In this blog you are to comment on one or more of the assigned articles in relation with any of the topics touched on in the lecture PDFs every week. Your posts should be brief (150 words or the equivalent to 1 paragraph) and, most importantly, a reflection of your preparation for class.
Estoy impresionado con los artículos semanales, me gustan mucho porque estoy aprendiendo de algunas cosas de las cuales yo no estaba enterado. Primero tengo que decir que el articulo sobre Columbus Day me pareció interesante y yo estoy de acuerdo de que no se llame así el día, por que la forma de la que yo lo interpreto es que porque se tiene que celebrar el día de una persona que en realidad no descubrió sino invadió las Américas. Por otro lado el articulo de los catalanes me pareció un poco interesante aunque en verdad no comprendo porque quisieran ser independientes si básicamente ya son y aparte tienen la ciudadanía española. Algo que me sorprendió también fue que hay muchos en la península ibérica que tienen descendencia judía. Finalmente el idioma Ladino es algo nuevo para mi, nunca había oído de este idioma pero me llamo mucho la atención porque ya básicamente tienen reconocimiento nacional.
Columbus Day To Native American Day? CA Assemblyman Roger HernandezIntroduces Bill AB 55
I can agree with this article because it is important for us to give the proper recognition to the people who actually DID find this land, and not someone who just stumbled upon it. I feel that this is a great move in part of the Assembly member Roger Hernandez because people in the State of California will now get a chance to connect with historical figures of our country. People like the Native Americans who unfortunately do not get enough respect, respect that they deserve as the first people to be here in these lands. I am definitely for the passing of the Native American Day bill AB 55, for it to be a paid holiday, and for it to replace Columbus Day.
Catalonia declares intent to hold independence referendum
If I am correct in what I read, I understood that Catalonia is trying to secede the country of Spain, despite its bad economic and political troubles it is having currently. I personally feel that this is a bad thing for Catalonia to do, as this did almost happen in the United States, with Texas who wanted to not be part of the United States. It also looks bad in part of a country to allow a part of the country to secede, as it does not show unity of the country’s part. I feel this is a wrong move and that President Artur Mas should reconsider its stance and try to create unison between regions and parts of the country to try and remediate the bad situation Spain is being seen to be in.
Crypto Jews
This is by far one of the most interesting articles I have read for this week. I did not know that there were crypto Jews in New Mexico, but apparently they came to what is now the United States but were pushed out of the colonies established by Christians immigrants from Europe and ended up in New Mexico. This happened since 1492. First the Catholics persecuted them, then Christians. It is interesting how they can now be found amongst the Hispanic community
DNA study shows 20 percent of Iberian population has Jewish ancestry
This article talks about how one fifth of the population has a Jewish ancestry or Jewish. The fact that a high majority of the Jews were either converted or exiled from the Spanish country, caused for a team of biologists from the university of Leicester in England to give this study a closer look and those were the results by studying the analysis of the Y chromosomes in a high percentage of Catholics and Christians.
Ladino Today: Is the language of Sephardic Jews, undergoing a revival?
Ladino is “…the language od the Jewish people…” as the author Aviya Kushner mentions in the article. The language is trying to be rescued so that it doesn’t become an extinct language. Schools are offering it so as to have it revived. Spain is still trying to speak it as the language has managed to stay with some people, but also a bad thing is that when the Jews were expelled from the Spanish country, they took their Spanish with them, so that has made things a bit worse. But the Ladino language is definitely trying to be saved so as to preserve the heritage that comes with it, because although it has a not so pretty past for the Spanish conservatives, it carries with it culture and heritage.
I thought that the articles this week had an interestingly unique relation to the topics in which we are discussing in lecture. I recently found out that even though Portugal and Christopher Columbus were known for “discovering” the Americas, I did not know that he was actually an Italian. That piece of information is actually what the article about changing Columbus Day to Native American Day touches upon. The voyage of 1492 on the three caravelas basically ended the ideology of the Middle Ages and proved that the world was round. Anyways, Bill AB 55 is legislation for California to reinstate this holiday as a paid state holiday with a new name. Essentially, they want to “give credit to the true discovers of the land” or the original settlers. Thus, this stirs up much controversy because the Italian American community wants to retain the symbolic importance since Columbus was Italian and found the Americas. I support Bill AB 55 because of the Native Americas do deserve credit that Columbus took from them. The article regarding Catalonia wanting independence from Spain can be related back to when they had maritime interests and built a strong economy from thus on. This provocative argument for independence has both sides pulling at each other. Spain won’t bulge because they claim territorial integrity since Catalonia is part of the parliament and they don’t want to lose more power. Some analysts say that Catalonia is aggravated by having to subsidize much poorer regions in Spain (Catalonia’s economy is about the size of Portugal’s alone). As far as the Crypto-Jews article, I really learned plenty about the anti-Semitism talked about in lecture. These people were called “conversos” or secret Jews and many of them moved to the New World because of the Inquisition. During the 15th century, Jews were loathed because they were seen as rich money lenders in society and the public was jealous. The Inquisition was started in 1478 and they were expelled in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella- the Catholic Monarchs. In relation to that article, a recent study found that 20% of the population in Spain and Portugal has some Sephardic Jewish ancestry. Scientists and historians discovered this by studying the Y chromosomes in males and I thought this method was really innovative. This showed that many Jews converted to Christianity during the Inquisition to escape persecution and so people nowadays are finding out that they have Jewish ancestry. It can come as a shock to many. Lastly, the Ladino people are very few in numbers nowadays. Back during the Inquisition, the Jewish people carried their Spanish with them when expelled which created a sort of Judeo-Spanish: Ladino which refers to a “person who could speak a few languages in addition to his mother tongue.” The Israeli government and private foundations are making efforts to rescue and promote Ladino to create a revival of this endangered language. I found this to be inspiring and hope that the Ladino culture and language can be resurrected.
