Return of the Conversos (1497-1677)

[@matthewbrotman2907]

Another achievement of the Dutch Sephardim: the introduction of Judaism to the New World. The oldest synagogue in the Americas is on Curaçao in the Caribbean, which is still part of the Netherlands today. The first congregation in what is now the US was founded in New Amsterdam.

[@SamAronow]

Patience...

[@lrt_unimog8316]

Yet another-fish and chips.

[@SamAronow]

@@lrt_unimog8316 *Patience...*

[@FagnerAro]

Also "Kahal Zur Israel" in Recife, Brasil.

[@elliottprats1910]

And those from Curacao weren’t allowed to actually “live” in New Amsterdam because they had white slaves (as well as blacks) since white slavery was illegal in New Amsterdam.

[@dcguy3]

As a child, I could rarely make it to my synagogue and had to essentially skip Sunday school for various factors, as my mom was a working single mother who rarely had the time to take me halfway across town to there, my crippling social anxiety, and other reasons I won't ramble on. These last few years I've tried to get more in touch with our people's history and culture that I felt deprived of. Your videos have been a great help as both a wealth of knowledge, but also motivation to not feel too overwhelmed, to keep going. And has contributed to me being, well, proud of who I am, not awkward about it. So thank you very much, truely.

[@SamAronow]

Thank you so much for your words. For what it's worth, I took Sunday school right up to 7th grade and never got more than the traditional Tanakh-Palmach "nothing between the 1st and 19th centuries matters" education that everyone else seems to have experienced. Part of the impetus for this channel was to fix that lack of continuity.

[@KingOfTheDerp]

Sam Aronow good for you! I too received a lackluster Jewish education, where half of it was the Holocaust and half of it was “what sounds Hebrew letters make” + holidays. Didn’t know there was this much richness to our culture, so thank you for exposing that to a wider audience. I really admire your video production skills and immense, scholarly attention to detail. The earlier part of your series provided me the most captivating argument for a human-originating Jewish tradition. I’m thankful that my beliefs have changed and I’m appreciative of the not-so-well-known information you have provided me with. I now have a much clear state of mind and I can think about religion more logically. Wishing you the best of luck with the rest of your magnificent series!!

[@elyjane6078]

Welcome home

[@DivePlane13]

@@SamAronowI’m converting from Catholicism and I seriously hope that Sunday school lessons will include things like this!

[@thedemongodvlogs7671]

30 minutes The videos just keep getting better in quality, keep it up man!

[@octavianova1300]

I love Spinoza so much. I majored in philosophy, and he was literally the only early modern philosopher in Europe who I found at all compelling, and indeed in wider early modern history, is one of the only thoroughly sympathetic figures

[@rckflmg94]

Indeed. It makes me wonder if there were any other such thinkers who changed the concept of "God" between the time of Epicurus and the Stoics in the Ancient World and the Age of Reason in Spinoza's time? Pierre Bayle, another Dutch thinker, was possibly the first true skeptic of the early Enlightenment.

[@מ.מ-ה9ד]

7:43 Wow, I never knew that any country with those exact problems could even survive!

[@lrt_unimog8316]

Both now have offshore hydrocarbons🤡

[@mattfox2502]

As a cultural, but not religious jew wanting to understand the history of our people, this channel is so freaking cool. This is basically Historia Civilis style teaching of Jewish history. Thank you for the work you do!

[@מ.מ-ה9ד]

The longest video yet! I've been expecting for that one!

[@silveryuno]

As a portuguese man I have to say, THANK YOU for teaching me about a part of my history that is still not much discussed or talked about today. I'll leave this suggestion, if you want to look into it more: I remenber reading about this somewhere (maybe in leaflet about what was then the future Holocaust Museum of Oporto) that when the First Portuguese Republic was established (1910-1926) there were jews that had been practicing their faith in secret for generations who finally came out publicly about their faith, but sadly then Salazar came to power and they were not allowed to remain Jewish in his Portugal. That's all I know...

[@SamAronow]

Oh, not at all. The Jewish population actually increased under Salazar as escapees from Nazi occupation took refuge there. The same thing happened in Spain. It was not long after that time (1970s) that the community of Belmonte formally came out of hiding, though they’d been discovered in 1917.

[@silveryuno]

@@SamAronow Interesting... I knew about Aristides de Sousa Mendes, but I didn't knew what happend to those jews after they escaped.

