For Crypto-Jews of New Mexico, Art is a Window into Secret Life

JEWISH JOURNAL
By Edmon Rodman

A crypto-Jewish secret wedding by Anita Rodriguez.

MEXICO---Artist Anita Rodriguez’s “aha” moment came after reading “To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico.” The 2005 book by New Mexico’s former state historian, Stanley Hordes, tells the story of the Southwest’s Converso settlers and the elements of their Sephardic heritage – among them lighting candles on Friday night and refraining from eating pork—that were passed down over 500 years. Rodriguez is one of several artists planning to exhibit Crypto-Jewish-themed paintings and folk art at the conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies to be held July 22-24 in Albuquerque. “Artwork makes people want to know more about their own identity,” said Dolores Sloan, president of the society, which helped obtain grants to bring artists to the conference. [link]