Nefesh B'Nefesh brought 245 Americans to their Homeland
And now
Arutz Sheva has some exciting news:
Arutz Sheva has some exciting news:
Historic breakthrough: "Six centuries after their forcible conversion," Rabbi Nissim Karelitz rules that the Mallorca Chuetas are Jews.
"Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund revealed that Rabbi Nissim Karelitz recently issued a written opinion stating clearly and unequivocally that the Chuetas are part of the people of Israel. Freund works to bring “hidden Jews” back into the regular Jewish community and has led the effort to gain recognition of the Chuetas as Jews."
Historic Story at Arutz Sheva
Who are the Chuetas?
The Xuetes (Catalan pronunciation: [ʃuˈətə]; singular Xueta, also known as Xuetons), were a social group on the island of Majorca, descendants of Majorcan Jews who either converted to Christianity or were forced to keep their religion hidden. They practiced strict endogamy.
The Xuetes were stigmatized and until the first half of the 20th century, but then by the second half of that century, with the spread of religious freedom and laicism, both the social pressure and community ties eventually vanished. Nowadays an estimated 18,000 people in the island carry Xueta surnames, but only a small fraction of the society (including those with Xueta surnames themselves) is self-aware of the troubled history of this group. More about them at Wikipedia.
Also an article appeared in the New York Times.
We Welcome the Return of the Chuetas to Klal Yisrael
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