Olami 2 - Portugal
I feel like I have spent my whole life wondering who I am. No matter how many times I find a new favorite color or enjoy a new favorite movie, my decisions will make me feel like life is an ongoing mystery. For me, a large part of this mystery has always been my past. My family comes from a slew of countries including Germany, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Austria, Morocco and Spain. Since our heritages are so many, it has always been hard to single out and relate to one. My grandparents always had beautiful stories about what life was like for their parents adjusting to America from their homelands, but very few stories of life before they came to America.
I was raised in a mixed Ashekenase background with a strong Sephardic influence. Everyone in my family besides my Grandmother is Ashkenase. Now that she is my only grandparent left, we have an intense connection that I deeply cherish. In the past few years, I have embraced the Sephardim of my past trying to pick up on their tunes and I use a Sephardic siddur every time that I pray. In addition to being Sephardic, my grandmother is a Morano Jew. Before I left for Portugal she looked me straight in the eyes and reminded me to always be proud of being part of the Marianov's, her family. I hugged her and assured her that I would never forget.
Morano used to be a term that I associated with the Crusades. I assumed it was not really around any more since modern times beg us to take pride in who we are. This type of pride helps one to survive. Growing up in a highly Jewish community, I have learnt that having other Jews around you makes it easier and more rewarding to practice Judaism. That is why I assumed all Morano's would be proud to be Jewish. There is also that classic image of Morano Jews lighting Shabbas candles in the closet back in the day and the modern image of that tradition continuing but being a blind practice. This didn't tip me off to the magnitude of what it is to be a Morano.
After my trip to Portugal, my new definition of a Morano has changed my mind. A Morano is a Jew bound at the soul always destined to find a return to faith. Although a Morano may not always be proud of who they are they come from a strong history of survivors. Morano can mean many different things. Literally, it means pig. When trying to pick out the non-Jews, Crusaders would often test with pig, trying to see if there were times they wouldn't eat meat or what meats they could not eat. Politically, the correct term for a Morano is a Crypto- Jew but the word Morano has such a strong history behind it that some Jews identify with it.
Dating back to the 1800s, the government of Lisbon wished to reduce the Jews to ashes. They would accuse people of being Jews, witches, homosexuals or conspirators against the government and burn them publicly in the presence of the King and Queen. However this did not end the Jewish communities. To make sure they could always find each other they changed their last names to be names of different trees. Marinov probably comes from the word mar which means ocean. The ocean of strength of my family overcame the flames of society.
Although I have been taught to never associate myself with hate or derogatory terms, Morano is a title I accept with great pride. Morano means that my family made it. I know one day I will be able to teach my children the stories of the Morano's and teach them to associate their Judaism with strength and pride. History forces the Jewish people to overcome great force many times over. I am proud to be part of a line that has beaten a hidden oppression which became a silent killer for some. When I close my eyes and pray, I think of those who sacrificed everything so I could rejoice in this moment. Their serenity helps me to define what it means to be the chosen people.
I will also teach my children of the Moranos of today, the people I met in Portugal. There was Luiza who grew up in an atheist home. They always called themselves Morano but never Jewish. After learning about the faith of her forefathers, she decided to return to Judaism. As a practicing Jew, she hopes one day to make aliyah.
At the temple in Lisbon, I met a few Moranos. One was from a Muslim German family. Her parents converted back to Judaism and she was raised in a Jewish household. The rest of her family refuses to recognize her existence because of this. Unfortunately, both of her parents recently passed away and now she has taken time of teaching Persian literature to find a sect of Judaism she can relate to.
The other girl that I met at temple is not a Jew yet. She was raised in the Catholic faith but never felt as if that was her religion. One day she read about Judaism in a textbook and knew that was the religion she was meant to be part of. It's as if her soul was part of something she couldn't relate to and she found what she needed to put it in place. The way she described her connection to Judaism was truly moving. She has been taking lessons at the orthodox temple of Lisbon for three years now and hopes to be able to convert one day. Her rabbi has arranged for her to take Ulpan classes in Israel sometime soon.
I also met some of the youth of Portugal. They grew up with Judaism playing an inactive role in their life but as they came of age they wanted to remain with their fellow Jews. Their Rabbi saw a need to keep the youth connected because of this and invited a man over from Brazil to organize activities for the children. These activities caught on very quickly and eventually they outgrew the space the temple could provide. It was clear that they needed a community center of their own so the youth director donated his home to the community. They raised the funds for a swimming pool, tennis courts and soccer field. This country club is beautiful and a safe place for the Jews of the area to retreat to and hang out with other Jews. The pride they had in their community was so active, it was truly moving. As an American Jew, I often take it for granted how easy it is to get involved with the Jewish community. These children put their lives on hold to make sure they could stay together. When organizing funds, classmates would make fun of them for being Jewish because it was so abstract to them. However they stood strong.
The entire trip to Portugal was moving. Not only did I have the freedom to rediscover myself but I had the guidance to look into my past. My family never converted away from Judaism and now I know how much endurance and mazal it took for them to stay alive. They triumphed over so many tyrants but never lost site of family. This is why I must try my hardest to live everyday in their honor. I must make sure that my life is a tribute to the constant risks they took just so I could practice my faith freely one day. I also must never loose sight of the fact that the day they lived for is today and grab onto every opportunity I am presented with in Israel. Going to Portugal was a life changing experience that I will take with me wherever I go.
