Wichita State University
Today's Bnai Anusim
It is estimated that 100,000 Jewish conversos emigrated to the Americas, settling throughout the viceroyalties and the colonies. They joined the Conquistadors, such as Juan de Oñate, in the exploration and conquest of what is now the Southwest US and Florida. Crypto-Jews were important figures in the founding of cities such as Santa Fe, Tucson, and St. Augustine. They were prolific and their descendants can be found throughout the Southern and Southwest US, Northeast Mexico, and the rest of the Americas, most being unaware of their Jewish ancestry. One immigrant of Jewish heritage has been shown to have 500,000 descendants in Brazil, while another individual, Blas Maria in Monterrey, founded the de la Graza, Treviño, and Quintanilla families of Mexico and the Southwest US. It has been estimated that 25% of Hispanics in the Americas today may be the descendants of conversos. This is a staggering number of people. Today, with the advent of genetic testing and massive genealogy projects, many descendants of conversos are discovering their heritage. Thousands are returning to Judaism. New Jewish congregations have formed in Texas, New Mexico, and Colombia, among other places, catering solely to Bnai Anusim (children of conversos), the Jews returning from forced conversion. Many are even returning to Spain and Portugal under Carta de Naturalizacion and related programs, which allow repatriation to those that can demonstrate converso ancestry. Movies have been made about this awakening, such as The Long Journey on PBS and The Secret Sabbath, being screened at film festivals. It is a remarkably historic time for this human community, as well as for Jews in the Americas and worldwide.