This week’s lecture discussion of the Jews in 13th to 15th century Sepharad is inherently tied to the concepts discussed in two of this week’s readings—“Crypto-Jews” and “DNA Study Shows 20% of Iberian Population has Jewish Ancestry.” As frequently discussed in lecture, Jews in the Iberian Peninsula were the targets of centuries of persecution from the more numerous and powerful Christians and Muslims. Professor Torrecilla recounted that as the Black Plague struck the region, Jews were used as scapegoats for it, as well as for countless other social and economic hardships of the time. “Crypto-Jews” tells of the Jews that were forced to convert to Catholicism, yet only did so nominally and continued to practice their faith in secret. This week’s readings however, remind us that despite the widespread persecution faced by this group, their presence is long withstanding throughout the area. This is evidenced by the article that identified that 20% of the Iberian population today has links to Jewish ancestry (despite the history of Catholicism that we know was enforced on many). It is both interesting and revealing to know that a group that was oppressed for so long has managed to maintain their ancestral legacy in the region they, along with so many others, called home.
I was once again really surprised after reading the article by Anna Almendrala, entitled "Columbus Day to Native American Day? CA Assemblyman Roger Hernandez Introduces Bill AB 55". Firstly, I felt a little embarrassed as an Italian American who did not know that it was fellow Italian Americans in the early twentieth century to adopt Columbus Day! Personally, I do not see a problem with admitting National Native American Day to the United State's list of national holidays; however, I do not think it should necessarily take the place of Columbus Day. Although Native Americans did not receive equal treatment or repentance for their historical suffering, Columbus Day is itself celebrated by various cultures throughout the world who's relatives traveled to America. Despite Columbus' ill relationship and disregard for the Native Americans who occupied the Americas prior to his arrival, Columbus Day is celebrated regarding the emergence of hope and success in peoples' new home of America. This article reminded me of a question that we answered for you (Francesca) in discussion two weeks ago regarding whether the President of Spain should apologize for the persecution and ill-treatment of people from hundreds of years ago. This current ruler has absolutely nothing to do with such suffrage, thus he should not be necessarily accountable for it; however, it would not hurt to simply acknowledge history, and therefore avoid future accounts of such matters. Although we should not necessarily live in the past, history should not, and cannot, be forgotten.
It was fascinating to know that Ladino is still spoken to this day by various different communities. I actually know of someone who speaks Ladino and can carry a conversation in Castellano and then flip back to Ladino without any confusion to her audience. The mixing of two cultures creates an impressive knew language that is shared not only by the Jewish population in the Iberian Peninsula but through out Europe and the states as well. Their language demonstrates the potent significance of the presence and importance of Sephardic Jewish people. Although writen in the Rashi alphabet it is nice to know that there are publications of it in the Latin alphabet as well.
It is interesting to see that the Jewish and Muslim culture and impact is still visible in the Iberian Peninsula, even though it has a larger history of Catholicism, and the places they left after their exile. Like Professor Torrecilla said during lecture, many of the Christian buildings were built by the mudejars, which were Muslims living under Christian rule. At first glance, there is an impression that it is a Muslim building but in reality it is a Christian building. This suggests that there is evidence of the major impact of Muslims in the architectural style in the peninsula and it is also a trail they have left behind. Also, the Crypto-Jew reading states that today in New Mexico the crypto-Jew culture is still found throughout the Hispano community. They have retained the many practices that have been passed down from generation to generation even though there is little knowledge of their history while others have passed down the knowledge of the Jewish past. Language is one of the best evidence of the influence of the Jewish culture. The reading of Ladino Today says that the Ladino language is a personal language of the Jewish people. The reading describes that when they were exiled they had taken their Judeo-Spanish language to the Ottoman Empire. Even though this language is endangered there are many things that are being done to save this language. The importance seeing the impact of these people is important to understand their origins which will take us into understanding their present.
In lecture we discussed how the kingdoms of Portugal and Argon left the Reconquest around 1250 and turned their focus on Atlantic and Mediterranean trade. The kingdom of Portugal was sending out expeditions around Africa to reach India and extend the spice trade. The improvement in sailing and navigation opened the door for explorations west in the Atlantic and ultimately arriving in the Americas. In a recent article, Roger Hernandez is proposing a bill to rename the Holiday of Columbus Day to Native American Day to recognize the indigenous people who originally founded the Americas. Two of the articles then focus on the Jews; one discusses how in 1492, the Spanish monarchs decreed that all of the Jews in Spain would have to convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Crypto Jews is the name given to those who converted by name only. Some moved to New Mexico during Inquisition. The other article is about Ladino, which is a personal language of Sephardic Jews. It has a mix of many other languages in it and is still spoken by a few people in Spain and Jerusalem. The last article mentiones how Catalonia’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill unilaterally claiming the region’s right to decide whether it seeks an independent state within the European Union. The bill defines the region of Catalonia, Spain’s economic motor, as a “political and legal sovereign entity” with the right to secede, if a majority of its citizens decide to do so through democratic means. The court said then that any referendum that would affect all Spaniards would have to be first approved by the national parliament, and that all would have to be asked, not just those in one region.