I was raised in a mixed Ashekenase background with a strong Sephardic influence. Everyone in my family besides my Grandmother is Ashkenase. Now that she is my only grandparent left, we have an intense connection that I deeply cherish. In the past few years, I have embraced the Sephardim of my past trying to pick up on their tunes and I use a Sephardic siddur every time that I pray. In addition to being Sephardic, my grandmother is a Morano Jew. Before I left for Portugal she looked me straight in the eyes and reminded me to always be proud of being part of the Marianov's, her family. I hugged her and assured her that I would never forget.
Morano used to be a term that I associated with the Crusades. I assumed it was not really around any more since modern times beg us to take pride in who we are. This type of pride helps one to survive. Growing up in a highly Jewish community, I have learnt that having other Jews around you makes it easier and more rewarding to practice Judaism. That is why I assumed all Morano's would be proud to be Jewish. There is also that classic image of Morano Jews lighting Shabbas candles in the closet back in the day and the modern image of that tradition continuing but being a blind practice. This didn't tip me off to the magnitude of what it is to be a Morano.
After my trip to Portugal, my new definition of a Morano has changed my mind. A Morano is a Jew bound at the soul always destined to find a return to faith. Although a Morano may not always be proud of who they are they come from a strong history of survivors. Morano can mean many different things. Literally, it means pig. When trying to pick out the non-Jews, Crusaders would often test with pig, trying to see if there were times they wouldn't eat meat or what meats they could not eat. Politically, the correct term for a Morano is a Crypto- Jew but the word Morano has such a strong history behind it that some Jews identify with it.
Dating back to the 1800s, the government of Lisbon wished to reduce the Jews to ashes. They would accuse people of being Jews, witches, homosexuals or conspirators against the government and burn them publicly in the presence of the King and Queen. However this did not end the Jewish communities. To make sure they could always find each other they changed their last names to be names of different trees. Marinov probably comes from the word mar which means ocean. The ocean of strength of my family overcame the flames of society.
Although I have been taught to never associate myself with hate or derogatory terms, Morano is a title I accept with great pride. Morano means that my family made it. I know one day I will be able to teach my children the stories of the Morano's and teach them to associate their Judaism with strength and pride. History forces the Jewish people to overcome great force many times over. I am proud to be part of a line that has beaten a hidden oppression which became a silent killer for some. When I close my eyes and pray, I think of those who sacrificed everything so I could rejoice in this moment. Their serenity helps me to define what it means to be the chosen people.
I will also teach my children of the Moranos of today, the people I met in Portugal. There was Luiza who grew up in an atheist home. They always called themselves Morano but never Jewish. After learning about the faith of her forefathers, she decided to return to Judaism. As a practicing Jew, she hopes one day to make aliyah.
At the temple in Lisbon, I met a few Moranos. One was from a Muslim German family. Her parents converted back to Judaism and she was raised in a Jewish household. The rest of her family refuses to recognize her existence because of this. Unfortunately, both of her parents recently passed away and now she has taken time of teaching Persian literature to find a sect of Judaism she can relate to.
The other girl that I met at temple is not a Jew yet. She was raised in the Catholic faith but never felt as if that was her religion. One day she read about Judaism in a textbook and knew that was the religion she was meant to be part of. It's as if her soul was part of something she couldn't relate to and she found what she needed to put it in place. The way she described her connection to Judaism was truly moving. She has been taking lessons at the orthodox temple of Lisbon for three years now and hopes to be able to convert one day. Her rabbi has arranged for her to take Ulpan classes in Israel sometime soon.
I also met some of the youth of Portugal. They grew up with Judaism playing an inactive role in their life but as they came of age they wanted to remain with their fellow Jews. Their Rabbi saw a need to keep the youth connected because of this and invited a man over from Brazil to organize activities for the children. These activities caught on very quickly and eventually they outgrew the space the temple could provide. It was clear that they needed a community center of their own so the youth director donated his home to the community. They raised the funds for a swimming pool, tennis courts and soccer field. This country club is beautiful and a safe place for the Jews of the area to retreat to and hang out with other Jews. The pride they had in their community was so active, it was truly moving. As an American Jew, I often take it for granted how easy it is to get involved with the Jewish community. These children put their lives on hold to make sure they could stay together. When organizing funds, classmates would make fun of them for being Jewish because it was so abstract to them. However they stood strong.
The entire trip to Portugal was moving. Not only did I have the freedom to rediscover myself but I had the guidance to look into my past. My family never converted away from Judaism and now I know how much endurance and mazal it took for them to stay alive. They triumphed over so many tyrants but never lost site of family. This is why I must try my hardest to live everyday in their honor. I must make sure that my life is a tribute to the constant risks they took just so I could practice my faith freely one day. I also must never loose sight of the fact that the day they lived for is today and grab onto every opportunity I am presented with in Israel. Going to Portugal was a life changing experience that I will take with me wherever I go.
