Nancy’s Story: A Secret Jewish Past
Part I
Nancy Cuevas Guzman writes,
I was a Santeria and bruja for 35 years never knowing I was a Jew. I experienced a “conversion by G-d” and my coming to Israel was “accidental”. I was stuck here after Palestinians whom I booked my tour with in California canceled my ticket home because I accused their tour guide of sexual harassment. It was a mess. I was stuck in Israel alone and Hezbollah started bombing. That was in 2006.
I had seen the name “Levy” in my family records and was deeply ashamed of it for I thought it was a “gringo” name. I was constantly told I was Spanish of some kind of “pedigree” and that all of our marriages were pre-arranged by parents in Lares. This is true. I didn’t know it was to stay “Jewish”…I thought it was to stay Spanish, for many Puerto Ricans mixed their blood, which was forbidden in my family.
I always wondered why my mother wore a Star of David and would not allow crosses in the house, like other Spanish families. I thought they were crazy, especially when they got so teary-eyed when they talked about Jews. The problem was secrecy. They wanted to protect the children. It was illegal to be a Jew in Puerto Rico and old attitudes linger.
Since I was stuck in Jerusalem…East Jerusalem, for I did not know any better, I thought I may as well study the Torah while I’m here. I had deep feelings towards it. I was rejected everywhere for when they asked me if I was a Jew I said “No, I am Spanish”. I did not know that Jews could be Spanish. I knew nothing of the Inquisition beyond the “witch trials.”
I was referred to Mrs. Vorst for conversion because I wanted so badly to study the Torah and she said my name was Jewish and instructed me to contact my mother who wrote back with the story. I was shocked! It was a little as if you woke up and found out you were an Arab! My entire family is 100 per cent Jewish and Lares is a secluded Sephardic village. I returned with my mother to Puerto Rico and obtained all the documents, census records, the Inquisition List with all my family names upon it and took photos of the family graves that are all the same names. My mother’s cousin, a psychiatrist on the island, has all the dates and history of the family from their great-grandfather whose sur-name was Levy.
It’s been a weird ride. Funny, Judaism feels so natural for me, as if I always knew it. I saw much of what I have learned in classes in Judaism from my dreams a long time ago. I was the only religious person in my family, albeit, bad religion. When I emerged from the years of Caribbean religion (idolatry) and began earnestly praying to the Living God after a conversion experience, I always rocked back and forth like a Jew davening. However, I never saw anyone pray like that until I came to the Kotel in Jerusalem.
It was amazing to me.
Many other incidences too numerous to describe here. I feel my being here and discovery of my Jewish heritage is Providential.
I am perplexed that a man like Rabbi Eisenstein and the other Charedi judges prevent a person like me from coming back. I belong here and I will continue to fight him.
Next: Conversion at the mercy of the Ohel Sarah Imenu and Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein
Earlier: Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Are Reversing Conversions By the Fistful
11 comments
Inquisition lists???
How come I’m not convinced?
Ms. Cuevas Guzman,
I have two question for you:
In an earlier post you mentioned having been attacked ten times by Charedim. Why do you think they have been targeting you specifically?
Also, what brought you to Israel in the first place, having had no knowledge of your Jewish heritage? I’m anxious to hear the rest of your story.
Also, tourist guides need to obtain a license to access certain sites / sights with groups; they need to take strict examinations, get background checked and are registered with the authorities (one of my former professors obtained such a llicense for his trips with students, so I know), so how come a Palestinian could be a tourist guide to Israel given the year of the trip?