A prominent issue we learned this week in lecture was about the Jews that lived in the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquest, Inquisition and expulsion. The Sephardic Jews suffered a lot of persecution under Muslim and Christian rule, at certain points of rule. However, they experienced their “golden age” under Christian rule in 1000 to 1250 A.D., only because Jewish communities were not actively persecuted. This changed during the 13th century because tensions arose between Jews and Christians. Active persecutions of Jews started and the convivencia was broken. Thousands converted in 1391, or were expelled from the country. Some Jews converted to the Christian faith sincerely, however, many others by force. It was hard being a Christian in this era because Christians that refused to confess were burnt alive in Autos de Fe. This caused an even harder integration for the New Christians, or conversos, because they were suspected of secretly keeping their old beliefs, and continued to be persecuted, even after they had converted. The false converts were called marranos. The Inquisition is a dark side of Spain’s history, causing many deaths, an ambience of terror and tolerance. The history of Spain during this time period ties to the demographics of Spain today. In a recent article, 20% of the Iberian Peninsula was found to have Jewish ancestry. This reflects the forced conversions that occurred in the 14th and 15th century. In the Ladino Today article, I learned that the language of many Sephardic Jews today is a mixture of their Spanish and the languages of the countries they were expelled to during the Inquisition. The mixture of languages, such as Spanish, Turkish, Greek and Hebrew, form this new language, Ladino, belonging to the Sephardic Jews that implicates its own history, culture, theatre and folklore. This form of identification in a language connects the many Sephardic Jews under a same experience and ancestry. I feel that Ladino is in a way like Spanglish for Hispanic Americans. We connect to our Hispanic roots, but also incorporate our home identity in the United States. -Mitzi Marquez-Avila
Language is an important part of culture. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, all they could really take with them was their language since they would be persecuted for practicing their religion. I think it is a really great thing that Ladino is still continuing to be spoken and there are opportunities to learn the language because that really keeps their history alive. My family on my mother’s side speaks Napoletano, a dialect of Italian specific to Southern Italy from the Kingdom of Naples. However today, this dialect is dying. Most of the Italians my age are learning the “real” Italian in school, so Napoletano is not passed on through the generations. Soon, the dialect will be extinct. I think it is sad to see a language dissolve, because that means part of the culture is dissolving, and communication is cut off. I think it is a great thing that Ladino is still a practiced language-even if it is not prominent or dominant, the culture and the history will not be lost.
Language is an important part of culture. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, all they could really take with them was their language since they would be persecuted for practicing their religion. I think it is a really great thing that Ladino is still continuing to be spoken and there are opportunities to learn the language because that really keeps their history alive. My family on my mother’s side speaks Napoletano, a dialect of Italian specific to Southern Italy from the Kingdom of Naples. However today, this dialect is dying. Most of the Italians my age are learning the “real” Italian in school, so Napoletano is not passed on through the generations. Soon, the dialect will be extinct. I think it is sad to see a language dissolve, because that means part of the culture is dissolving, and communication is cut off. I think it is a great thing that Ladino is still a practiced language-even if it is not prominent or dominant, the culture and the history will not be lost.
The power achieved by Christians throughout Spain’s history has been marked by the re-conquest and the integration of religion into people’s daily life. During the times of the Spanish Inquisition, religious persecution against Jews and Muslims emphasizes the importance of Catholicism throughout Spain. Although Christians were able to reconquer most of the Iberian Peninsula, we can still see that they did not necessarily conquer the way people lived their life regardless of the persecutions faced, especially Jews and Muslims. The revival of the Ladino language of the Sephardic Jews is an example of how monarch authority was challenged in the past. The fact that Ladino still exists today and people are trying to bring it back to life shows the perseverance of Sephardic Jews to keep their culture alive; even when forced to convert, many Jews kept their language just like those who chose exile. I find interesting the fact that at one point, people who had Jewish ancestry were seen as inferior and thus chose to hide their true identities and family history. Now, it seems that through studying history, there is a new desire to locate Sephardic Jew ancestry and show the world that there is still a strong presence of Jews not only in Spain but around the world
This weeks readings really focused on change. The Columbus article focused on changing the Columbus day holiday to a native american holiday instead. I have no standing on either side but I do see the point that Hernandez makes in the article. Why should we only praise one person for taking a land that belonged to someone else? ("discovering" a land that belonged to someone else.) It is almost as controversial as forcing the Jewish people to become conversos to Catholicism. The Crypto-Jews article clearly stated that Jews were practically forced to convert or leave the country. I was pleased to read that the Jews practiced their religion even if they had "converted" to Catholicism. As I learn more of how much humans take from other humans I become more astonished. But I am also glad to read about the things that cultures are still being able to keep as there's; such as the Ladino language; "el español nuestro." As the article stated, the Ladino language has always been the language of the multilingual and whoever speaks it has been able to keep and speak a few languages in addition to their mother tongue. I find this to be one of the most important articles this week just because I have seen that many cultural things are hard to be preserved. Like the Spanish language, too. Many Latinos are losing the Spanish language for various reasons. I have cousins who don't speak Spanish because their parents chose not to teach it to them because they were afraid that their children would get picked on in school for example. I love to read of the things that cultures are trying so hard to conserve. Losing culture and what you know as yours is very difficult. I'm sure the Jewish were not too happy to be forced to loose their beliefs or to have to become Crypto-Jews.
The year 1492 proved to be a critical point in the country of Spain. An element of this time was the Spanish Inquisition of the Jewish people, they were expelled from the land that they had inhabited for many years. This expulsion called for one of two things - either the Jewish people converted to Christianity (Catholicism), known as “conversos,” or flee the region if they did not want to face persecution. A variety of historical factors led up to this point, mainly the Black Plague and the desire for the Christian kingdoms to be unified under a single religion. Yet, some of these conversos did not make a true conversion to the Catholic faith. Instead they practiced Judaism in secret, while showing themselves publicly as Christian people - these people are known as Crypto-Jews. Holding onto their faith proves to be a connection to their past and identities. Religion plays a huge role in one’s life, though this has been dwindling in recent decades. Present-day Spain is filled with rich history and traditions that can all be traced back to the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian people that have settled this area. There is genetic evidence that proves about twenty percent of those in the Iberian Peninsula have Jewish roots. There is no doubt that there is DNA that can lead back to the Muslims as well. Ultimately, the Spanish Jews (Ladinos) have a presence in today’s world and they can trace their lineage back many centuries despite the tenure of the Catholic monarchs and a “Catholic” Spain.
This week in lecture Professor Torrecilla discussed the affect the Reconquest and subsequently the Catholic Monarchs had on the population of the Iberian Peninsula. According to lecture, three months after the conquest of Granada, the Inquisition began to target the non-Christian community in Spain. As a result, the Jews in Spain were faced with two options: either convert to Christianity or be expelled. One of the articles assigned this week “Crypto-Jews” discusses “secret Jews” and the difficulty they faced in attempting to practice their religion in secret, meaning that the Jews only converted in name while continuing to practice their ancestral faith. The article goes on to discuss the movement of these “secret Jews” into Mexico, once Columbus discovered the Americas. Mexico offered a type of “safe haven” for the Jews due to the fact that they were still under Spanish rule, but had substantial distance, which allowed them to not be directly in the view of the Spanish Monarchs. In conclusion, the article addresses the fact that the “Crypto-Jews” influence can still be seen in New Mexico today. It is remarkable to see that even in the face of persecution this sect of the Jewish community was able to hold onto a religion they believed so strongly in.
