Barcelona, Spain – Out of Hiding, First ex-Marrano Returns to Spain as Rabbi

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    Rabbi Ben-AvrahamBarcelona, Spain – For the first time since the expulsion of Spain’s Jews in 1492, a descendant of forcibly-converted Spanish Jews who immigrated to Israel, returned to Judaism and received rabbinical ordination will return to Spain to serve as a rabbi. Rabbi Nissan Ben-Avraham, a resident of Shiloh, has been appointed Shavei Israel’s new emissary to the Bnei Anousim (whom historians refer to as “Marranos”) in Spain.

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    Rabbi Ben-Avraham was born in 1957 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, into a Chueta family (see below). His given name at birth was Nicolau Aguilo. He immigrated to Israel in 1978, formally returned to Judaism and Hebraicized his name. He later married, was ordained as a rabbi, and became a proud father of 12 children.

    As Shavei Israel’s emissary in Spain, Rabbi Ben-Avraham will teach Torah, Jewish culture and tradition to Bnei Anousim, and will conduct a range of social and educational activities. His work will focus on the Bnei Anousim communities of Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Seville, where he will assist those seeking to learn more about their Jewish roots.

    “This is a very moving and historic development,” said Michael Freund, founder and chairman of Shavei Israel. “It marks the first time that a member of the Bnei Anousim is returning to Spain, where he was born and raised, in order to help his fellow Anousim learn more about their Jewish roots.” According to Freund, there are tens of thousands – and maybe even more – of Bnei Anousim in Spain, who are conscious of their special connection to the Jewish people. “We owe it to them and to their ancestors to reach out to them, embrace them and welcome them back home,” he said.


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    22 Comments
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    bucky
    bucky
    14 years ago

    Mi c’amcha Yisroel

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    The Geula is close.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Hope thay go thru giur lichumra

    Dayan
    Dayan
    14 years ago

    Sure we really need him desperately. Yiddishkeit would not be complete without him. Bring him to our organizations to give lectures.

    Don’t take care of At Risk kids. Look for Morranos. We have difficulty in trying to ascertain lineage from yiden from 60 years ago, but here they have conclusively that this individual is a yid after 600 years. Momish a kiddush Hashem.

    Stay Away from all these sensations and lets just try tostick to the basics which is so hard in these trying times. (The next thing this guy will say is he is the son of a shiek, Prince, Queen etc).

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Calling himself a “ben anussim” is a lot more exotic and interesting than just an ordinary convert, which he is. Nowadays, everyone has some shtick.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    he is not the first – there is a chabad rabbi from portugal, now lives in USA, the same story (did giur l’chumra) – just he is for everyone not just other bnei anusim

    Sefardi Tahor
    Sefardi Tahor
    14 years ago

    Nobody is clear about whether he did giyur l’chumrah and yet people are speculating without facts. Majorca in particular is well known for its large number of conversos who secretly kept up Jewish practices. So lets be careful about facts here.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    ##3-4 Your comments are racist and despicable. We Sephardim have an unbroken tradition and things got passed down in “hidden” families that there is knowledge within the family. You both sound as if you are unsure of your own forbearers.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    . . .if a man always casts aspersions upon other people’s descent — for instance, if he alleges that certain families and individuals are of blemished descent and refers to them as being bastards — suspicion is justified that he himself may be a bastard. And if he says they are slaves, one may suspect that he himself is a slave, since whosoever blemishes others projects upon them his own blemish. Similarly, if a person exhibits impudence, cruelty, or misanthropy, and never performs an act of kindness, one should strongly suspect that he is of Gibeonite descent, since the distinctive traits of Israel, the holy nation, are modesty, mercy, and loving-kindness . . .
    — M”T Sefer Qedusháh, Hilekhót Isuré Bi’ah 19:17
    R. Moses ben Maimón

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    But their children and grandchildren (of Jewish rebels), who, misguided by their parents . . . and trained in their views, are like children taken captive by them and raised in the laws of the gentiles (haGoyím ‘Al Dathím), whose status is that of an ‘anus (one who abjures Jewish law under duress), who, although he later learns that he is a Jew, meets Jews, observes them practice their laws, is nevertheless to be regarded as an ‘anus, since he was reared in the erroneous ways of his parents . . . Therefore EFFORTS should be made to BRING THEM BACK in repentance (teshubáh), to draw them near by FRIENDLY relations, so that they may return to the strength-giving source, i.e., the Toráh
    — M”T Sefer Shofetím, Hilekhót Mumarím 3:2

    Indeed, when it comes to lineage, all the people of Israel are brethren. We are all the sons of one father, the rebels (reshaim) and criminals, the heretics (meshumadim) and forced ones (anusim), and the proselytes (gerim) who are attached to the house of Jacob. All these are Israelites. Even if they left God or denied Him, or violated His Law, the yoke of that Law is still upon their shoulders and will NEVER be removed from them.
    — Hhemdah Genuzáh, 15b

    hakoras hatov
    hakoras hatov
    14 years ago

    We should be aware of the amazing work that Michael Freund has done all over the world bringing our long lost brothers back.
    He is obviously not doing it for the money. From the B’nei Menashe in India to people all over South America, noone has done more in our time

    rivka
    rivka
    14 years ago

    ethiopiaian also camming to israel – big garus problems.
    bni menasha from asia the israeli goverment wonts to bring thusend of them
    where is the END in this mishigas