Even after the Inquisition commenced our relief did not come courtesy of the Inquisitors concentration initially on investigating New Christians living in coastal towns in Northern Portugal with New Christians elsewhere benefitting from receiving relatively scant attention. Ceuta was a special case not relying on attention being scant
One writer visiting Ceuta and nearby Melilla not long ago wrote that the lack of persecution did not occur there by default. He said both towns could be considered throughout the Inquisition as being allowed to be “ free religion ports” for Catholics, Moslems and Jews.
You and I are with the Israel family during their years in Ceuta. We are able to practice Judaism as Jews and not as New Christians secretly but we perhaps tend to be not too vocal about this relative freedom. Our community of former Spanish Jews speak amongst themselves in Hakitia. If the town had not been a free religion zone and the Inquisition were to take a modicum of interest the speaking of Hakitia alone would be sure sign of religious leanings let alone evidence that any theoretical New Christian was leaving work before sunset on a Friday, wearing good clothes on Saturday and does not have smoke coming from the chimney on a Sabbath – any one of which might lead to death elsewhere in Portugal and its Empire.
It is strange to contemplate that long after the deferment period passes our family bearing the family name “Israel” and our fellow Jews of Ceuta are speaking Hakitia and practicing Judaism to the knowledge of our Christian neighbours whilst the Portuguese Inquisition is conducting detestable persecutions in earnest. New Christians that are Secret Jews in towns on the Northern coast of Portugal are being burnt at stake as martyrs for our faith. What choices do we have? We have to live somewhere. We can at least plan potential escape routes for us should the position change for the worse. Moslems of Ceuta are similarly protected.
In 1533 Jews presumably in Portuguese North African possessions help relieve the siege of Safi at the time another Portuguese possession in North Africa As a reward those Jews are specifically allowed by Portuguese rulers to openly practice Judaism.
As traders the Israel family surely need to be represented in Portugal which may be by family members who are not openly Jews and if Secret Jews are risking becoming martyrs if convicted of heresy.
That is not the whole story. Soon after our family settle in Ceuta they most probably organize second family homes in Morocco where in particular the members of the family that are Rabbis can base themselves and even more openly perform their duties for large and long established congregations. Should escape to a new home in say Tetouan for family living in Ceuta ever become necessary it would be only a walk away!
In any event family children will often attend Yeshivas in Morocco for serious learning – possibly in Tétouan. I wished I knew the names of those Rabbis that family lore said stretched far back in time. I knew from the Rabbis of Morocco published by Rabbi Yosef ben Naim Yosef in 1931 in Jerusalem listing some of Moroccan Rabbis from the 15th Century to 20th Century that there were quite a few Rabbis named “Israel” of which he was aware. Some I have placed with a fair degree of confidence in my tree and the remainder could well be part of my family bearing in mind that the position of Rabbi was frequently passed down from father to son. Here they are:-
1 Abraham ben Shalem of Rabat – no dates given
2 Issakar of Akka (Sous region) – no dates given
3 Moshe of Fes – alive at open of 5th century of this Jewish millenium ( i.e. around 1740)
- Shalem 1 of Rabat – no dates given but by reference to grandson (5 below) should have been alive around 1700.
5 Shalem 11 of Rabat grandson of Shalem 1 and is evidenced by a signature on document in 5543 (1783)
6.Shmuel of Tetouan alive C6th/7th 5501 to 5600 (1840) Possibly Rabbi Samuel Abraham in my tree born 1795.
7 Vidal of Tetouan- evidenced by signatures in 5548 (1788) and in 5572 (1812) and who has a place in my tree.
8 Yaakov of Rabat – no dates given.
9 Yehuda ben Shalem 1, Rabat – alive C5th 1740 onwards
10 Yosef ben Yaakov of Rabat – d 15 Tishrei 5614 (1854)
They are surely not the only Rabbis in those years that had Israel as a family name. They are members of a family intensely devoted to their religion and to its study.