Dear Sarah,
I am so surprised at your comments. Yes, there are census records which were taken by the “Church of Spain”, the Holy Office which give all the names of “their Jews”, the people who were of known Jewish blood. These lists were given me by the Jewish Community Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They are also obtainable on the Internet. Try searching under “Raices Apellidos Judios”. I could quote to you if you read Spanish:
“Segun el censo realizado por la iglesia Catolica de Espana. Hay una lista de 3,500 apellidos (nombres) Judios definidos, por EL SANTO OFICIO de Espana. La lista es el resultado del censo de las Comnidades Judias de Espana realizadas por la iglesia catolica. Todo los apellidos (nombres) que se encuentran alli son de origen judio. Bease en el libro escrito por Pere Bonnin titulado Sangre Judia.” Whenever you see “EL SANTO OFICIO”, you are talking Inquisition. Puerto Rico had an Office of the Inquisition until the 1850s in San Juan. Remember that the Inquisition changed names many times and today that same department exists and is called “The Holy See”. The Jews who came to the Island always moved to the mountains and started lives all over. They kept isolated and did not accept others into their community. Families in Puerto Rico had a little caste system…”good families” arranged marriages for their children between other “good families” while they were mere toddlers, even in little villages like Lares. There is a massive amount of information obtainable all in one place in Israel which I can refer English speakers to called, Casa Shalom, Gloria Mound Executive Director/Hon. Research Fellow Dept. Hispanics University of Glasgow 1988-2009 Casa Shalom Institute For Marrano-Anusim Studies POB 66 Gan Yavneh Israel 70800. Tel/ Fax. 972-(0)8-8573150 - Gloria Mound is the recognized expert, published in this field. I recommend her to anyone interested or having questions about Marranos or Anusim. Good luck, Sarah.
Nancy, The Holy See is the Vatican as in The Catholic Church authority; church documents to this day are kept in Latin, till 1965 they were kept in Latin exclusively, the place to obtain them from would be the “secret archives” (secret as in “secretary; not really secret, any scholar providing proper references may access them). The Inquisition, originally aiming at beating back the increasing Muslim influence on Europe, changed its name once; it’s now called the Congregation of Faith, which now employs the most knowledgeable scholars in the Catholic world. Anyhow, I don’t need any luck with looking something up which by its formalia appears pretty scam to me, and I get the vibe I’m not the only one under that impression.
My name is Santiago Levy and I live in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There are a number of inaccurate statements in this blog that refer to the Levy family from Lares, Puerto Rico and the town itself that I would like to comment on.
You start by saying that you felt ashamed of the Levy name in you family records because it was a “gringo” name, but you first name “Nancy” is even more of a gringo name, as it does not exist in Spanish at all - 100% gringo - but you were not ashamed of this? Furthermore, you call yourself “Spanish” all the time when you are really, like me, Puerto Rican (except for your gringo first name). Levy is Jewish, I never heard anybody call it gringo in my 60 years. Not in Puerto Rico, not anywhere.
I have been an amateur genealogist for many years and have records for the family dating back to 1835. They were practicing Catholics, the baptism certificates are everywhere. It had been illegal to be Jewish in all of the Spanish New World until about 1815, when the Cedula de Gracias lifted that restriction to encourage commerce. After that there was no real need to hide you religion or last name although tradition certainly would prevent non-Catholics from openly practicing their religion. Even so, I was surprised to hear that marriages were supposedly pre-arranged by Levy parents in Lares, especially “to protect the children” - I do not doubt that some marriages were pre-arranged here as elsewhere, but this is news to me. I have also never seen teary eyes when people talk about Jews or heard about anyone in Lares banning crosses in the house.
As an amateur genealogist, I have submitted my DNA for genealogic study to determine my ancestral relationships. The results are scientific fact - all my closest relatives are Ashkenazi from Central and Eastern Europe, almost no relatives from Spain. Since I belong to the only Levy family from Lares I can assure that there is no way Lares is a “secluded Sephardic village.” OK I will grant you secluded during most of the last century (not anymore) but most assuredly not Sephardic or even Jewish. Have you ever been there? Do you even know how to get there?
I have hard evidence to back all my statements: Census data, birth and death certificates, DNA results and first-hand knowledge to back up all my arguments. However, I have never seen your “Inquisition List” and all the matching family grave photos; these would be a great addition to my document collection. Perhaps you could have your mother’s cousin, the psychiatrist on the island, who has all the dates and history of the family from their great-grandfather whose surname was Levy send me a copy of these documents? You have my email.
That someone can evolve from the voodoo-based Santeria practice to Jewish conversion is amazing, congratulations. I am glad you found yourself; there is no need to make the people of Lares look like intolerant fools to make your “weird ride” look even grander by adorning it with dramatic, creative fiction.
Dear Santiago Levy,
I am sorry if I have offended you for I recognize that I really did not word those statements very well and at the time when I wrote them I never expected them to appear on the blog. I am not a professional writer! I thought Levy was a name like “Libby”
for I also saw it spelled with a “b” on some records. Forgive my ignorance. Also, you are right about the name, “Nancy”. My parents were born in Lares and I was the first to be born in California. “Nancy” sounded very “unique” to Lares-born
Puerto Ricans. I always wanted to change it and now I have a Hebrew name which is even more “unique” and also does not match my surnames!
