I no longer recall the last name, most likely his widow will remember, but it sounded Ashkenazi in origin. Paleography is the technique to read ancient scriptures. [36], Jewish influence in Puerto Rican and popular culture, El Vocero, Suplemento: 40 Aniversario del Estado de Israel, seccion: Judios de PR, 1988 pg.6, Eduardo Giorgetti Y Su Mundo: La Aparente Paradoja De Un Millonario Genio Empresarial Y Su Noble Humanismo"; by, "The New York Times", Sunday May 29, 1949 "Puerto Rico Chorus Has Grown in Few Years Under Direction of Harvard-Trained Conductor". Reform Jewish Congregation. In 1970, Raphy Leavitt organized a band with an original sound and style that became one of Puerto Rico's greatest salsa orchestras, "La Selecta". [3] The majority settled in the island's capital, San Juan, where in 1942 they established the first Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico.[13]. [14] Rabbi Adolph Spiegel, was among the serviceman who stayed in Puerto Rico.He led services from 1899 to 1905 in Ponce. Suerte! His last name was Rosado and mother's was Ortiz. It is also the only Caribbean island in which all three major Jewish denominationsOrthodox, Conservative, and Reformare represented. The Catholic Inquisition, which as you know came before the Spanish Inquisition, listed many names other than those 15. Thank you,Sam, Hi Nancy,I am researching my paternal grandfather's family from Lares. Many times date of birth, occupation, We should be careful not to offend people by claiming a heritage that's not ours. But this is what academic study is for, in my opinion: To uncover, confirm and simply discuss ideas. StreamNancy Cuevas Guzman1 week ago This is an interview I made of Dr. Quinones, my mother's maternal cousin in order to document this information before he passes away and it is lost forever. My mother last name was Lafontaine from Utuado P.R. I remember been mad at him while he was telling me, because he did not wanted my Palestinian future stepdad to call me at his house.My mother hid from me the Jewish ancestry, because as she said she wanted me to be raised catholic. According to historians, the first Jews to arrive in Puerto Rico were conversos, Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism and were members of Christopher Columbus's crew during his second voyage to the so-called "New World", arriving in Puerto Rico on November 19, 1493. Shalom from puerto rico.My name isOrlando Jimenez I am from Puerto Rico. And I say this because many people dedicate their lives to studying the Sephardic Jews, their customs, language, travel routes, and ways of life. Among the many successful businesses which they have established are Supermercados Pueblo (Pueblo Supermarkets) founded by George and Harold Toppel,[25] Almacenes Kress (clothing store), founded by Jorge Artime,[26] Doral Bank, Pitusa and Me Salve, founded by Israel Kopel. I am glad that I found someone like you to do these discoveries..I would like more info. Register of Isaac and Abraham De Paiba (1715-1775) from the Achives of the There was a Puerto Rican genealogy group addressing Seph origins, but it seems to have gone inactive. I do have a gutt feeling. A new DNA project has been organized for Puerto Ricans. Her mother was white, but her father was Arabian-Jewish. It is a shame that they had to practice in hidding because of the catholic church. Again, thank you!! I automatically gained an admiration and respect for them, felt so strongly about it. NAMES ANALYSIS REPORT - nameyourroots.com By this time family names were well developed. For me personally, it has been a work in progress. I am rosario too. No wonder I get up at 2am or 3 am to pray to Yahweh, Jeshua. Do you have any information that may help in my investigation? SECTION Vl, Heraldry. The American television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975, to June 8, 1979, had a character named Juan Epstein, played by Robert Hegyes. Cagigas. Till the few instances in which we found another Jaume in NYC all panned out to be related to us. Austurias. There are no pure races or religions on the face of this earth. Included in this My husbands mothers was tested and her migration map shows her direct line came from The part on the map that is marked (N) or Israel., but she is related to Mallorcan Jews according to her last name. The first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were refugees fleeing Germanoccupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Many of the names Family trees are included for many of the families. Ciudad Real, to include the converso inquisition trials in the mid 15th judia o judeoconversa. attempted to provide the ports of departure of these immigrants. Her mother's name Jaume. research. THIS SITE ARE TAKEN FROM THE FOLLOWING REFERENCES. We are conducting a massive research with our team of historians using primary source documents, archives and scripts, which means well track your surname centuries back to any document, transactions or any legal act from that era. Los Apellidios Biblicos De Mallorica (Biblical Names of Mallorca) by Miquel How can I find out if my