In the article regarding the Jewish ancestry found in twenty percent of the Iberian Peninsula’s population, it is interesting how many people still carry this ancestry today despite the efforts of Jews to hide this. Jews that converted to Christians wanted to hide their origin. In lecture it was stated that this prejudice against the Jews had a huge effect on intellectual and economical activities in Spain. Even after causing so much conflict, it is clear that Jewish ancestry will continue to be a significant part of Spain’s history even today. It is still involved in the culture in spite of the expulsion of the Jews in the Iberian Peninsula. I feel that the people that discover that that they attain Jewish ancestry should, embrace it and become educated about it. I believe that it is important that they strive to finally have justice for Jews in the Iberian Peninsula.
I’m glad the article on Columbus Day (“Columbus Day to Native American Day?”) made use of the word “Eurocentric,” because that’s the first thing that came to mind when I read Senator Cathleen Galgiani’s claim that that Columbus Day and Columbus should be tied to any contributions Italians made here in California. As pointed out in the article, Columbus Day isn’t actually something that should be celebrated. Columbus didn’t “discover” the Americas. There is evidence going far back that other people had visited the Americas before him, including the Vikings, another European group. But even without these early visitors, there were already groups of people inhabiting the Americas. Indeed, it seems more divisive as the article says, to celebrate the man that facilitated Europe forcing its way onto these lands and removing them and their worth from the indigenous people. I’m glad that the professor mentions that Castille’s conquest of the Canary Islands was like the conquest of America, because that is what it was, a bloody affair in which the indigenous people were stripped of their land and culture. While it is true that Columbus effectively changed the world and that it was a net positive for Europe, it was a huge loss in terms of culture for indigenous people. In Mexico, I can say that many ruins remain and that there are many, many indigenous languages that are still spoken even with Spanish serving as the main language and there are pockets of indigenous groups even here in the US, but that is all in spite of the forced conversions that were to come later and the initial pillaging of the Conquistadores. However, the Italians should have their own day (although, if we’re going to start being all inclusive, we might as well make one national holiday that celebrates all the cultures, seeing as how they all tend to mix here in the States anyway) as along with the Chinese they were a major contribution to the transcontinental railroad, a project which essentially grew San Francisco into the city it would become. And just to point out, I don’t feel that any of these should be paid holidays, that’s downright ridiculous. We’re in the middle of one of the worst economic recessions and people want to start paying people not to work? And judging by the state of our government, there wouldn't be any tax hikes to compensate for these wasted hours, instead we would just spiral ourselves into greater debt. We can’t have all these benefits without paying something for them, this can not last.
Claire Lemieux: The New York Times article assigned for this week explains that DNA tests have demonstrated that one fifth of the current Iberian population has Jewish ancestry, and 11% Moorish. Investigation into the demographics of the Iberian population is relevant to the professor’s discussion of the history of Sephardic Jews and their persecution. Professor Torrecilla seemed to want to assure us that, relatively speaking, the Inquisition was not so bad, because secret tribunals and torture were common methods in Europe of this time. I find the moral relativism in this treatment of “a dark page in Spanish history” somewhat troubling. It is certainly useful to examine other examples of racially or religiously-motivated persecution in the Middle Ages (there must be many), but to dismiss this so quickly as just one of many such practices is an attitude which I think may contribute to the fact that such violent campaigns against minority groups continue today. According to the professor’s slide, “some scholars argue that [the Inquisition] also immunized Spain in advance against the Reformation, and prevented the endless religious wars of other European countries in the 16th and 17th century”. This seems equivalent to saying that the Conquest of the Desert really cut down on the conflicts between the Spanish settlers and Native Americans during the formation of Argentina. Persecution, murder, and the creation of an atmosphere of fear can certainly cow a minority population into submission to a more powerful group, but I think it merits a little more discussion of why this has been seen so often throughout history as the reasonable strategy.
The year 1492 was crucial for Iberian history, all of the five articles assigned this week reveal the impact that such year had in Spain’s and Portugal’s present society. In that year the last Muslim kingdom fell and Christian kingdoms consolidated, Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the Iberian Peninsula, some left and other converted; however, paranoia and resentment against them remained. Nevertheless, because most of the Jews were forced to convert and didn’t do it as an act of faith, many Jewish traditions still exist in Spain and America. The article regarding bill AB55 is a response to the mixed beliefs about the benefits of Columbus’ vogue; in 1492 Columbus reached America, which eventually gave conversos the opportunity to leave to the New World and escape religious persecution. Also, as the article DNA study shows 20 percent of Iberian population has Jewish ancestry highlights, the Iberian Peninsula history and society is deeply influenced by Jews. Lastly, Spanish also had a great impact in Jewish culture.
The issue of Portugal becoming independent was discussed in class. Portugal fought for its independence from the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and succeeded. This relates to the article of Catalonia. Catalonia is probably not merely as powerful as Portugal was; nonetheless, it is fighting for its independence and according to the references made in the article, it is possible that Catalonia will become independent in the long run, maybe not soon but eventually it can happen. According to the article, 85 votes were in favor or the reform to become independent and 41 were against it. that is almost twice the votes. eventually, the parliament will favor this reform. Additionally, we studied in class about 1492 and the great importance that this day has for Spain. It is the conquest of Granada and Colombus' Vogue. 1492 is not only significant to Spaniard but also to the Native Americans who occupied the New World before Columbus. One of the Articles discussed that Colombus Day would become Native American Day. Why not? technically it was the discovery of the Native Americans not of the New world. There was a lot of damage and cruel actions committed against Native Americans and this is the least that can be done.
