I am happy to discover that there are more of you out there who really care about the subject that's very dear to my heart. I'm also taken back by the fact that there are so many of you that identify with much of what I've described in my previous posting.
I want you to know that I've had feedback from as far as Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Latin American, (our precious ) Israel and throughout the USA. In all these cases, I am being prodded to continue with my discussion which affects so many of us with Sephardic Anusim roots. But I've also confirmed that there are many that have no Jewish roots but appear to be true Zionists at heart and love our people.
However, for the sake of truth, I've also discovered a minute number out there that are cynical and demonstrate an embittered spirit. I only pray this bitterness is swiftly dealt with before it poisons others around them.
I shall begin Part Two by recapping the last couple of paragraphs from my previous statement and move on from there. So here it is...
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.
This is a matter of genetics and heritage as it’s tightly woven into the ageless fabric of God’s first institution called, ‘the family.’
Family is a vital and most integral component to our continued spiritual growth and development – and survival!
This is so serious that for over 20 generations, (since 1391) my people have lived as adopted children among Gentiles, believing we were Gentiles and living as a Gentile.
In our “Gentile-ness,” I’ve seen many of my people living without an accurate purpose or sense of destiny.
Talking about Jews living as Gentiles, it so happens that all Jewish children in Portugal 14 and younger were kidnapped from their families while their parents were expelled in 1497.
These children were kidnapped and placed in Catholic wards in order to be deprogrammed of everything related to their Jewish family and faith.
Collectively they were traumatized by the forceful removal from their homes and families and forced to accommodate to an entirely different culture, lifestyle and religion.
The incredible thing is that, all along, we have been feeling like something is very wrong with this portrait of our supposed heritage.
Some of my people have had recurring dreams that they were robbed of a golden heritage and of the nobility and wealth their ancestors possessed in Spain and Portugal, then later in Mexico and other regions of the Western Hemisphere.
The missing link has been the truth that our real forefathers are not Spanish, per se, neither are they Mexican or of some other Latin American or Caribbean nationality.
At the core of this concern is the inevitable fact that now that we have discovered who our forefathers really are, we yearn to be made complete with the family we so dearly long to be reunited with.
As if this wasn’t enough, we were forced to deny who our real fathers were and to hide the secret of our true Jewish identity, which we did so well and for so long that most of us forgot what the secret was.
Our quest is much deeper and more spiritually profound than the external expressions of culture, customs and social mores.
This quest is more of a test which we must pass in order to go on with our lives.
This quest is like oxygen without which we die.
This test is like that of a boy who just found out that a long lost brother he didn’t even know existed has been looking for him for many years.
Once the searching brother finds him, he discovers to his shock, that he’s not a biological child of the family that reared him – and that his surrogate family kept the secret air-tight from him.
On top of this, the real shock comes when he finds out that his actual biological families were Jews; and that his extended family was persecuted, tortured and in many cases, burnt at the stake by the Inquisition simply because they were Jews – because they worshipped on Saturday rather than Sunday; because they observed the Torah which has been misrepresented for centuries as being “the Law” rather than “the Instruction” which it truly means in its original definition.
Without a doubt, this journey is a process like none other.
It’s filled with an impulsive need, a ceaseless yearning, to reconnect with one’s real family regardless of the cost.
Okay, as in the case of my previous statement, I’ll stop here in order to give you breathing space and also the opportunity to let me know if I should go on with this story. So please let me know one way or the other. After this, if I get the proper feedback for me to continue, I’ll not be asking you if I should because I’ll just continue to ‘plow’ ahead in good faith and with hopeful expectations!
Chag Sameah,
DELL
PS, In case you forgot, my personal email address is: negevdell@hotmail.com. And don’t forget to take a peak into my website: www.4sephardim.com.
Friday, October 2, 2009
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