Thursday, May 03, 2007

The Cry of the Converso

You hate me because I survived.
You hate me because my family tried.
You hate me because they didn't want to see
their children brutalized.

You don't believe me because I don't know.
you don't believe me because we didn't know.
You don't believe me because my family just found out.

No matter how much you doubt, it's true!
No matter how much you doubt, I will prove it to you!
No matter how much you doubt...
Deep down inside I always knew.

No matter how little custom my family held onto,
No matter how little Jewish we may seem,
No matter how little faith my family had,
We still Believe.

I'll prove to you I am a Jew!
I'll prove it by doing any thing!
I'll prove it by immersing myself...
Because I am a Jew.

~Racheli Zohara bat Yael Nehama bat Karmit (Carmen Lydia) bat Sarah...

NOTE: This is a poem written by my daughter. The term Converso is used instead of marrano which is a horrible, derogatory term meaning pig. The Conversos, Crypto Jews, B'nei Anusim, are the 'fortunate' ones who somehow escaped the Spanish Inquisition physically (sadistic murder and torture of Jewish bodies and souls) but lost most, if not all of their Jewish connection. Some retained a residual trace of Judaism, but many do not even know why their family does the strange things they do. There may only be a trace of an oral tradition of the family being Jewish many, many years ago. But nobody talks about it. Many of these lost ones are returning home, Baruch Hashem, but not without a fight from family outside the Tribe and even among members of The Tribe. It is not an easy journey to be standing outside one's home, longing to come in and your brothers and sisters, who do not know or recognize you asking for proof of who you say you are. But prove it these lost ones do! Even to the point where the Converso will 'convert/return' to erase all doubt of their family lineage. Never again to have to hide! Never again to have anyone question who they are! Never again to stand outside in the cold, longing, waiting to be embraced by their family and warm themselves by the Fire of Torah. This ingathering has been said to be a precursor to the coming of Moshiach...please let it be soon and in our time.
Por favor, Di-s de mis padres, Di-s de Avraham, Yitzhak y Ya'akov, por favor ten piedad en tus ninos, en tus ninos que no estan regresado todavia, ayudalos por favor Abba, manda a el Moshiach rapido, rapido Abba, bimhierah b'yamienu!!!
Amen v'amen

1 comment:

Miriam said...

this is very beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes.

kol hakavod.