Voices in exile

Examines the intellectual life of Sephardic Jewry from the Spanish expulsion in 1492 through the first half of the 20th century. Discusses the background to the expulsion from Spain, the Jews' tribulations, and their reactions - the effort to understand the meaning of their suffering. Deals with the Converso phenomenon and the problems they encountered. Describes rationalist and anti-rationalist thought following the expulsion, and the messianic movements which arose. Pp. 144-149 discuss the blood libels in Damascus and Rhodes in 1840 and the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara in 1858, and the Jewish organizations which were established to aid persecuted Jews (e.g. B'nai B'rith, Alliance Israélite Universelle). (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)