Wandering Jew

Yes, today we begin with an Eagles’ song.

And yes, I was on the corner in Winslow.

I started the day in Flagstaff, Arizona. It felt a bit more user-friendly, maybe because it is a college town. The internet said there had been a menorah lighting at both the City Hall and at a local park. I went to both. Neither seemed to have a menorah. Perhaps it was it once and ….

There is a Chabad and another synagogue and the University has a Hillel House.

I thought about continuing to write about Jewish identity in America.

I thought about writing about the IHRA definition of antisemitism and the controversy surrounding it. Essentially whether antizionism is antisemitism and what is legitimate criticism of the Israeli government. What happens when anti antizionism means Jews should not exist? (https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism)

But the idea of being in the Southwest triggered me to think of Cryptojews. The descendants of Jews converted in the Inquisition who kept Jewish identity and traditions hidden for six hundred years. The Southwest was a convenient place to avoid the prying eyes of the inquisitors in the 16th Century. Some today seek to reclaim that identity. Maybe there was a deathbed confession that the family was Jewish. Maybe candles were lit on Friday or meat and milk were not mixed.

I have read posts on the internet of those who want to hide their menorahs this Hanukkah. Maybe take down a mezuzah.

We don’t have the exegencies of the 15th Century yet. But. Then. As the great Monty Python said, “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.”