Explore the History of the Jewish Experience in NM

Of course New Mexico is one of my places along the way, probably end destination you could say, as well as connecting with other places in Spain, even UC Davis via studying medieval Spanish literature and the romancero with Sam Armistead, whose specialty included romances remembered and carried into exile by conversos in diaspora. Some came to NM. 

Judeo descanso or roadside memorial to mark where
a loved one died in an accident, on NM 64, west of Taos
Photo by Sharon Niederman.

There is a New Mexico Jewish Historical Society and a Nov4 conference in Santa Fe (that will also go in a Mountainair Arts post with other history events for October). Consider this reminder to mark your calendars to hear noted  Dr. Richard Melzer, Noel Pugach, Henry Tobias, Diane Schaller and other NM and Albuquerque historians. More information at www.nmjhs.org or call 348-4471.

New Mexico has long welcomed Jewish residents, from the German-born adventurers and merchants in the 1800s when New Mexico was still a U.S. Territory to the doctors, scientists, professors, lawyers, accountants, and artists of more recent times. Although only a small percentage of the overall population of New Mexico, Jewish residents have played an important role in its history. 

Jewish history in New Mexico started centuries ago when it was still a territory of Spain. A number of colonists who settled in New Mexico in the 17th and 18th centuries were descendants of forced converts fleeing the Inquisition. Formerly Spanish and Portuguese Jews, they had converted to Catholicism under duress, but privately they clung to Jewish practices in secret. Some of their Hispanic descendants today are investigating their families’ crypto-Jewish roots. 

The New Mexico Jewish Historical Society was formed in 1985 to tell the stories of the many Jewish groups that came and stayed and helped make New Mexico a remarkable place

Explore the History of the Jewish Experience in New Mexico - New Mexico Jewish Historical Society