The image above is a floor plan of what the Portuguese merchant, Manuel Bautista Pere’s, home looked like in 1639. The most important aspects of this layout are the enclosed wooden balconies (labeled on the far right), as some individuals suspected that Bautista was using it to hide a secret Synagogue. This idea of secrecy and deception permeated Portuguese society, where people often believed that Jews were constantly trying to hide their identity and true beliefs from the Inquisition.

National Jewish Book Award Winners, 2020

Dear all, welcome to English 303, Jews Across the Americas! For the first day, please have read the following:

• Introduction
• Jonathan Ray (Georgetown University), Edict of Expulsion (Spain, 1492).
• Relación de Antonio Montesinos (1644)
• Frances Levine (Missouri Historical Society), Doña Teresa Confronts the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico (New Spain, 1662).

In class we will be signing up for cities. Your final project and many of your shorter assignments will involve Jewish literature and culture from this city, so take a look at the list and think about which interest you the most! We will also going over an Introduction to WordPress for those who haven’t used it before.