The Secret History of Crypto-Jews with Mexican-American Jew Blanca Carrasco
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What happens when you grow up Catholic in Mexico — and discover you’re secretly Jewish?
In this riveting episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches, Jonah sits down with Blanca Carrasco, a descendant of Crypto-Jews who only discovered her family’s secret heritage at age 50. Now the president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, Blanca unpacks the unknown history of Crypto-Jews — descendants of Jews who secretly maintained their faith after being forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Blanca shares her extraordinary journey to discover who her true family is. She’s a leader in the global movement helping descendants of forcibly converted Jews reclaim their heritage.
Blanca opens up about:
- 🕯️ How the Spanish Inquisition forced her ancestors to flee Spain and hide their Judaism for generations
- ✝️ Being raised devoutly Catholic — and the moment she began questioning what she was taught
- 🔯 Her path from Messianic Judaism to a full Jewish conversion
- 📜 The Facebook post that led to the discovery of her secret family tree
- 🎓 Her work with the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, and why their academic research has personal meaning for thousands of “Anusim” around the world
- 🎬 A sneak peek into the Society's upcoming Los Angeles conference, including an opera, film screenings, and a genealogy workshop with Jeannie Milgrom
From Monterrey to El Paso, from the Church to the shul, Blanca’s story is a global tale of discovery, identity, and reconnection. Her life proves that history isn’t just in books — it’s in your blood. Hit play to discover how centuries of hidden history came full circle, and what Blanca’s story means for all of us.
Host & Production Team
Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew "MoJo" Jones; Story Producer: Sasha Nelson; Content Director: Alexandra Fugère; Associate Producer: Sean Leviashvili); Editor: Post Relativity & Mike O’ Brien; Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild; Graphic Designer: Noah Bell
MENTIONED IN EPISODE
- Who Were the Crypto Jews?
- The Converso History
- The Alhambra Decree
- Ottoman Lands provided Safe Haven for Sephardic Jews Expelled from Spain
- “Anuism” Meaning
- Captain Marcos Alonso de la Garza del Arcón (1551-1634)
- Inquisition on the Canary Islands
- Messianic Jew Jonathan Settel
- Who are Messianic Jews?
- Rabbi Stephen Leon
- Anusim Center of El Paso
- Common Converso Names
- Jewish Mourning Traditions (like Covering Mirrors)
- What is Ladino?
- Somos Primos Facebook Group
- Ashkenazi vs Sephardic Jews
- Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World
- Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies
- HaLapid Magazine
- Crypto-Jews of Brazil
- The Dönmes: Crypto-Jews under Turkish Rule
- Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Annual Conference in Los Angeles, August 10-12, 2025
- Cuban-Jewish Author/Geneologist Genie Milgrom
- What is a Mikvah?
- A Long Journey: The Hidden Jews of the Southwest
- Dona Gracia Mendes-Nasi
- “La Señora” opera about Dona Gracia by Dr. Michelle Green Willner
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