Sephardic Anusim Information
Cinco De Mayo Outreach
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Spanish Surnames May Indicate Jewish Roots
5/4/2008
"No way! I'm Jewish?" exclaims a young Hispanic man as he exits
the Kehilat T'nuvah booth at the 2008 Cinco de Mayo Festival in Civic Center
Park. The goal of the booth was to bring awareness to the Hispanic community
about their possible Jewish heritage. "It was a success," says Senior
Pastor Mark McLellan. "We thought that it would be a challenge getting
people into the booth to hear what we had to say, but they ended up just walking
in on their own."
Kehilat T'nuvah (The Harvest Congregation) set up
the booth to help promote their upcoming guest speaker Dr. Dell Sanchez who
is an expert on Sephardic (Spanish) Jews. "We found the Cinco de Mayo Festival the perfect opportunity
to reach out to the Hispanic community," McLellan said. The Denver Cinco
de Mayo Festival is touted as one of largest in the nation with over 400,000
visitors.
"The booth had to be as simple as possible because we did not have a
lot of time to put it together." said Michael Gonzales, another Pastor
from Kehilat T'nuvah. "The content is what drew the people in." On
one side of the booth were poster boards that displayed articles and images
designed to educate spectators about the Spanish Inquisition and the violence
poured out on the Sephardic Jews. On the other side of the booth was a list
of 5,220 Sephardic Jewish surnames. The list contains most of the common Spanish
surnames like Garcia, Rodriguez and Martinez. "However," explained
Gonzales, "if your name is on the list it doesn't necessarily mean that
you are Jewish. If your name is not on the list it doesn't mean you are not."
"Cinco De Mayo Outreach"
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The Kehilat T'nuvah Booth - view from the back
The list of 5,220 Sephardic Jewish Surnames
Information about Sephardic Jews and the Inquisition
The crowd begins to grow
Discussing Jewish Heritage
Young and old are curious about their Sephardic roots
"There it is! I found my name on the list!"
"Oh my God, look at that."
"Hmmm."
"Wow my name is on the list!"
Many Hispanics want to know more about their Sephardic roots
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