[@evolution__snow6784]

Every one knows about what the Portuguese inquisition did to non-Christians, thats like in everyone’s standard history lesson, it’s part of the curriculum

[@Qiyunwu]

"Johann de Witt was killed and eaten by an angry mob of oranges" I have the death

[@HistoryandHeadlines]

In graduate school, I took a course on Jews in the Mediterranean, which covered this topic, so as that was over a decade ago now, it was nice to have a refresher this morning!

[@navetal]

_sniff sniff_ What is that smell coming form behind the corner? Such a familiar scent, I haven't smelled for centuries... Is that... Is that a the scent of a Messianic Claimant?

[@EMattheww]

This video was so captivating from beginning to end! You really have an amazing talent for story telling, great job!

[@celtiberian07]

You know i learn allot from your channel my dad was a secular jew who really knew nothing about the religion or history of jews . my mom roman Catholic knew allot more about jews & tried to teach me & my brother a few things cause she thought it importance that we know some , but your content is great especially for a history buff like me

[@babaopizza]

I really want to watch a historical drama about Gracia Mendes Nasi and her secret society smuggling Jews out of Portugal.

[@bandygamy5898]

name?

[@S1rDerpsalot]

One of the best videos you've made. Spinoza's work was a big influence for my return to Judaism after a stint with atheism. Excellent work.

[@rckflmg94]

How did a pantheistic concept of God/Nature direct you back toward a monotheistic religion?

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

​@@rckflmg94 Judaism is extremely flexible about this, since belonging to the tribe and practicing the rituals takes precedence over beliefs, as it is with most religions outside of Christianity. I've met extremely observant Jews from all strands of theism, including pantheism and panentheism, besides monotheism. Even agnostic and atheist Jews aren't unheard of. Only type I haven't found is polytheism, since idolatry and having more than one god are big no-nos in Judaism.

[@marcello7781]

Until now I never realized how much I didn't know about Spinoza. Thanks a lot for this video!

[@Crick1952]

I've been digging into my family tree and, although tenuous, it appears that my family is in fact descended from both Spanish and Portuguese conversos that then settled in Mexico. This has really awakened my interest in Jewish history and culture. This channel has been a real source for information on the subject and I'd like to thank you for that.

[@צמחישראלמרום]

half of the worlds jews, apearantly. as I am half Persian, Qaurter Tunisian and Quarter Iraqian, my tunisian and quarter of my persian side(the mother of my father) are originally from spain and protugal. and I am white with brown hair(which is not native to Iran, Iraq or tunisia). born in Israel. very proud!

[@bobthebuilder12323]

The quality of these videos have continuously been getting better. Such a blessing to have these. Thanks Sam

[@kevingriffith9626]

This is such an amazing series. I've learned so much, the Roman wars were in particular really cool I've never seen them told from a jewish perspective. Thanks for making these incredible videos!

[@Yomi2012]

I really relate to Da costa very much on so many levels. Like him am also a descendant of conversos. Reverted back to Judaism in my late mid 20’s but later become disillusioned and started to and harshly criticized the Haredi movement and their rabbis and proving that they claim is Halacha isn’t really Halacha. Fell into depression stopped attending synagogue. But now I do a self styled Judaism that focuses on the bare minimum what Torah requires one to do

[@LHollan]

Fortunately you have his history and writings to help you whereas he himself had nothing to back him he had to settle everything alone

[@bernhardsegerer1316]

Watching your channel does not only result in the understanding of jewish history but in the understandung of history at large as well as inspiring to think philosophically about religion

[@Vanalovan]

He was married to his niece because a secret needed to stay in the family? What, was it written out in A, C, T and G’s?

[@abyssimus]

Thank you for the "Socialism?" part in the note about Anabaptists at 6:27 . As someone who politically identifies with the English Diggers, I can't tell you how much fun it is to point out to my fellow American Baptists that our broader denominational family was historically mostly proto-Socialist.

[@EdMcF1]

It wasn't much fun to live under them though. They were quite vicious and fanatical.

[@andrewlitfin1977]

"Yes, Sengoku era Japan had Jews." You have no idea how quickly I tabbed over to dm a friend "GUESS WHAT I JUST LEARNED"

[@richardstanley6488]

I think the algorithm sent me your video, because of my interest in Spinoza. This video is so good! I have subscribed and can’t wait to watch your other videos!

[@BaiZhijie]

No no! Please 14:29 has an error. Cromwell did commit atrocities against the Irish, but he did NOT commit them against the Quakers. He actually met George Fox and wept after a long hear to heart conversation at his house. The Quakers were repeatedly punished for blasphemy by English courts, but it was often Cromwell who bailed them out or got a death sentence commuted. So Cromwells relationship to the Quakers is much more complex.

