Andrea Hoffman, Seaside Jewish Community Member
Published in the November/December edition of The Scroll, Seaside Jewish Community’s Newsletter
Years ago, my sister fell in love with Juan Carlos Letelier, a Chilean man she met in Central Park. They eventually married, and all the while he told her that he “felt Jewish.”
Why did he feel as if he were a Jew? He recalled how his father lit candles regularly, talked about the Zohar, and never attended church, despite living in a deeply Catholic country.
After years of wondering about his heritage, Juan Carlos traveled to Lima, headquarters of the Inquisition in South America. After doing much research, he discovered a probable Jewish ancestor who had been forced to convert to Catholicism so he could continue practicing medicine.
Today, at age 65, my brother-in-law is content to have his hunch confirmed, but has not pursued Jewish observances. Others like him from Latin American countries, however, are re-discovering their long-lost Jewish ancestry and today are practicing Judaism.
Take the case of the Puerto Rican couple Ernesto Rivera and Blanca Domench, who in recent years were living in Dover, Delaware. I met them because they also were attending Seaside’s Biblical Hebrew Class, taught by member Barbara White.
The couple had grown up and married in Puerto Rico, where they were raised as evangelical Christians.
Yet, Ernesto suspected that he might be Jewish. He was circumcised and his grandmother lit candles and dressed in white on Friday nights. Blanca also wondered about a Jewish heritage, as there was some discussion of the possibility in her family. They also lit candles and baked round breads. They had nails on the doorposts of many rooms in their homes.
Ernesto began searching online for information. He also began asking questions. Over time, he learned that in two Puerto Rican cities, Aguadilla and Ceiba, there were people who claimed some connection to Judaism.
In 2011, Ernesto’s job caused him to move to Philadelphia, where he found an apartment near the home of an orthodox rabbi. After attending services three times, he asked if he could pursue conversion, but the rabbi turned him down. Undeterred, Ernesto found an Afro-American Synagogue that welcomed him. He contacted the rabbis of Philadelphia’s Bet Din to confirm his Jewishness. Ernesto was interviewed and the rabbis found that his knowledge of Jewish traditions, plus his circumcision were proof enough for him to pursue a conversion journey. He, and Blanca, eventually completed a rigorous study of Judaism and took part in Mikvah ceremonies.
In 2019, Ernesto’s job brought him to Dover Air Force Base. In addition to his assigned duties, he was asked to assist Jewish personnel and prepare for Jewish burials. He completed a lay leader program through the Aleph Institute. It was during this time that he studied Hebrew with Seaside members and where I got a chance to know him and Blanca.
Earlier this year, he and Blanca moved back to Puerto Rico, where he became a lay leader of two newly formed congregations. They are both also teaching basic Hebrew prayers.
One new congregation in Ceiba had purchased land for a cemetery and a small building for a Shul. The congregation also raised $5,000 toward the $10,000 cost of a Torah they purchased with the help of the same Philadelphia rabbi who restored one of Seaside’s Torahs.
Seaside also helped out the new synagogue by donating some of the material originally designated for burial in its Genizah in Lewes.
Puerto Rico is just one example of the reemerging Latin American Jewish communities made up of descendants from Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition. To learn more, visit filmmaker Dani Rotstein’s website: https://www.reemergeproject.com/.
Also, view the trailer for his documentary about the re-emerging Jewish community of Majorca Spain at: https://xuetaislandthemovie.com.
If you would like to visit Ernesto and Blanca in Puerto Rico, let me or Barbara White know. The Whites have often gone to Puerto Rico. Ernesto and Blanca would be delighted to meet with any members of the Jewish community from Delaware, particularly members of Seaside.
