In an Arutz Sheva article last Tuesday (March 4th 2003) regarding a poll about the majority of Israelis favoring outreach to a certain group of people, the term Marranos was used. It seems to me that if the Israeli people are really in favor of outreach to the community of the descendants of ?forced converts? (of Spain and Portugal), then they would stop using the term Marranos. The word means ?swine? and was a term used by our persecutors and tormentors to humiliate and shame us in Spain/Portugal. It seems to me that Arutz Sheva could be of invaluable assistance to us (of Crypto-Jewish descent) in educating the public about the offensiveness of this pejorative term and in explaining to people the proper term instead of Marranos (namely Crypto-Jews or Anousim).
Some have argued that many historians used the term Marranos (e.g., Cecil Roth, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, etc.). Yet, while this is true, it was done so that the readers would clearly understand about whom was being written, since this was the term used by our Christians persecutors to describe the Jewish converts to Christianity during that period of time.
However, this term was originally chosen to incite the hatred and hostility that existed towards these Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity, and who then tenaciously held on to as much of Jewish customs and traditions as they could (in secret) for centuries. Hence, a more correct term for the forcibly converted Jews is Crypto-Jews, or in the Hebrew, Anousim, literally ?coerced (raped) ones?. For those Jews in Spain or Portugal who willingly converted, or who went along with the program because of economic inducements, the term Converso is used.
In today?s day and age, I see no need to continually use the term Marranos for the descendants of the ?forced converts? (or Crypto-Jews), and thereby continue to degrade or humiliate us. In particular, as this time it is our own people (the Jews) doing so. Isn?t this against the teachings of the Torah, to shame or degrade someone publicly - by calling them ?swine??
The only reason I can see for the use of this term is to acknowledge that, yes, we?re talking about the same people some historians referred to as Marranos, and then to explain why we no longer use this term and why another moniker is superior. I explained these words just the other day to an Orthodox rabbi in New York, and he was shocked (and horrified) at my explanation and the translation of this Spanish term into English. All of sudden, he realized he had been calling some people ?swine? in their own Spanish language. What is needed is more educators out there letting people know that the term Marranos is offensive; perhaps then, people would stop using it.
Yet, what about those few who have taken on this pejorative term as a badge of pride, similar to Black people in the United States who (for a period of time) took on the pejorative term ?nigger? as a badge of pride, when white people refused to stop calling them ?niggers?? Well, we all know about self-hating Jews, so now we can also have self-hating Anousim, I guess. But that doesn?t mean that the majority of the people descended from the Crypto-Jews want to continue to be labeled ?swine?. Let the Christians call us that, but not our own people, who should rather be welcoming us (the Anousim) back into the Jewish community as ?returnees? to the faith and traditions of our Jewish ancestors.
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Yaffah Batya daCosta (an Anousim returnee) is the Jewish-Christian Affairs Coordinator for Kulanu.
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Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
Some have argued that many historians used the term Marranos (e.g., Cecil Roth, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, etc.). Yet, while this is true, it was done so that the readers would clearly understand about whom was being written, since this was the term used by our Christians persecutors to describe the Jewish converts to Christianity during that period of time.
However, this term was originally chosen to incite the hatred and hostility that existed towards these Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity, and who then tenaciously held on to as much of Jewish customs and traditions as they could (in secret) for centuries. Hence, a more correct term for the forcibly converted Jews is Crypto-Jews, or in the Hebrew, Anousim, literally ?coerced (raped) ones?. For those Jews in Spain or Portugal who willingly converted, or who went along with the program because of economic inducements, the term Converso is used.
In today?s day and age, I see no need to continually use the term Marranos for the descendants of the ?forced converts? (or Crypto-Jews), and thereby continue to degrade or humiliate us. In particular, as this time it is our own people (the Jews) doing so. Isn?t this against the teachings of the Torah, to shame or degrade someone publicly - by calling them ?swine??
The only reason I can see for the use of this term is to acknowledge that, yes, we?re talking about the same people some historians referred to as Marranos, and then to explain why we no longer use this term and why another moniker is superior. I explained these words just the other day to an Orthodox rabbi in New York, and he was shocked (and horrified) at my explanation and the translation of this Spanish term into English. All of sudden, he realized he had been calling some people ?swine? in their own Spanish language. What is needed is more educators out there letting people know that the term Marranos is offensive; perhaps then, people would stop using it.
Yet, what about those few who have taken on this pejorative term as a badge of pride, similar to Black people in the United States who (for a period of time) took on the pejorative term ?nigger? as a badge of pride, when white people refused to stop calling them ?niggers?? Well, we all know about self-hating Jews, so now we can also have self-hating Anousim, I guess. But that doesn?t mean that the majority of the people descended from the Crypto-Jews want to continue to be labeled ?swine?. Let the Christians call us that, but not our own people, who should rather be welcoming us (the Anousim) back into the Jewish community as ?returnees? to the faith and traditions of our Jewish ancestors.
--------------------------------------------------------
Yaffah Batya daCosta (an Anousim returnee) is the Jewish-Christian Affairs Coordinator for Kulanu.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.