[@victorydaydeepstate]

These videos are rare in coming. No Goy could, or would attempt a serious documentary on "the History of the Jews." Thank you for flushing out ignorance with the cold waters of reality.

[@martinvandenbroek2532]

Baruch de Spinoza has been on the highest denomination banknote of the Netherlands in the pre-Euro era, i.e. the 1000 guilder banknote. Well done Baruch 😊

[@naps_878]

damn, you're right! that madlad.

[@pedroledoux9779]

Under Manuel I Portugal was in maritime expansion. The colonization of Brazil has begun. Jewish entrepeneurs and merchants were important in the economy of the colony.

[@cristobalvalladares973]

Enjoyed it immensely. Not Jewish, but had many Sephardi friends in Midwood Brooklyn. Still remember hearing ladino spoken. Very similar to my Spanish. The part of about Torah being more like a constitution was fascinating. Only a passing familiarity with Spinoza. Will investigate him. The Sephardi are a beautiful people. The food, the women remind me of Hispanics. Keep up the good work. I maybe typing this incorrectly, but marshallah.

[@EladLerner]

The Spinoza statue in Amsterdam is one of my favorites in the city. It's really surrealistic and got an icosahedron on it!

[@blablableh724]

Costa was far ahead of his time and could see through the B.S.

[@LHollan]

400 years ago he was saying things that till very recently weren’t allowed to say in western world

[@SandyRiverBlue]

R.H.M. Elwes' Translation of the Works of Spinoza is a really great resource if you are interested in reading Spinoza, without having to translate and parse the text yourself. A close examination of human nature that is both well-written and well-translated. His sections on jealousy are particularly eye-opening, although articulated through the lens of the male perspective (can't be avoided, because this was the world he inhabited). His Theological-Political Treatise is also a really great read if you want to laugh really really hard in the first few pages of a book.

[@ungrateful-66]

Great info on Uriel da Costa, and one of my (Jewish) friends’ wives was named Uriel for him! Hard to imagine such a guy today, due to all of the divisions already present inside the Jewish community.

[@LHollan]

Strong name with loads of history

[@BoqPrecision]

Can you look into the 1600s "Mawza" Exile? I have relatives (now Muslim) descending from Yemenite Jews surviving the expulsion, which was IMO a precursor to the Armenian g.nocide (same tactics used).

[@rambam23]

The Coffee Trader by David Liss is an excellent novel about this particular period. The viewpoint character is a Portuguese Converso.

[@freealter]

Herem is very similar to a Fatwa, especially in terms of scholars publishing texts. If you get a fatwa or a herem the severity could range from “take back what you said” to get the hell out of dodge before your head rolled and your books were burned.

[@talink6867]

The quality of your videos is Astonishing!

[@ShaiPortnoy]

I can’t wait for the next chapter ! My family lived in Vilna but were descendants of the Baal Shem Tov so I can finally see some history I can personally relate to.

[@marksimons8861]

Fantastic presentation! Well done, Sam.

[@marksimons8861]

If only the guy in the green shirt would straighten up his braces.

[@jedimmj11]

When that frame with the political parties showed up looking exactly like those from the Israeli series, I cracked up

[@revivlerech9020]

הסדרה שלך על תולדות היהדות מרתקת, פשוט ללקק את האצבעות. תודה רבה.

[@serhiiherasymov4809]

This is an outstanding video with a mind-twisting story. Can not thank enough

[@idenou9577]

Thank you Sam! For me, your content is like a miner stumbling on a previously untapped vein of gold. It gives me fresh insight into why we believe what we believe today !

[@thebookofkeys-thetoracle7637]

Wonderfully expressed. My deepest appreciation, brother, from a dissident mequbal.

[@life-destroyerofworlds7036]

I am taken aback by the experience of Da Costa. So much tragedy packed into what you just said. It'll be difficult to get over it. Brief comment on your Spinoza remark, I don't think Spinoza's modern world is so great...

[@LHollan]

Uriel was so brave and fair to his truth but dared to think things like we ourselves just very recently were allowed to think in western world

[@2bit8bytes]

27:19 Did you say "eaten"? As in cannibalism? Wtf...

[@BitspokesV2]

You heard right.

[@formulaone07]

One hundred years after Spinoza (~1780) most Western European based Jews were secular? That's news to me. I thought that only occurred gradually after Napoleon's emancipation at the start of the 19th century.

