Repercussions of Obadiah's Prophecy

A Preliminary Word


Here I am, 13 years since I first discovered the family secret that my parents are actual descendants of Spanish Jews known as Sephardic Anusim. This was an air-tight secret kept for many generations which finally leaked to my father that his father had been given up for adoption by a high ranking officer in the Mexican Military that happened to be a Jew. He was then raised by another Sephardic/Spanish couple in Montemorelos, Mexico until he crossed the border as a young man and married the daughter of another Sephardic family from Monterrey, Mexico.

The more I’ve labored in this field of research and published four books on this subject both in English which are also in Spanish and one in German – the more I discover some very sad stories which affect the Sephardic Anusim among Hispanic/Latinos of the Southwestern states of the USA. I’ve become rudely awakened to the fact that there are some serious issues out there which pertain to our reconnecting with our ancient forefathers’ heritage and traditions.

I have therefore proposed myself to humbly yet authoritatively unveil some of these sad stories in a new book I’m preparing to publish as soon as I finish the one I’m working on at this moment. In the prelude of my book I ask a series of heart wrenching questions to both, Gentile Christians as well as Jews. I must confess that I’ve been upset by many of my findings in this arena and hope to begin to answer some of the questions I pose here below.
So let’s get to it and see where this winds up. And if your response to this is somewhat agreeable, I might just continue to add to what I propose here below. So let me begin with the question, “What if.”

What if I were a Jew, would this make a difference to you? And what if I was a Christian?

What if I had converted from Judaism to Christianity? How would you feel about it? On the other hand, what if I’d converted from Christianity to Judaism, would that affect our friendship?

Would you distance yourself from me because of this?

Would you still accept me if I had changed some of the ways I personally express my spirituality in order to fulfill my life’s destiny?

Would you criticize or judge me if my personal growth and development made me seem different in comparison to the earlier days when you knew me or thought you did?

Would you jump to conclusions about the changes you’d perceived in me without personally asking me?

Or would you take somebody else’s word about their perceptions of gossip about me and not ask me, especially if we were friends?

Would you be offended if I no longer agreed with you on matters that are down right “negotiable” and worthy of constructive discussion and debate?

Or would you austerely put your foot down and talk badly about me because I don’t condescend to your explicit ways of religious expression or beliefs?

Would you and I both choose the high road of real godliness?

Would we choose the highway of love?

No, I’m not referring to gullible love but unconditional love that goes as far as to exhort, to inquire, correct and even to rebuke if necessary? And I’m not referring to a one-sided rebuke either without the ability of a rebuff.

Or might we pick the cheap freeway of aloofness on the “who cares?” lane?

At the heart of this delicate matter is a very long and complex journey between the awakening of my people, the Sephardic Anusim and our actual Jewish family.

(By Anusim I’m referring to the descendants of Spanish Jews who suffered persecution, massacres, tortures, kidnappings, burnings at the stake and their expulsion from Spain and later by the infamous holocausts called Inquisitions. I’m specifically referring to Anusim in light of its true definition meaning “to be forced or coerced” to convert from a Sephardic Jewish lifestyle to that of a Roman Catholic Christian. From here on out I shall refer to a Sephardic Anusim Jew simply as Benei Anusim or simply Anusim. And I shall also speak in the first person.)

The fact is that there are many passages which often feel like a long and obscure sendero (a long and narrow pathway in the woods) where all we do is inquire, pray a lot and continue to trust in God.

In every one of these sendero experiences are rays of truth and revelation that begin to form, but only if you persist.

It’s a long and treacherous journey between the world we grew up in and the world we yearn to reconnect with – the world of our forefathers who disappeared generations ago particularly during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions and later the Mexican Inquisition.

This is a journey that unfolds like an ancient scroll, slowly releasing new truths of our historical and genealogical family tree which adverse situations and evil people attempted to cut at the root.

This is a journey which unveils the true origins behind certain customs, traditions and linguistic terms we’ve practiced for many generations but had no inkling they were related to our Spanish Jewish forefathers.

This journey is like an eruption within the foundation of our roots which reveal a Jewish ancestry and not a Gentile one.

At the core is the reality that this long and arduous journey is not primarily cultural nor historical or genealogical.

The heart of this discussion is not even a matter of theology nor religion. It is obvious that, in and of itself, religion isn’t bad but it’s secondary to the root of my immediate concern.

For now, I shall put this matter on pause until I receive any feedback from you, the reader. If but a hand full of you (out there) prompt me to continue with this subject, I shall do so. Therefore, write to me at negevdell@hotmail.com. If you wish, you might visit my website for additional information: http://www.4sephardim.com/.

Shalom…
Shana tova,DELL