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In 1925, mining engineer Samuel Schwarz stumbled onto a secret Jewish community in rural Portugal—families who preserved Jewish identity for centuries under the Portuguese Inquisition. In this episode of Jewish History Nerds, Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner trace how “crypto-Jews” survived through hidden rituals, oral tradition, and underground prayer spaces—and what happened once the outside world finally found them. What would you do to keep a tradition alive?
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
Here is a link to Dr. Henry Abramson’s translation of Samuel Schwartz’s book: Discovering the Crypto-Jews of Portugal
https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Discovering-Crypto-Jews-Portugal-Samuel-Schwarz/dp/B0FK5M53KJ
For more on Samuel Schwarz and the discovery of the Crypto-Jews of Portugal, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgXAN6EiJRw9qWGHeR_QeTDGMn10LutLXUZqo1iod-4/edit?usp=sharing
Watch Yael and Schwab on YouTube:
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on youtube.
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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