I also have “hard evidence” and I am most happy to share with you all that I have. First of all my certificates come from the Office right there in San Juan, Registro Demografico. My other certificates from the 1800’s came from the Bishops records in Lares. The US Federal Census records are from 1910-1930. The list of names of the Jews are from the Census of the Church of Spain, also obtainable right there in your home town of San Juan.
Go to the Jewish Community Center on 903 Ponce de Leon Ave. and the library should be able to provide it to you. The graves of the Levy-Quinones family, (my mother’s) are very close to the entrance of the cemetery in Lares on your left side.
I am surprised there is still a Levy around from Lares and you did not provide an E-mail address. I have a sense that you are pulling my leg, but in case you are sincere, I am surprised your family is all Catholic, especially if they are from Lares. The whole reason for moving into a forest covered mountain range is to hide. Marranos always chose those locations. My great-grandmother and my grandmother always touched the front door upon entering or leaving and said a little prayer, which is NOT a Catholic tradition. My family have many little traditions like that, a raiment of their Jewishness, which most Marranos recognize. My mother stills tells me that her mother and father never once stepped foot in a Catholic Church in her entire life, nor did they ever have a single cross or Catholic religious item in their home. Also her mother wore a Star of David under her garments. She was told emphatically that she was a Jew and I heard the elders in my family state the same thing.
I have reason to also doubt your story. You ask if I have ever been to Lares. My whole family IS Lares. My cousin was a physician in Lares for 11 years and now returns each weekend for he is compiling the entire history of Lares and our family. He is 75 years old, my mother’s mother and his father were siblings.
You wanted if I have ever been to Lares or even know how to get there. Well, from San Juan, I used to enjoy taking Route 2 and going down the Old Lares Road with it’s tunnels of Flamboya trees that lined the road. Now that they have built the new road, I don’t enjoy the ride as much. I am a woman who walks into Lares and even the man at our home made ice cream shop, which you should know, Heladeria, takes one look at me and points out my cousins whose surname is Torre and Perez. My best times were visiting with my father many years ago an uncle who was building a home in the middle of the forest with cows and chickens on his property.
As you know, since you state that you are writing this from P.R., you are aware that San Juan is steeped in Santeria and Palo Myombe. Spiritism has been in the Island for centuries. Your sarcastic remarks cast doubts in my mind for if you are in San Juan, you know better!
I am sorry if your family lost all touch with their Jewishness. How can anyone blame them after 500 years of persecution.
But, if what you say is real, then you should be looking into your Jewish roots! Maybe you belong in the fold!
YO SOY NACIDA EN LARES
TENGO 72 ANOS Y SOY JUDIA.
PORQUE ATACAS A LA BORICUA SIN SABER
NUESTRAS HISTORIAS. A LOS DIEZ ANOS, SUPE
QUE ERA JUDIA, PERO NO PUSE IMPORTANCIA.
LARES TENIA (EN MIS TIEMPOS)MUCHAS RASAS EUROPEANA, ESPANOLES-JUDIOS, HOLANDESES Y OTRAS. LAS MUJERES MAS BONITAS DE LA ISLA, ESTABAN EN LARES.
MUCHAS RUBIAS DE OJOS AZULES.
LARES TAMBIEN ERA DE JENTE BIEN ORGULLOSA Y BASTANTE RACISTA Y QUERIAMOS SOLO BLANCOS Y DE NUESTRO PUEBLO. EL MATRIMONIO DE MI MADRE FUE
ARREGLADO A LOS CATORCE ANOS. EN ESE TIEMPO SE CASABAN CON LOS PRIMOS Y SI TU PADRE DECIDIA EN TU PAREJA, ASI TENIA QUE HACER. LAS FAMILIAS ERAN MUY UNIDAS Y CON MUCHA HARMONIA. EDUCACION ERA UN REQUISITO NECESARIO. LARES TENIA JUDIOS/
ESPANOLES. NEGOCIANTES Y INTELIGENTES.
