Some Hispanics claiming Jewish heritage?

[Myth]

Does anyone know more about this? I've never heard of Mexicans claiming Jewish ancestry although I do know Jews who mixed with Hispanic population.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TIi0maJZQU&feature=fvw

[Dave]

oh yeah, a little too many of them say OHH i'm Jewish ohh I'm Turkish they don't even know the difference :p

[towelie]

When the Jews from Spain were expelled, a lot of them came to the Latinamericas, so yeah many Mexicans and Southamericans have ethnic Jewish ancestry, although most don't know it.

[jibarodepr]

There are also PRs with Jewish Ancestry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_immigration_to_Puerto_Rico

[Una]

When the Jews from Spain were expelled, a lot of them came to the Latinamericas, so yeah many Mexicans and Southamericans have ethnic Jewish ancestry, although most don't know it.

Yes, that's correct! ;)

[ricaiber10]

They say that a lot of Jews who became New Christians in Spain wanted to go to Latin America...Some of them continued practicing Judaism in the New World...A lot of them were imprisioned or killed by the Inquisition in the Americas...

[Ducheff]

Jewish Latin Americans are more likely to be descended from 19th and 20th centuries immigrants from Eastern Europe rather than Iberian Jews. Some people still don't realize that Latin America, along with the USA, was a main destination for immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Argentina is home to the 8th largest Jewish community in the world (184,000 individuals) and Brazil is home to the 11th largest (96,000 individuals)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews#Demographics

Virtually none of them are descended from 16th century Iberian Jews who escaped to SPanish and Portuguese colonies, because those were forced to convert to Catholicism or arrested by the Inquisition, and their descedants are not even aware of such Jewish ancestry. I particularly dont know any Brazilian Jew of direct Iberian Jew ancestry. Some of them may be sephardim, but their family arrived in Brazil in the 20th century not via Iberia, but via another country. Most are of Eastern European ancestry, from Russia and Ukraine and Poland, particularly

[cutiepie]

Jewish Latin Americans are more likely to be descended from 19th and 20th centuries immigrants from Eastern Europe rather than Iberian Jews. Some people still don't realize that Latin America, along with the USA, was a main destination for immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Argentina is home to the 8th largest Jewish community in the world (184,000 individuals) and Brazil is home to the 11th largest (96,000 individuals)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews#Demographics

Virtually none of them are descended from 16th century Iberian Jews who escaped to SPanish and Portuguese colonies, because those were forced to convert to Catholicism or arrested by the Inquisition, and their descedants are not even aware of such Jewish ancestry. I particularly dont know any Brazilian Jew of direct Iberian Jew ancestry. Some of them may be sephardim, but their family arrived in Brazil in the 20th century not via Iberia, but via another country. Most are of Eastern European ancestry, from Russia and Ukraine and Poland, particularly

True, but according to some Jewish schools (orthodox Judaism for example) Jewishness can also be claimed by maternal blood descent, and even if the ancestors converted, they are still jews. The converted jews are called "anusim". Given this, there are many many jews in the Americas, descendents of the Conversos.

[EliasAlucard]

General Genetics Discussion > Americas ---> Ethnicity, Race & Nation

//mod

[hbo]

jewish in mexico are very scarce

I do know for a fact the paisa people of Colombia have jewish sephardic heritage.... and basque as well.... and then of course there are actual jews in places liek Argentina (rather large numbers of them)

[LiamJI2012]

When I was in Costa Rica last year - I flew into the capital (San Jose) for a few days and went on a tour of the city in which the local tour guide explained how many (maybe up to 50%) Costa Ricans had Jewish ancestry via the Jews expelled/migrating from Spain during colonial times and carrying on for a good few 100 years or so. Also whilst walking around the central park in the city I was struck to see a MASSIVE Jewish Menora (think that it spelt correctly?) in the middle of the plaza outside the park along with various plaques etc. - so it would seem (at least in Costa Rica) there was/is a significant Jewish population ! (Also the number of natural redheads I seen walking around the city (locals that is !) was crazy ! - Isn't red hair also associated with the Jews ? and especially the Jews in Spain !??....