About this talk

In 1497, just five years after the expulsion of Jews from Spain, King Manuel I of Portugal decreed that all Jews must convert to Christianity or leave the country. Thousands chose to leave, while others converted and stayed; some continued practicing Judaism in secret as Crypto-Jews. The early 20th century saw the "discovery" of the Jews of Belmonte and the northeastern region of Trás-os-Montes—communities that had lived in isolation with little contact with the outside world. Under Salazar's dictatorship, many were forced back underground until their resurgence following the 1975 Carnation Revolution.

This is where my own on-site fieldwork begins—starting in the late 20th century, through the 1990s, and continuing up to the pandemic. I will introduce the people I interviewed and explain how songs and recited prayers function in both religious and secular contexts. Then we will move into the internet and social media age, exploring the folklorization of these traditions—always with an emphasis on the people and the places where and how they live. Most of the time, I stayed with one family or another, often accompanied by my daughter, who was then a child.

This is, for the most part, a vanished world. All the old prayer women have passed away, and many of the oldest village houses no longer exist. None of the photos or videos I took back then could be taken now. Many young people in Belmonte have moved away; some, born formally Jewish to parents who had themselves formally (re)converted, have made Aliyah to Israel.

About Judith