{"id":792,"date":"2008-07-09T15:19:06","date_gmt":"2008-07-09T15:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/2008\/07\/group-helps-hispanics-who-want.php"},"modified":"2008-07-09T15:19:06","modified_gmt":"2008-07-09T15:19:06","slug":"group-helps-hispanics-who-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2008\/07\/group-helps-hispanics-who-want","title":{"rendered":"Group Helps Hispanics Who Want to Explore Roots of Jewish Ancestry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knight Ridder\/Tribune Business News – July 9, 2008 <\/strong>
\nJul. 9–Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Wendy Canelones was curious about the custom her grandmother and great-grandmother had of lighting candles on Friday afternoon.
\nShe assumed it was just an old habit. But she was unaware — as were her relatives — that they were carrying on a centuries-old Jewish tradition of welcoming the Sabbath with the lighting of candles every Friday at sunset.
\nIt wasn’t until she was an adult that Canelones, an Orlando resident, discovered she was of Jewish heritage. She came to understand her early fascination with that culture and religion as well as where some family rituals came from.
\n“The blood of Abraham is in us,” Canelones, 37, said. “It calls us.”
\nShe now works with Aliyah Sepharad International, a Sanford-based group for Hispanics of Jewish ancestry who wish to get back to their religious roots. The organization’s ultimate purpose: to help them make Aliyah — the sacred mandate to return to Israel.
\nSpanish and Jewish history have been intertwined for centuries. Some historians believe the Jews began immigrating to the Iberian Peninsula after the destruction of Solomon’s first temple in 586 B.C. These Jews were called Sephardic. They grew strong in numbers, and their influence is evident in Spanish architecture, food and customs. During the Spanish Inquisition of the late 15th century, Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism were killed or forced out of the country. Others pretended to convert and secretly practiced their religion, preserving its customs and rituals for generations.
\nBecause they were forced to suppress their beliefs, many Hispanic descendants of Sephardic Jews grew up not knowing about their heritage.
\nThis is rapidly changing.
\n“There is a phenomenon going on in the world right now with what we call ‘returning Jews,’ ” said Nathan Katz, professor of religious studies with Florida International University in Miami. “They make up a significant percentage of synagogues [in South Florida]. It is not just in Central Florida.”
\nRabbi Gary Fern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez, who heads Aliyah Sepharad International, said his organization is the only one in the United States whose mission is to help Sephardic Jews return to Israel.
\n“God promised the Negev [southern Israel] to the people of Sepharad [believed to be the name given to the Iberian Peninsula],” said Fern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez, citing a prophecy from the biblical book of Obadiah. “We are working toward making that a reality.”
\nFern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez said he went to Israel to discuss his plans with a manager there who told the rabbi he was the first person to ever approach him about relocating Hispanic Jews.
\nBut Fern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up Christian, will first have to overcome a few hurdles. Under the law of return, the Israeli government assists with housing and other needs for those wanting to go back to the land of their ancestors. But to be allowed in, the law requires evidence that at least one grandparent was a practicing Jew. Descending from Jews alone is not enough, Katz said.
\nThe alternative is to convert to Judaism, as many in Fern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez’s group have done. But because they also believe in Jesus, this could complicate matters.
\n“Most authorities in Israel would argue that the religion they practice is not Judaism,” Katz said. “That would make it more difficult for them.”
\nFern\u00ef\u00bf\u00bdndez understands what he’s up against.
\n“Someone has to start somewhere,” he said. “If it is going to take years to navigate this process, we’ll do it.”
\nFor Canelones, who is confident she and her husband will make Aliyah in two years, it comes down to a question of faith. “It is the land God promised to me and my ancestors,” she said. “He has never gone back on his promises.”
\nJeannette Rivera-Lyles can be reached at jrivera@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5471.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knight Ridder\/Tribune Business News – July 9, 2008 Jul. 9–Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Wendy Canelones was curious about the custom her grandmother and great-grandmother had of lighting candles on Friday afternoon. She assumed it was just an old habit. 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