Carlos Gutierrez
ReplyDeleteEstoy impresionado con los artículos semanales, me gustan mucho porque estoy aprendiendo de algunas cosas de las cuales yo no estaba enterado. Primero tengo que decir que el articulo sobre Columbus Day me pareció interesante y yo estoy de acuerdo de que no se llame así el día, por que la forma de la que yo lo interpreto es que porque se tiene que celebrar el día de una persona que en realidad no descubrió sino invadió las Américas. Por otro lado el articulo de los catalanes me pareció un poco interesante aunque en verdad no comprendo porque quisieran ser independientes si básicamente ya son y aparte tienen la ciudadanía española. Algo que me sorprendió también fue que hay muchos en la península ibérica que tienen descendencia judía. Finalmente el idioma Ladino es algo nuevo para mi, nunca había oído de este idioma pero me llamo mucho la atención porque ya básicamente tienen reconocimiento nacional.
Columbus Day To Native American Day? CA Assemblyman Roger HernandezIntroduces Bill AB 55
ReplyDeleteI can agree with this article because it is important for us to give the proper recognition to the people who actually DID find this land, and not someone who just stumbled upon it. I feel that this is a great move in part of the Assembly member Roger Hernandez because people in the State of California will now get a chance to connect with historical figures of our country. People like the Native Americans who unfortunately do not get enough respect, respect that they deserve as the first people to be here in these lands. I am definitely for the passing of the Native American Day bill AB 55, for it to be a paid holiday, and for it to replace Columbus Day.
Catalonia declares intent to hold independence referendum
If I am correct in what I read, I understood that Catalonia is trying to secede the country of Spain, despite its bad economic and political troubles it is having currently. I personally feel that this is a bad thing for Catalonia to do, as this did almost happen in the United States, with Texas who wanted to not be part of the United States. It also looks bad in part of a country to allow a part of the country to secede, as it does not show unity of the country’s part. I feel this is a wrong move and that President Artur Mas should reconsider its stance and try to create unison between regions and parts of the country to try and remediate the bad situation Spain is being seen to be in.
Crypto Jews
This is by far one of the most interesting articles I have read for this week. I did not know that there were crypto Jews in New Mexico, but apparently they came to what is now the United States but were pushed out of the colonies established by Christians immigrants from Europe and ended up in New Mexico. This happened since 1492. First the Catholics persecuted them, then Christians. It is interesting how they can now be found amongst the Hispanic community
DNA study shows 20 percent of Iberian population has Jewish ancestry
This article talks about how one fifth of the population has a Jewish ancestry or Jewish. The fact that a high majority of the Jews were either converted or exiled from the Spanish country, caused for a team of biologists from the university of Leicester in England to give this study a closer look and those were the results by studying the analysis of the Y chromosomes in a high percentage of Catholics and Christians.
Ladino Today: Is the language of Sephardic Jews, undergoing a revival?
Ladino is “…the language od the Jewish people…” as the author Aviya Kushner mentions in the article. The language is trying to be rescued so that it doesn’t become an extinct language. Schools are offering it so as to have it revived. Spain is still trying to speak it as the language has managed to stay with some people, but also a bad thing is that when the Jews were expelled from the Spanish country, they took their Spanish with them, so that has made things a bit worse. But the Ladino language is definitely trying to be saved so as to preserve the heritage that comes with it, because although it has a not so pretty past for the Spanish conservatives, it carries with it culture and heritage.
I thought that the articles this week had an interestingly unique relation to the topics in which we are discussing in lecture. I recently found out that even though Portugal and Christopher Columbus were known for “discovering” the Americas, I did not know that he was actually an Italian. That piece of information is actually what the article about changing Columbus Day to Native American Day touches upon. The voyage of 1492 on the three caravelas basically ended the ideology of the Middle Ages and proved that the world was round. Anyways, Bill AB 55 is legislation for California to reinstate this holiday as a paid state holiday with a new name. Essentially, they want to “give credit to the true discovers of the land” or the original settlers. Thus, this stirs up much controversy because the Italian American community wants to retain the symbolic importance since Columbus was Italian and found the Americas. I support Bill AB 55 because of the Native Americas do deserve credit that Columbus took from them.
ReplyDeleteThe article regarding Catalonia wanting independence from Spain can be related back to when they had maritime interests and built a strong economy from thus on. This provocative argument for independence has both sides pulling at each other. Spain won’t bulge because they claim territorial integrity since Catalonia is part of the parliament and they don’t want to lose more power. Some analysts say that Catalonia is aggravated by having to subsidize much poorer regions in Spain (Catalonia’s economy is about the size of Portugal’s alone).
As far as the Crypto-Jews article, I really learned plenty about the anti-Semitism talked about in lecture. These people were called “conversos” or secret Jews and many of them moved to the New World because of the Inquisition. During the 15th century, Jews were loathed because they were seen as rich money lenders in society and the public was jealous. The Inquisition was started in 1478 and they were expelled in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella- the Catholic Monarchs.
In relation to that article, a recent study found that 20% of the population in Spain and Portugal has some Sephardic Jewish ancestry. Scientists and historians discovered this by studying the Y chromosomes in males and I thought this method was really innovative. This showed that many Jews converted to Christianity during the Inquisition to escape persecution and so people nowadays are finding out that they have Jewish ancestry. It can come as a shock to many.
Lastly, the Ladino people are very few in numbers nowadays. Back during the Inquisition, the Jewish people carried their Spanish with them when expelled which created a sort of Judeo-Spanish: Ladino which refers to a “person who could speak a few languages in addition to his mother tongue.” The Israeli government and private foundations are making efforts to rescue and promote Ladino to create a revival of this endangered language. I found this to be inspiring and hope that the Ladino culture and language can be resurrected.