TODOS ERAMOS BIEN PRIVADOS Y NO HABIAN COMENTARIOS FUERA DE LA FAMILIA. PENA QUE NO SABES LA HISTORIA VERDADERA. LO QUE LA BORICUA PUBLICO ES VERDAD.
SI NO ERES JUDIO, QUE HACES LEYENDO NUESTRO PERIODICO?
CON EL NOMBRE LEVY, ESTOY SEGURA QUE ERES. PERO SI NOS RENUNCIA, ESTA BIEN, NO TE NECESITAMOS. YO ME CONSIDERO PURA BORICUA, PERO NO NIEGO QUE TENGO OTRA S
SANGRES EN MIS VENAS. DEJA DE ATARCARNOS PORQUE SABEMOS NUESTRA HISTORIA, PASADA POR NUESTRAS ABUELITAS.
YO SALI DE LARES JOVEN, PERO NO OLVIDO MI NINEZ. AMO MI PUEBLO, MI GENTE , NO IMPORTA LA RELIJION Y RESPETO A TODOS ASI DEVES DE HACER TU. ENSENA TU EDUCACION Y INTELIJENCIA SI DEVERAS ERES UN LARENO. LOS LARENOS SOMOS MUY EDUCADOS, CARINOSOS Y CORDIAL, RESPETA!!
I have translated this for the benefit of non-Spanish speakers, you cannot kvetch properly if you have no idea what people are saying. Obviously a direct word-for-word translation would fail to convey her thoughts but I stayed as close to the original as possible, the main translation issue for me was her use of the word “Boricua” that has no real translation. Although it literally means “Puerto Rican”, “Boricua” comes from way back when the native Tainos called Puerto Rico “Borikén” and thus has a certain implied Puerto Rican pride to it, it is a word used when a speaker or writer wants to convey a felling of “one of us”, an insider, separate from “them”, the people not from the island. It is a warmer word. With that in mind, you can get a pretty good feeling for her message.
This is interesting but I have to work during the week.
—-
I am a 72 year old woman born in Lares and I am Jewish. Why do you attack the Boricua woman when you do not know our stories? When I was 10 I learned that I was Jewish but attached no importance to it. Lares had (in my days) many European Races, Spanish-Jewish, Dutch, and others. The most beautiful women on the island were in Lares. Many blondes with blue eyes. In Lares there were many very proud people, very racist and we wanted only white people and only from our town. My mother’s wedding was fixed when she was 14. In those days we married our cousins and if your father decided on your partner, that was it. Families were very united and with lots of harmony. Education was a requisite. Lares had Jews/Spaniards. Businesspeople and intelligent.
We were all very private and there were no comments outside the family. Pity that you do not know the true story. What the Boricua woman published is the truth.
If you are not Jewish, what are you doing reading our newspaper? With the Levy name, I am sure you are. But if you go away, it’s okay, we don’t need you. I consider myself pure Boricua, but I do not deny that I have other blood in my veins. Stop attacking us, because we know our stories, passed on by our grandmothers.
I left Lares when I was young, but I do not forget my youth. I love my town, my people, no matter what religion and you should do the same. Show your education and intelligence if you are really from Lares. We Lareños are very educated, loving and friendly, respect!!
Mr Levy, this is pretty interesting as it emphasizes your point that even a person critical of you (as it appears) verifies that Lares was not a secluded Sefardic community.
I’d like to add that blond hair and blue eyes are recessive genetic features that stem from Northern and Eastern Europe and can only be transmitted via at some point clean line that doesn’t posses the dominant, dark (Middle Eastern, Southern European etc.) features.
Sarah,
Not to be gratuitously contrary, but it seems to me that the fact about;
“blond hair and blue eyes are recessive genetic features that stem from Northern and Eastern Europe and can only be transmitted via at some point clean line that doesn’t posses the dominant, dark (Middle Eastern, Southern European etc.) features.”
can’t be categorically true. King David, who was a red head, is the most prominent example that comes to mind. Also, in East Jerusalem there are many, many, Arab blonds and even red heads with blue eyes. Blue and green eyes seem to be a very common trait for Arabs. This is probably left over from the middle ages, and no sooner. There are also many red headed Persian-Jews that I know, whose gene pool has not come in contact with any other since the days of Queen Esther.
I remember learning about recessive genes in high school, but can’t remember how that punnet square thing works. I think I remember that it does leave some room for genetic surprises.
Leave a Comment