, they have absorbed a lot of influences over the years.

Sadly the secular music of the Western Sephardim – the Spanish & Portuguese Jews – has been lost, and there are no commonalities between the secular music of the crypto-Jews and the liturgical music of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sephardicgenealogy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SephardicGeneal

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sephardicgen/

 

Website: http://sephardicgenealogy.com/

If you are applying for Portuguese citizenship due to Sephardic ancestry and need a genealogist to research and prepare the genealogical application documents for you, then please contact me at david*sephardicgenealogy.com Replace the * with a @! I am a researcher totally focused on the Sephardim.

“Surname Reports” are not accepted for Portuguese nationality applications. If you are applying for a Portuguese passport you need to provide evidential documents. The family tree does not need to go all the way back to Portugal, but needs to show your roots in a Sephardic synagogue. Portuguese anti-discrimination laws means that you do not have to personally be Jewish to apply for nationality. 

I am only experienced in researching families with ancestries in diaspora Jewish communities and can’t help those of crypto-Jewish backgrounds (I suggest you contact your local genealogical society). 

I do not work with lawyers, except those approved by the Government of Portugal or foreign embassies in Portugal. Many citizenship applicants do not use a solicitor. It is a matter of personal preference.

Family Nunes Vaz - A Journey of Western Sephardic Genealogy

Meeting - Sunday 21st June 2020

Jarrett Ross - the GeneaVlogger - is a well-known personality in the world of Jewish genealogy, especially through his YouTube channel. Jarrett has been researching his Nunes Vaz ancestors for over a decade and has traced back to 17th century Italy. The Nunes Vaz family spread from Iberia, via Livorno, across the Sephardic world including to Amsterdam, London, North and South America, and elsewhere.

As well as being genealogy celeb and co-administrator of The Sephardic Diaspora Facebook group with Ton, David and Michael, Jarrett is an administrator on Geni and has established himself as an expert on Jewish genetic genealogy. Jarrett is also standing as a candidate for the IAJGS Board.

Topic: Family Nunes Vaz - A Journey of Western Sephardic Genealogy
Time: Jun 21, 2020 07:00 PM London
(This is 7pm British summertime; GMT +1)

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Our meetings are not subsidized and it is only thanks to our patrons that we can afford to provide this service. If you are not yet a patron but want to become one, you can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sephardi

Jews of Livorno

This Sunday, 14 June 2020, on the Sephardic World group, Alain Nedjar will discuss the newly published book on Livorno marriage certificates. This was several years work for four people and sets a new standard in Jewish genealogical publishing. Amongst other achievements, they have been able to fill gaps left by missing volumes. A masterful achievement. http://eepurl.com/g6H0Zf

Finding a Sephardi Husband in Early Modern Amsterdam

On Sunday, on the Sephardi Heritage Project, Ton Tielen will discuss the Amsterdam-based Portuguese Jewish bridal society Santa Companhia de Dotar Orphas e Donzellas, known as Dotar. At 405 years it is the oldest still functioning Jewish charity in The Netherlands, and indeed in the Western Sephardic world. Though established in Amsterdam, its membership was international, and its activities encompassed the whole of the Sephardic world. The core of its archives still exists, and for the larger part is digitally available in the Amsterdam City Archives. If you are not already on the mailing list, please add yourself here:

https://mailchi.mp/sephardicgenealogy/sephardi-heritage