THE JEWISH DICTIONARY WAS MOROCCO BOUND
It was likely one of the many Rabbis in our family who 400 years ago (possibly living in Morocco) had an exceptional interest in religious learning which is evidenced by an antique book – an original print of a Hebrew Dictionary “Dictionarium Absolutissimum Complectens”: written in Paris in 1629 that our family owned for generations.
At the time of the purchase the French were particularly interested in having a good relationship with the Moroccan rulers of the time and travels between the two countries was common. The travelers may have included our very orthodox Israel family member who whilst in Paris bought the family heirloom. Our family gifted it in 1980 to the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem.
This comprehensive dictionary was an enhancement of previous Hebrew dictionaries including the one compiled by Nathan ben Jehiel in Rome half a millennium earlier. The definitions contained were written in Hebrew with a translation into Latin. They were written by an exceptionally learned Talmudic scholar with an ultra religious Catholic readership in mind. It was not exactly expected to hit the bestseller list. It was only of interest to our Israel family because they were lifelong students of their faith. The dictionary, when published, was dedicated to Cardinal de Richelieu, French Chief Minister since 1624, arguably the first Chief or Prime Minister in the world .
Philip Aquinas who compiled the dictionary was born in Carpentras – a Catholic priest who before conversion was Juda Mordechai a Jewish rabbi in Avignon then Papal lands and not part of France. During the Middle Ages for about a century the Pope was based in Avignon. Jews who had been there since Roman times became “the Pope’s Jews” with special rights . This was because the Pope wished to ensure that there would be Jewish people around to witness the second coming of the Messiah.
In 1610 Juda was forced to resign as Rabbi because of his extreme sympathy for Christanity. He entered the church in Aquino in the Kingdom of Naples and then moved on to the court in Paris. He now had a position in society and his grandson would become chief physician to Louis XIV.
You might wonder why a member of our Israel family decided to acquire a copy of a Hebrew dictionary produced for a Catholic audience and how might it have been used by its intended audience? Was Juda even a member of the Israel family and or had he collaborated with Rabbis in the Israel family on its production? Unlikely since collaboration by an Orthodox Jew with a Catholic priest – particularly a converted rabbi – seems unlikely. After all, Philip was not particularly friendly towards his former co-religionists. He would later accuse a family with whom he lived before converting and who had provided him an income of heresy by secretly practicing Judaism.
It was difficult to imagine that religious Jews would want to have any association with him. Yet the dictionary authored by him was still evidently worthy of ownership by our ultra orthodox Israel family as a reference book – indeed it might be an essential reference book for ultra religious Jews. I imagine it would be used in comparative studies with other religions including in formal disputations between believers in different religions. Ownership of the dictionary confirms not only the religiosity of the family at the time but also their high position within the community internationally. I have to wonder whether the Latin translation was slanted by Juda to favor Christanity in disputations.
The year of 1629 was significant. It was during the temporary union between Spain and Portugal. The combination of the massive empires of both countries afforded international traders like the Israel family almost infinite opportunities. It was the year of lessening religious tensions in France . Richelieu made peace that year with the French Protestants. He would live up to the spirit of that agreement and Protestants would be able to obtain posts in the French government and military institutions. He had already become the world’s first prime minister of any country and it was fortunate that he was also friendly towards Jewry. New Christians and Conversos fleeing Spain and Portugal would be allowed to settle in South Western France with a blind eye being applied to any secret practice by them of Judaism. Perhaps some of our Israel family in commerce or rabbis were even based in Paris at the time of publication
Portugal was trying to get out of the Union and France was secretly siding with them and some Portuguese Jews were actively encouraging this support at the French course. However Olivares, the Spanish Prime Minister, more than tolerated the families of Secret Jews who were the top financiers of trade and this might have extended somehow to members of our Israel family and enabled them to travel in and out of Iberia. The support of Oliveres would at best delay but not prevent the financiers being persecuted by the Inquisition if the Inquisitors so decided so long stays in Iberia were best avoided.