This week’s lecture discussion of the Jews in 13th to 15th century Sepharad is inherently tied to the concepts discussed in two of this week’s readings—“Crypto-Jews” and “DNA Study Shows 20% of Iberian Population has Jewish Ancestry.” As frequently discussed in lecture, Jews in the Iberian Peninsula were the targets of centuries of persecution from the more numerous and powerful Christians and Muslims. Professor Torrecilla recounted that as the Black Plague struck the region, Jews were used as scapegoats for it, as well as for countless other social and economic hardships of the time. “Crypto-Jews” tells of the Jews that were forced to convert to Catholicism, yet only did so nominally and continued to practice their faith in secret. This week’s readings however, remind us that despite the widespread persecution faced by this group, their presence is long withstanding throughout the area. This is evidenced by the article that identified that 20% of the Iberian population today has links to Jewish ancestry (despite the history of Catholicism that we know was enforced on many). It is both interesting and revealing to know that a group that was oppressed for so long has managed to maintain their ancestral legacy in the region they, along with so many others, called home.
ReplyDeleteI was once again really surprised after reading the article by Anna Almendrala, entitled "Columbus Day to Native American Day? CA Assemblyman Roger Hernandez Introduces Bill AB 55". Firstly, I felt a little embarrassed as an Italian American who did not know that it was fellow Italian Americans in the early twentieth century to adopt Columbus Day! Personally, I do not see a problem with admitting National Native American Day to the United State's list of national holidays; however, I do not think it should necessarily take the place of Columbus Day. Although Native Americans did not receive equal treatment or repentance for their historical suffering, Columbus Day is itself celebrated by various cultures throughout the world who's relatives traveled to America. Despite Columbus' ill relationship and disregard for the Native Americans who occupied the Americas prior to his arrival, Columbus Day is celebrated regarding the emergence of hope and success in peoples' new home of America. This article reminded me of a question that we answered for you (Francesca) in discussion two weeks ago regarding whether the President of Spain should apologize for the persecution and ill-treatment of people from hundreds of years ago. This current ruler has absolutely nothing to do with such suffrage, thus he should not be necessarily accountable for it; however, it would not hurt to simply acknowledge history, and therefore avoid future accounts of such matters. Although we should not necessarily live in the past, history should not, and cannot, be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteIt was fascinating to know that Ladino is still spoken to this day by various different communities. I actually know of someone who speaks Ladino and can carry a conversation in Castellano and then flip back to Ladino without any confusion to her audience. The mixing of two cultures creates an impressive knew language that is shared not only by the Jewish population in the Iberian Peninsula but through out Europe and the states as well. Their language demonstrates the potent significance of the presence and importance of Sephardic Jewish people. Although writen in the Rashi alphabet it is nice to know that there are publications of it in the Latin alphabet as well.
ReplyDelete- Stephanie Marroquin
It is interesting to see that the Jewish and Muslim culture and impact is still visible in the Iberian Peninsula, even though it has a larger history of Catholicism, and the places they left after their exile. Like Professor Torrecilla said during lecture, many of the Christian buildings were built by the mudejars, which were Muslims living under Christian rule. At first glance, there is an impression that it is a Muslim building but in reality it is a Christian building. This suggests that there is evidence of the major impact of Muslims in the architectural style in the peninsula and it is also a trail they have left behind. Also, the Crypto-Jew reading states that today in New Mexico the crypto-Jew culture is still found throughout the Hispano community. They have retained the many practices that have been passed down from generation to generation even though there is little knowledge of their history while others have passed down the knowledge of the Jewish past. Language is one of the best evidence of the influence of the Jewish culture. The reading of Ladino Today says that the Ladino language is a personal language of the Jewish people. The reading describes that when they were exiled they had taken their Judeo-Spanish language to the Ottoman Empire. Even though this language is endangered there are many things that are being done to save this language. The importance seeing the impact of these people is important to understand their origins which will take us into understanding their present.
ReplyDeleteIn lecture we discussed how the kingdoms of Portugal and Argon left the Reconquest around 1250 and turned their focus on Atlantic and Mediterranean trade. The kingdom of Portugal was sending out expeditions around Africa to reach India and extend the spice trade. The improvement in sailing and navigation opened the door for explorations west in the Atlantic and ultimately arriving in the Americas. In a recent article, Roger Hernandez is proposing a bill to rename the Holiday of Columbus Day to Native American Day to recognize the indigenous people who originally founded the Americas. Two of the articles then focus on the Jews; one discusses how in 1492, the Spanish monarchs decreed that all of the Jews in Spain would have to convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Crypto Jews is the name given to those who converted by name only. Some moved to New Mexico during Inquisition. The other article is about Ladino, which is a personal language of Sephardic Jews. It has a mix of many other languages in it and is still spoken by a few people in Spain and Jerusalem. The last article mentiones how Catalonia’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill unilaterally claiming the region’s right to decide whether it seeks an independent state within the European Union. The bill defines the region of Catalonia, Spain’s economic motor, as a “political and legal sovereign entity” with the right to secede, if a majority of its citizens decide to do so through democratic means. The court said then that any referendum that would affect all Spaniards would have to be first approved by the national parliament, and that all would have to be asked, not just those in one region.
ReplyDeleteA prominent issue we learned this week in lecture was about the Jews that lived in the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquest, Inquisition and expulsion. The Sephardic Jews suffered a lot of persecution under Muslim and Christian rule, at certain points of rule. However, they experienced their “golden age” under Christian rule in 1000 to 1250 A.D., only because Jewish communities were not actively persecuted. This changed during the 13th century because tensions arose between Jews and Christians. Active persecutions of Jews started and the convivencia was broken. Thousands converted in 1391, or were expelled from the country. Some Jews converted to the Christian faith sincerely, however, many others by force. It was hard being a Christian in this era because Christians that refused to confess were burnt alive in Autos de Fe. This caused an even harder integration for the New Christians, or conversos, because they were suspected of secretly keeping their old beliefs, and continued to be persecuted, even after they had converted. The false converts were called marranos. The Inquisition is a dark side of Spain’s history, causing many deaths, an ambience of terror and tolerance. The history of Spain during this time period ties to the demographics of Spain today. In a recent article, 20% of the Iberian Peninsula was found to have Jewish ancestry. This reflects the forced conversions that occurred in the 14th and 15th century. In the Ladino Today article, I learned that the language of many Sephardic Jews today is a mixture of their Spanish and the languages of the countries they were expelled to during the Inquisition. The mixture of languages, such as Spanish, Turkish, Greek and Hebrew, form this new language, Ladino, belonging to the Sephardic Jews that implicates its own history, culture, theatre and folklore. This form of identification in a language connects the many Sephardic Jews under a same experience and ancestry. I feel that Ladino is in a way like Spanglish for Hispanic Americans. We connect to our Hispanic roots, but also incorporate our home identity in the United States.
