Dozens of Bnei Anousim, whose Jewish forefathers were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Inquisition period more than 500 years ago, gathered in the Spanish city of Barcelona this weekend, to be trained in making Israel’s case to the media.

The seminar was conducted by the Shavei Israel organization with the aim of training Bnei Anousim to become effective advocates for Israel in their home countries, as Israel comes under increasingly harsh attack abroad for its policies.

The group brought in a number of experts on Israel advocacy to take part, including Dr. Ra'anan Gissin, a former spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Ambassador Einat Kranz-Nieger, Israel's Deputy Ambassador to Spain. Both conducted training sessions for the participants and provided them with guidance and tools for defending the Jewish State in the local and international media.

The seminar was held at the Jewish community center in Barcelona (known as the CIB), and drew some 70 participants, mostly from Spain and Portugal, all of whom are Bnei Anousim

Historic event

This marks the first time in the history of the State of Israel that Bnei Anousim are actively volunteering to be part of Israel's hasbara, or public diplomacy effort. The idea for the seminar arose several months ago, when dozens of Bnei Anousim participated in a demonstration in support of Israel in front of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid during the recent conflict in Gaza. Many had traveled for hours to Madrid for the sole purpose of expressing their support for the State of Israel.

According to Shavei Israel chairman Michael Freund, there are tens of thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands of Bnei Anousim in Spain and Portugal who are conscious of their identity and their special relationship with Israel and the Jewish People. 

“The fact that Bnei Anousim are taking the initiative and expressing a desire to take part in Israel advocacy efforts in their own countries is an exciting development,” Freund noted. “The Bnei Anousim can serve as a wonderful corps of goodwill ambassadors for the Jewish State, and it behooves us to reach out to them and forge a stronger relationship with them,” he said.



Shavei Israel currently has emissaries working with Bnei Anousim in Palma de Majorca, Spain; Porto, Portugal; and Recife, Brazil. In Jerusalem, Shavei Israel operates the Spanish and Portuguese-language Machon Miriam Institute for Return, where hundreds of Bnei Anousim have studied Judaism and prepared for conversion or return by Israel's Chief Rabbinate.



500 years of persecution

The Jewish community in Spain in the early Middle Ages was one of the oldest and most successful Diaspora Jewish communities.   Despite this, from 1391 onwards a series of terrible disturbances and great tribulations befell the local Jewish community.  

One of the direct results was an unprecedented wave of forced conversions. These events continued on through 1492, when they reached their peak, and the remaining Jews were formally expelled from Spain. Many of those who had been compelled to convert to Catholicism – known by the Hebrew term Bnai Anousim – remained behind, where they continued to preserve their Jewish identity and to practice Jewish tradition covertly. As a result, this unique phenomenon is still evident even today, even though the Inquisition invested enormous efforts over the centuries to eradicate it.