Language:
French
Year of publication:
2012
Titel der Quelle:
Revue française de civilisation britannique
Angaben zur Quelle:
17,2 (2012) 37-60
Keywords:
Nieto, David,
;
Rabbis
;
Sephardim History 18th century
;
Sephardim Social conditions
;
Crypto-Jews Social life and customs
;
Jewish way of life
Abstract:
After they fled the persecutions of the Inquisition and escaped its awesome chase, the Sephardic Jews found in London a haven of relative tolerance and the promise of new prospects. They actively organised themselves and, in 1701, the community inaugurated the admirable Bevis Marks Synagogue and installed David Nieto in his post of rabbi of the congregation. Under the influence of this multi-skilled and brilliant spiritual guide, a period of development - which some describe as a Golden Age - began, its social and economic growth including solidarity, charity and education. Yet the challenges remained numerous and the rabbi was mainly confronted with the burning issue of this particular Jewish minority's spiritual identity: the members of the community actually brought with them an unsettling “prehistory” since they mostly came from Crypto-Jewish families, who had adopted the Catholic religion in times of difficulties, without however getting rid of their membership to Judaism –which they had permanently practised in secret.
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