ReplyDelete-Mitzi Marquez-Avila
Language is an important part of culture. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, all they could really take with them was their language since they would be persecuted for practicing their religion. I think it is a really great thing that Ladino is still continuing to be spoken and there are opportunities to learn the language because that really keeps their history alive. My family on my mother’s side speaks Napoletano, a dialect of Italian specific to Southern Italy from the Kingdom of Naples. However today, this dialect is dying. Most of the Italians my age are learning the “real” Italian in school, so Napoletano is not passed on through the generations. Soon, the dialect will be extinct. I think it is sad to see a language dissolve, because that means part of the culture is dissolving, and communication is cut off. I think it is a great thing that Ladino is still a practiced language-even if it is not prominent or dominant, the culture and the history will not be lost.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca Zuccola
ReplyDeleteLanguage is an important part of culture. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, all they could really take with them was their language since they would be persecuted for practicing their religion. I think it is a really great thing that Ladino is still continuing to be spoken and there are opportunities to learn the language because that really keeps their history alive. My family on my mother’s side speaks Napoletano, a dialect of Italian specific to Southern Italy from the Kingdom of Naples. However today, this dialect is dying. Most of the Italians my age are learning the “real” Italian in school, so Napoletano is not passed on through the generations. Soon, the dialect will be extinct. I think it is sad to see a language dissolve, because that means part of the culture is dissolving, and communication is cut off. I think it is a great thing that Ladino is still a practiced language-even if it is not prominent or dominant, the culture and the history will not be lost.
The power achieved by Christians throughout Spain’s history has been marked by the re-conquest and the integration of religion into people’s daily life. During the times of the Spanish Inquisition, religious persecution against Jews and Muslims emphasizes the importance of Catholicism throughout Spain. Although Christians were able to reconquer most of the Iberian Peninsula, we can still see that they did not necessarily conquer the way people lived their life regardless of the persecutions faced, especially Jews and Muslims. The revival of the Ladino language of the Sephardic Jews is an example of how monarch authority was challenged in the past. The fact that Ladino still exists today and people are trying to bring it back to life shows the perseverance of Sephardic Jews to keep their culture alive; even when forced to convert, many Jews kept their language just like those who chose exile. I find interesting the fact that at one point, people who had Jewish ancestry were seen as inferior and thus chose to hide their true identities and family history. Now, it seems that through studying history, there is a new desire to locate Sephardic Jew ancestry and show the world that there is still a strong presence of Jews not only in Spain but around the world
ReplyDeleteThis weeks readings really focused on change. The Columbus article focused on changing the Columbus day holiday to a native american holiday instead. I have no standing on either side but I do see the point that Hernandez makes in the article. Why should we only praise one person for taking a land that belonged to someone else? ("discovering" a land that belonged to someone else.) It is almost as controversial as forcing the Jewish people to become conversos to Catholicism. The Crypto-Jews article clearly stated that Jews were practically forced to convert or leave the country. I was pleased to read that the Jews practiced their religion even if they had "converted" to Catholicism. As I learn more of how much humans take from other humans I become more astonished. But I am also glad to read about the things that cultures are still being able to keep as there's; such as the Ladino language; "el español nuestro." As the article stated, the Ladino language has always been the language of the multilingual and whoever speaks it has been able to keep and speak a few languages in addition to their mother tongue. I find this to be one of the most important articles this week just because I have seen that many cultural things are hard to be preserved. Like the Spanish language, too. Many Latinos are losing the Spanish language for various reasons. I have cousins who don't speak Spanish because their parents chose not to teach it to them because they were afraid that their children would get picked on in school for example. I love to read of the things that cultures are trying so hard to conserve. Losing culture and what you know as yours is very difficult. I'm sure the Jewish were not too happy to be forced to loose their beliefs or to have to become Crypto-Jews.
ReplyDeleteThe year 1492 proved to be a critical point in the country of Spain. An element of this time was the Spanish Inquisition of the Jewish people, they were expelled from the land that they had inhabited for many years. This expulsion called for one of two things - either the Jewish people converted to Christianity (Catholicism), known as “conversos,” or flee the region if they did not want to face persecution. A variety of historical factors led up to this point, mainly the Black Plague and the desire for the Christian kingdoms to be unified under a single religion. Yet, some of these conversos did not make a true conversion to the Catholic faith. Instead they practiced Judaism in secret, while showing themselves publicly as Christian people - these people are known as Crypto-Jews. Holding onto their faith proves to be a connection to their past and identities. Religion plays a huge role in one’s life, though this has been dwindling in recent decades. Present-day Spain is filled with rich history and traditions that can all be traced back to the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian people that have settled this area. There is genetic evidence that proves about twenty percent of those in the Iberian Peninsula have Jewish roots. There is no doubt that there is DNA that can lead back to the Muslims as well. Ultimately, the Spanish Jews (Ladinos) have a presence in today’s world and they can trace their lineage back many centuries despite the tenure of the Catholic monarchs and a “Catholic” Spain.
ReplyDeleteThis week in lecture Professor Torrecilla discussed the affect the Reconquest and subsequently the Catholic Monarchs had on the population of the Iberian Peninsula. According to lecture, three months after the conquest of Granada, the Inquisition began to target the non-Christian community in Spain. As a result, the Jews in Spain were faced with two options: either convert to Christianity or be expelled. One of the articles assigned this week “Crypto-Jews” discusses “secret Jews” and the difficulty they faced in attempting to practice their religion in secret, meaning that the Jews only converted in name while continuing to practice their ancestral faith. The article goes on to discuss the movement of these “secret Jews” into Mexico, once Columbus discovered the Americas. Mexico offered a type of “safe haven” for the Jews due to the fact that they were still under Spanish rule, but had substantial distance, which allowed them to not be directly in the view of the Spanish Monarchs. In conclusion, the article addresses the fact that the “Crypto-Jews” influence can still be seen in New Mexico today. It is remarkable to see that even in the face of persecution this sect of the Jewish community was able to hold onto a religion they believed so strongly in.