maternal side is connected to Jewish ancestors?Please let me know! Large numbers of Jewish immigrants began to arrive in Puerto Rico in the 1930s as refugees from Nazi occupied Europe. On my mothers side are Rodriguez, Santiago, Pineiro, My mothers sister married a Guzman. The names have been provided by the author. This reference Click here to review our services, or contact us : : 03-3724722 055-9781688 office@lawoffice.org.il Sefaradi De Sobrenomes (Dictionary of Sephardic Surnames): This reference I have always felt connected to Jewish friends that I have had and both my daughters and I have Jewish genetic markers. century. research tool for Sephardic research in Amsterdam. Puerto Rico's tightknit Jewish community perseveres amid Surfside tragedy I just posted a video of Dr. Quinones from Lares telling a story of Jewish family. Be prepared When we asked him where, he said Israel. The names are extracted from the research of an Austalian, Ms. Salom, I have other Levy (who are related) that connect to my Gonzalez-Sotomayor Medina line as well. I found this interesting though lofty as no website documenting Sephardic surnames (and there are quite a few) list Sepharad as a surname. Rich in names and and history There are so many men named Israel and Abrahamthat it calls my attention. And my grand f. lived in San Lorenzo and Las Piedras in P.R.And my dad parents came from Cataluna and Canary via Venezuela. I am from Orocovis. The place is full of Sephardi last names. This Sephardic surname is widespread among Morrocan Jews and other Jews of Meditteranean descent. Ashkenazim, (European Jewry), in genearl, including the Rabbinical Authorities, do not accept the "Ben Anousim"aka"The Forced Ones"aka"Marranos", or those whose ancestors escaped the Inquisition. Thank you. Hi, I started doing my family tree back in December 2013, when I came across the Sephardic surnames. Thank you so very much, Lydia Torres Soto. My family comes from Spain and have been in Puerto Rico for many, many, many, years Surname Delvalle on my Father's side. We have been celebrating the Jewish Holidays for over 12 years since we came from Puerto Rico to Florida. Curacao, a Dutch Carribbean island near Venuzuela was a Sephardic Jewish Colony established by The Netherlands during the slave trade. This reference documents the assimilation, name changes and coversion Very interesting the mention of Utuado. History of the Jews in Christian Spain, by Yitzhak Baer. extracted from the book, Finding Our Fathers, by Dan Rottenberg. My children, grand children and I have a strange blood condition and and was told told by the doctors only by Jewish people have this condition. Apparently Catholics using the same surname didnt count! My husband is Rivera Rosado from his father and Andujar Maldonado from his mother. This There was no lights were she lived and she had a farm with lots of animals. There is no such thing as a Sephardic surname. Since it originates and concretes in the Near East, it can be from either one of these groups. His descendants lived on the island by the end of the sixteenth century and, as a result of [28] Brenda K. Starr is a salsa singer who in 2002 won two Latin Grammy Awards, one for "Best Salsa Album", for "Temptation" and the other in the category "Best Salsa Single" for "Por Ese Hombre". Two of its remaining possessions were Puerto Rico and Cuba, both of which were demanding more autonomy and had pro-independence movements. III. Thank you for reading through my post.Carol Reid. I love the fact that I m not the only puertorrican searching for answers, who knows this can be inspired for Jehovah himself, I love Jesus and I always going to be Christian but I also love Israel and I will love to know if my greatgrampa is a Jewish decendant. : : 03-3724722 055-9781688 office@lawoffice.org.il records of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [9] In the 1950s, the Puerto Rican musician Augusto Rodrguez, founder of the Choir of the University of Puerto Rico, founded the Hebrew Festival Chorus of San Juan's Jewish Community. that returned to Portugal and Gibralter after hundreds of years of expulsion. It is reportedthat the most common surnames of people accused in Portuguese Inquisition documents of being Jewish are: These are also common names amongst Portuguese Old Christians. The law was an attempt to attract more settlers who would be faithful to the Spanish Crown by granting the right of religious freedom to all who wished to worship a religion other than Catholicism. (Israel Kopel, president of Almacenes Pitusa) (Top 10 Business Leaders of Puerto Rico: 1991), "Eisa Davis and Quiara Alegria Hudes finalists for 2007 Pulitzer Prize", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_Jews_in_Puerto_Rico&oldid=1150547721, This page was last edited on 18 April 2023, at 19:36. [4] The Jews who arrived and settled in Puerto Rico were referred to as "Crypto-Jews" or "secret Jews". Sixto it was not Jaume. It started making sense why we did things that I thought was Puerto Rican culture which in reality is Jewish Culture. Beside each listing is a number or series of numbers