Genetic studies on judeoconversos ("new christians") from Iberia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empecinado

Xuetas are not crypto-Jews anymore neither identify as Jews ethnically or religiously. They are either Catholic or Atheists, and only a few of them have returned to Judaism.

I am not sure about this assumption.

The Xuetas of Palma de Mallorca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yquS2XDsfVY

Quote:

Originally Posted by curupira

A very interesting documentary on the "last Marranos", the Xueta from Majorca were discriminated against as late as the XX century:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CpidcjO5uU

In the video above, these two Belmonte crypto-Jews captured my attention, in spite of living in isolation, practicing secret Judaism for almost 5 centuries (!), they still remind me of their Levantine/Near Eastern origins (DNA testing has already found them plotting near Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews):

http://i44.tinypic.com/oh1m5k.png

A Samuel Newhouse look-alike:

http://i42.tinypic.com/5d1kz6.jpg

In modern Mainland Spain, there are no genuine Marranos unified as a community, aside from a small group in Mallorca. These individuals, descendants of Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Inquisition, still face prejudice despite their devout Catholicism. In contrast, a handful of true Marranos persist in the northeastern Portuguese town of Belmonte. Approximately 180 of them are the last remnants of a once-larger community that maintained their Jewish identity through centuries of oppression. Their survival and continued practice of Jewish traditions, such as lighting Sabbath candles and observing Passover, serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of Spanish Jewish history.

This story is featured in the DVD series "Out of Spain," narrated by former Israeli President Yitzhak Navon, and it is available on Amazon and Netflix.

My family (specifically mother’s side) always believed we had some sort of Jewish connection. Seems unlikely though

Quote:

Originally Posted by vader

My family (specifically mother’s side) always believed we had some sort of Jewish connection. Seems unlikely though

Any specific reason?