ReplyDeleteIn the article regarding the Jewish ancestry found in twenty percent of the Iberian Peninsula’s population, it is interesting how many people still carry this ancestry today despite the efforts of Jews to hide this. Jews that converted to Christians wanted to hide their origin. In lecture it was stated that this prejudice against the Jews had a huge effect on intellectual and economical activities in Spain. Even after causing so much conflict, it is clear that Jewish ancestry will continue to be a significant part of Spain’s history even today. It is still involved in the culture in spite of the expulsion of the Jews in the Iberian Peninsula. I feel that the people that discover that that they attain Jewish ancestry should, embrace it and become educated about it. I believe that it is important that they strive to finally have justice for Jews in the Iberian Peninsula.
ReplyDeleteJazmin Henderson
I’m glad the article on Columbus Day (“Columbus Day to Native American Day?”) made use of the word “Eurocentric,” because that’s the first thing that came to mind when I read Senator Cathleen Galgiani’s claim that that Columbus Day and Columbus should be tied to any contributions Italians made here in California. As pointed out in the article, Columbus Day isn’t actually something that should be celebrated. Columbus didn’t “discover” the Americas. There is evidence going far back that other people had visited the Americas before him, including the Vikings, another European group. But even without these early visitors, there were already groups of people inhabiting the Americas. Indeed, it seems more divisive as the article says, to celebrate the man that facilitated Europe forcing its way onto these lands and removing them and their worth from the indigenous people. I’m glad that the professor mentions that Castille’s conquest of the Canary Islands was like the conquest of America, because that is what it was, a bloody affair in which the indigenous people were stripped of their land and culture. While it is true that Columbus effectively changed the world and that it was a net positive for Europe, it was a huge loss in terms of culture for indigenous people. In Mexico, I can say that many ruins remain and that there are many, many indigenous languages that are still spoken even with Spanish serving as the main language and there are pockets of indigenous groups even here in the US, but that is all in spite of the forced conversions that were to come later and the initial pillaging of the Conquistadores. However, the Italians should have their own day (although, if we’re going to start being all inclusive, we might as well make one national holiday that celebrates all the cultures, seeing as how they all tend to mix here in the States anyway) as along with the Chinese they were a major contribution to the transcontinental railroad, a project which essentially grew San Francisco into the city it would become. And just to point out, I don’t feel that any of these should be paid holidays, that’s downright ridiculous. We’re in the middle of one of the worst economic recessions and people want to start paying people not to work? And judging by the state of our government, there wouldn't be any tax hikes to compensate for these wasted hours, instead we would just spiral ourselves into greater debt. We can’t have all these benefits without paying something for them, this can not last.
ReplyDeleteClaire Lemieux:
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times article assigned for this week explains that DNA tests have demonstrated that one fifth of the current Iberian population has Jewish ancestry, and 11% Moorish. Investigation into the demographics of the Iberian population is relevant to the professor’s discussion of the history of Sephardic Jews and their persecution. Professor Torrecilla seemed to want to assure us that, relatively speaking, the Inquisition was not so bad, because secret tribunals and torture were common methods in Europe of this time. I find the moral relativism in this treatment of “a dark page in Spanish history” somewhat troubling. It is certainly useful to examine other examples of racially or religiously-motivated persecution in the Middle Ages (there must be many), but to dismiss this so quickly as just one of many such practices is an attitude which I think may contribute to the fact that such violent campaigns against minority groups continue today. According to the professor’s slide, “some scholars argue that [the Inquisition] also immunized Spain in advance against the Reformation, and prevented the endless religious wars of other European countries in the 16th and 17th century”. This seems equivalent to saying that the Conquest of the Desert really cut down on the conflicts between the Spanish settlers and Native Americans during the formation of Argentina. Persecution, murder, and the creation of an atmosphere of fear can certainly cow a minority population into submission to a more powerful group, but I think it merits a little more discussion of why this has been seen so often throughout history as the reasonable strategy.
The year 1492 was crucial for Iberian history, all of the five articles assigned this week reveal the impact that such year had in Spain’s and Portugal’s present society. In that year the last Muslim kingdom fell and Christian kingdoms consolidated, Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the Iberian Peninsula, some left and other converted; however, paranoia and resentment against them remained. Nevertheless, because most of the Jews were forced to convert and didn’t do it as an act of faith, many Jewish traditions still exist in Spain and America. The article regarding bill AB55 is a response to the mixed beliefs about the benefits of Columbus’ vogue; in 1492 Columbus reached America, which eventually gave conversos the opportunity to leave to the New World and escape religious persecution. Also, as the article DNA study shows 20 percent of Iberian population has Jewish ancestry highlights, the Iberian Peninsula history and society is deeply influenced by Jews. Lastly, Spanish also had a great impact in Jewish culture.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of Portugal becoming independent was discussed in class. Portugal fought for its independence from the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and succeeded. This relates to the article of Catalonia. Catalonia is probably not merely as powerful as Portugal was; nonetheless, it is fighting for its independence and according to the references made in the article, it is possible that Catalonia will become independent in the long run, maybe not soon but eventually it can happen. According to the article, 85 votes were in favor or the reform to become independent and 41 were against it. that is almost twice the votes. eventually, the parliament will favor this reform. Additionally, we studied in class about 1492 and the great importance that this day has for Spain. It is the conquest of Granada and Colombus' Vogue. 1492 is not only significant to Spaniard but also to the Native Americans who occupied the New World before Columbus. One of the Articles discussed that Colombus Day would become Native American Day. Why not? technically it was the discovery of the Native Americans not of the New world. There was a lot of damage and cruel actions committed against Native Americans and this is the least that can be done.
ReplyDelete