LATINA DISCOVERS HER JEWISH HERITAGE EXPLAINS MYSTERY.Byline: Holly J. Andres Daily News Staff Writer Gloria Trujillo always knew that her family was different. Little things they did stood out from others, like the way her grandfather would bless her before she went to the store or how her mother separated pots and pans as she prepared a meal. Those differences eventually led to a spiritual discovery that has re-shaped Trujillo's adult life, a secret that Trujillo believes had been kept on her mother's side for generations. The secret she says is that her mother was a descendant of ``crypto-Jews,'' Jews who had been forced to convert to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition Spanish Inquisition harsh tribunal established in 1478 to dispose of heretics, Protestants, and Jews. [Eur. Hist.: Collier’s, X, 259] See : Persecution in the 13th century but who continued to observe their religion in secret. Emigrated from Spain The Spanish Christians of Inquisition-era Spain called the secret Jews ``Morranos,'' an insult that meant swine. It is said the prayers the Jews composed asking forgiveness for their Christian oaths became the Kol Nidre Kol Nidre: see Yom Kippur. Kol Nidre Prayer sung in Jewish synagogues at the start of services on the eve of Yom Kippur. The prayer begins with an expression of repentance for all unfulfilled vows, oaths, and promises to God during the previous year. prayer, a highlight of the Jewish High Holy Days, said Rabbi E. Robert Kraus Robert Kraus (1925 – August 7 2001) was an American children's author, cartoonist and publisher. He drew more than 400 cartoons and 21 magazine covers for The New Yorker. . ``The prayer in the High Holy Days prayer book reads: Let all our vows and oaths, all the promises we make and the obligations we incur to you, oh God, between this Yom Kippur Yom Kippur [Heb.,=day of atonement], in Judaism, the most sacred holy day, falling on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (usually late September or early October). It is a day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness for sins committed during the year. and the next be null and void. Should we, after honest effort find ourselves unable to fulfill them, then may we be absolved of them.'' Trujillo's maternal ancestors emigrated from Spain to the New World, settling in New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). in 1693. She says she and her sisters used to listen to her mothers and aunts talk about their grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl . ``When I was growing up, many of our neighbors were first- and second-generation whose families had come from Mexico,'' she said. ``So, we were different that way. But we heard stories that made our grandparents seem even more different.'' `We were different' One of the things that Trujillo remembers is a trip to Colorado to visit her grandfather when she was 9 years old. ``I remember he asked us to go to a store to buy cigars for him,'' she recalled. ``Before we left, he placed one hand one my head and one on my shoulder and he said a blessing. He did the same to my cousin. At the time, I thought it was a strange thing to do. But later I learned that Jewish parents said a blessing to their children when they went off on a journey.'' Grandmother's routine Trujillo also heard that for an outwardly Catholic family, her grandfather never went to Mass. He always wore a hat indoors. Traditionally, Jewish men wore a hat at all times to remind them of God's presence. And Trujillo's grandmother had a particular routine every Friday night. ``She worked part-time and every Friday night she would come home early and insist that everyone was clean and neat for dinner. She made sure that the linens had been changed and the house cleaned up,'' said Trujillo, who will speak at a ``social action'' Shabbat at Temple Beth Torah in Granada Hills on Friday. ``My aunts told me that she may have gone into another room to light candles on Friday.'' Jewish women traditionally prepare for the Sabbath by making sure their homes are clean, a festive meal is ready and the family is dressed up. Interested in genealogy genealogy (jē'nēŏl`əjē, –ăl`–, jĕ–), the study of family lineage. Genealogies have existed since ancient times. These stories, plus the fact that when she asked her mother why she used separate pots and pans for meat and dairy foods, ``because that's what my mother did,'' were parts of a puzzle that finally came together after a visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe, more properly Santa Fé, (pronounced [ˈsænə feɪ] by natives, [ˌsænə ˈfeɪ] . Trujillo became interested in genealogy from these family stories. She and her sister did research at the Church of Jesus Christ Church of Jesus Christ may refer to:
On the last afternoon of their trip to New Mexico, Trujillo met a man at the Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. Archives who also was researching the same name as her mother's family line. ``I said my mother's family wasn't rich or famous. Why are you researching her? He said, `I have something to tell you,' '' Trujillo said. ``He told me that my mother's family were among the original settlers in New Mexico and that they were crypto-Jews. I was astounded a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, . That's when everything I had heard made sense to me.'' Trujillo has since embraced her religious roots. She took basic Judaism classes with her sister for two years. They took part in a ``rite of return'' ceremony in Arizona in 1996. But they have not gone through a formal conversion to Judaism Conversion to Judaism (Hebrew גיור, giur, "conversion") is the religious conversion of a previously non-Jewish person to the Jewish religion and to the Jewish people. . Conversion to Judaism Formal conversion to Judaism is a controversial issue. ``The Orthodox view is that there should be a standard that is followed as to who is a Jew,'' said Rabbi Kraus, of the Reform congregation of Temple Beth Torah. ``Orthodox and Conservative movements use the standard of birth by a Jewish mother or by a formal conversion. Reform Judaism Reform Judaism Religious movement that has modified or abandoned many traditional Jewish beliefs and practices in an effort to adapt Judaism to the modern world. It originated in Germany in 1809 and spread to the U.S. has used a standard that if either parent is a Jew, then the children will be also.'' Kraus said that he feels that someone who is living a Jewish life, identifies publicly as a Jew and ``in the dark of night'' feels that they are Jewish, is a Jew. With regard to crypto-Jews, Kraus said that ``only good will come'' of the profession of Judaism by the descendants of those who were forced under pain of death to renounce TO RENOUNCE. To give up a right; for example, an executor may renounce the right of administering the estate of the testator; a widow the right to administer to her intestate husband's estate. 2. it. Affirms her faith Trujillo is a member of the Crypto-Judaic Society that was founded in 1991. There are about 175 members nationwide. The original intent of the group was to do research on the descendants of crypto-Jews in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . But Trujillo is available to help other Latinos who think their family is different in the same way that she thought hers was. ``These families aren't unique to New Mexico or Arizona. There are families of crypto-Jews from Mexico who came to California also,'' Trujillo said. While Trujillo is certain that there are local Latino families that haven't made the connection yet to their Jewish heritage, or who choose to still keep the secret, she affirms her faith. ``I consider myself a Jew.'' Social Action Shabbat, with guest speaker Gloria Trujillo, 8 p.m. Friday. Temple Beth Torah, 16651 Rinaldi St., Granada Hills. (818) 831-0835. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO ``I remember he asked us to go to a store to buy cigars for him. Before we left, he placed one hand on my head and one on my shoulder and he said a blessing. He did the same to my cousin. At the time, I thought it was a strange thing to do. But later I learned that Jewish parents said a blessing to their children when they went off on a journey.'' - GLORIA TRUJILLO About her grandfather |
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