Some scholars believe that populations of crypto-Jews—the academic term for marranos—fled the Iberian Peninsula and eventually settled along the Mexican border near Texas and New Mexico. Today, those in New Mexico who claim to be descendants of crypto-Jews are reclaiming their Jewishness as they understand anew rituals which echo Jewish laws and customs uncommon in normative Christian practice.

This excerpt explores the rituals, and the contemporary awakening, of people living in the Southwest of the United States who claim to be descendants of crypto-Jews.

Suggested Activity: First, ask students to compare the awakening of crypto-Jews in the Southwest with Charles’s epiphany in “The Gilgul of Park Avenue.” How do they differ? Then, ask students to consider Loya’s statement that “[t]here’s something about it, deep within our souls.” Why might Loya be invoking the soul? Why would someone discovering a Jewish lineage, talk about the soul, rather than about peoplehood or culture? Is there such thing as a Jewish soul?