Guides
Everything we've written about Sephardic ancestry and the crypto-Jewish world, in one place.
Sephardic & Jewish Surnames
A guide to Sephardic and Spanish-Portuguese Jewish surnames with converso roots. Check whether your last name points to hidden Jewish ancestry.
Marranos, Conversos & Anusim
What do marrano, converso, and anusim mean? The history of Spain and Portugal's forced Jewish converts who kept their faith in secret for centuries.
Sephardic Jews: History, Diaspora and Descendants
Who are the Sephardic Jews? Their history from medieval Iberia through the 1492 expulsion to today's global diaspora, and the hidden descendants of the Anusim.
Signs of Hidden Sephardic Ancestry
Wondering 'am I Sephardic?' Explore the signs of hidden Jewish ancestry — customs, surnames, and traditions passed down from crypto-Jewish families.
Am I Jewish? Signs of Hidden Jewish Ancestry
Wondering 'am I Jewish?' Explore the common signs of hidden Jewish ancestry in surnames, family customs, and history, and how to research your roots.
Sephardic DNA Test: What It Can and Can't Tell You
An honest guide to Sephardic and Jewish-ancestry DNA testing: what the results really mean, their limits, and how to request a free at-home kit.
Sephardic Citizenship: Portugal and Spain
How Sephardic descent connects to Portuguese and Spanish citizenship pathways: what the laws say today, who may qualify, and the documentation involved.
Crypto-Jewish Customs That Survived the Inquisition
Friday-night candles, covered mirrors, avoiding pork: the hidden crypto-Jewish customs that Sephardic Anusim families carried in secret for twenty generations.
The Alhambra Decree of 1492
The Alhambra Decree of 1492 expelled Spain's Jews and created the Sephardic diaspora and the Anusim. What the edict said, why it mattered, and its legacy today.
Crypto-Jews of Latin America and the US Southwest
From New Mexico to Mexico, Brazil and Colombia: the crypto-Jewish (Anusim) descendants of Latin America and the American Southwest and their surviving traditions.