My dad told me his dad was Jewish but he had to change his last name to Jimenez because the locals in Utuado could not pronounce his last name. "[21], Puerto Rico is home to the largest and wealthiest Jewish community in the Caribbean with almost 3,000 Jewish inhabitants. Ferdinando david.ferdinando@virgin.net. [23], The municipality of Yauco has a street with the word "Judio" (Jewish) in it. (~), The Circumcision The Jews of Jamaica, by Richard D. Barnett and Philip Wright. I sure hopethis study can shed some light to all of us who can't seem to understand why we feel sort of jewish! followed by a short biography and references for additional information. Hello. Of course, there were those who stayed and became nuevos cristianosor New Christians who were seen differently from those who were Old Christians before the royal edict. Hi. (~), Sephardic Created in 2006 at JTA's request, it is now independent. [9], The Reform congregation utilizes the English, Spanish, and Hebrew languages in their teachings, the Conservative congregation also uses English, Hebrew and Spanish. involved with the inquisition. at a personal level. names. All of her siblings have very indeginious features. I will contact you by Email. She has a Hebrew surname and lived somewhere where most people with Spanish or Portuguese surnames were Jewish. Many people believe that having a surname that ends in -ez in a guaranteed ticket to claiming Jewish origins. Sepharad Puerto Rico. I always saw things that my father did as odd , like washing his hands to his elbows.he would just tell me "that is the way I was.taught by my father's father". I recently did DNA testing at 23andMe because both of my grandmother's identitities and ancestry was unknown. However, 400 years prior to Christopher Columbus voyages seems undocumented in the mainstream historic archives, unless I missed something? Thank you so much for your work. Maybe this couple enjoyed reading the Old Testament and was influenced by writers with such names. It is a very frustrating and racist Israela word to the wise. In Spain and Portugal there seems to be a myth that Jews adopted surnames from trees and fruit. The Inquisitors and the Jews in the New World. Serrano Ranking In the United States, the name Serrano is the 646 th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. Although I still keep Shabbat, study Torah and go to synagogue services I do not close my eyes to the harsh realities of "The State of Israel" nor dismiss it with an emotional "Hallaluyah". (~), From the book, All their lives. Hello! To help my fellow researchers I will list Sephardic names that I have found to appear in several printed sources useful to genealogists. list are the names of the relatives of the victims. When you really think about this, it makes perfect sense. I was told when I was about 10 yrs old by an aunt and she is a David. By the way I have Vazquez fron Spain that lived in Utuado. For example (31/3/8) = Esti volume 3, issue8. from the magazine ETSI. This will take some time, so please be patient. In 2006, the Billboard Latin Music Awards nominated her for a "Best Salsa Single" award for "Tu Eres". Having a jewish great grandfather doesn't make you jewish. In fact, I am sorry to say that I was even beaten and abused by Orthodox Jews. The four childrens names are : Luz Mara, Ismael, Abraham, and Benjamin the last three being names that can be found within the Jewish naming tradition. Puerto Rico Personal Names FamilySearch Brugman and his son refused to surrender to the Spanish authorities and eventually were executed. reference will introduce many new names and/or many new spellings to known It was so deep into mountains of Puerto Rico that the roads we took did not have anything on sides and if you weren't careful, your car can go over the side. Ive been also told that I look Jewish. I was informed that I have Jewish descent. The last name in Puerto Rico is actually of Itali. Now, probably hundreds of people around the world mistakenly believe they are of Jewish descent, and some have even made major life changes as a consequence. I would like you to join our yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PRGENEALOGY-NW which concentrates on genealogy in northwest PR, especially San Sebastian and Lares. Dr. Quinones was the only physician in his tiny mountain hometown of Lares, Puerto Rico where my mother and father were also born. by ETSI, this magazine is worth while. One can't know definitively unless the person left a note behind saying I called myself Rivera because I lived near the River. decrees by the House of Aragon. relatives, house locations, and professions. Abeccassis meaning "storyteller". We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Both are equally important and are mandatory for any official document. Harry Stein's website, SEPHARDIM.COM, has been for a long time one of the major websites for Sephardic genealogy on the Internet.Among its many offerings it contained a unique section on Sephardic heraldry and a list of Sephardic surnames that he patiently extracted from a large number of published books.