[@SamAronow]

I was surprised too, but my research for a future video indeed revealed that this was already the case by 1787.

[@formulaone07]

@@SamAronow I recently read that Heine was born in 1797 in Düsseldorf to "not particularly devout" Jews, which further validates that research.

[@coe3408]

@@SamAronow That is quite doubtful. Very few people were secular before the French Revolution. Some Jews were certainly secular, but religion was omnipresent in the life of everyone. How to be secular in a world without the separation of the Church and state? Jews only became prominent in mainstream western culture in the mid 19th century. Spinoza was clearly an exception that was enabled by the religious freedom permitted by the Dutch Republic.

[@Duiker36]

@@coe3408 Are you suggesting that the beliefs of the French Revolution came out of nowhere?

[@coe3408]

​@@Duiker36 I am no way implying that, of course there were secularist and deistic thinkers. But the vast majority of French people in 1789 were deeply religious It is no accident that both Girondins and Jacobins tried to substitute the Catholic Church for secular religions.

[@ee99858]

Watched the whole playlist, can't wait for more! keep it up man

[@Rifat.Rafael.Birmizrahi]

So Spinoza was the first secular jew! We really need a video about demographics of today's jews and how religious they are. I don't know if this is true but I feel like jews have grown extremely secular in 20th and 21st centuries.

[@LHollan]

You skipped Uriel section right?

[@Rifat.Rafael.Birmizrahi]

@@LHollan What do you mean exactly?

[@salaltschul3604]

Must've been such a pain in the arse. "Yeah, yeah, we're going...we just got here, but whatever. Ugh."

[@Yitzhak480]

great video as always! keep up the great work!

[@valmarsiglia]

I love how the Holy Roman Empire looks like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

[@warriorforjesuschrist.1854]

There's no such thing as the Holy Roman empire. The Roman empire was a pagan political party. The Catholic church was never part of the Roman empire. Because the Catholic church is just a religion not a political party. While the Roman empire fell the Catholic Church remained standing throughout all of the years. Eventually around 1453 however the Church became the political power of Rome. But prior to that it was nothing more than a religious rite of Rome.

[@baneofbanes]

@@warriorforjesuschrist.1854the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its state religion in the late 300’s. That’s why Christianity is the dominant religion of Europe.

[@elyjane8316]

Outstanding lecture.

[@carlosvejar3938]

You have led me to answers about my ancestors. Thank you

[@gregoryfournerat6690]

I could probably comment this on all of the incredibly thorough and informative presentations you've made that I've seen and yet to see, bravo. While not culturally not religiously Jewish, I have significant Sephardic ancestry, Babylonian Exilarch ancestors and value all of what blood and DNA runs through me. Thank you.

[@ardacivelek1534]

I am looking forward to your forthcoming video as I have a strong guess as to which particular part of the Jewish history in the Eastern Europe in the aforementioned period you'd be covering. In case my guess is indeed spot on, I can't wait to hear your perspective on the topic "Conversion" in that part of the world & discussion of the lately very much flourishing literature on the subject.

[@codwhores6776]

Damn that herem read like a huge roast session. The Mahmaad absolutely flamed Spinoza's ass

[@Danielhake]

A good description of the political situation in the Dutch republic. Great series!

[@derelbenkoenig]

"Diet of Worms" - new band name?

[@sdelmonte]

I love the use the graphic style from your Israeli Elections channel. I will argue that Orthodox Judaism does insist on a personal and active God but maybe that was reemphasized later.

[@SHAUL-YIRAH-MAAMIN.]

Thought provoking content that I dare not ponder 🤔 on, for too long.... Muchas gracias.

[@bennruda11]

Isn't it quite odd or coincidental that the elders of Netherland are referred to as Sarahs or Abrahams? Something jewish related?

[@Pratchettgaiman]

Not gonna lie, I pumped the air when you said “we’re now the majority” referring to secular Jews

[@igorepshteyn9739]

I really enjoyed this video

[@janmelantu7490]

Love the long s in the old Herems

[@unescoworldheritagesite7508]

WHAT HAPPENED IN EASTERN EUROPE YOU CAN'T END IT LIKE THIS

[@janmelantu7490]

I don’t need sleep I need answers

[@isserles]

I don't want to spoil it for you, but I assure you that it will be bad and bloody

[@achaeanmapping4408]

Maybe some messianic movement?

[@Rifat.Rafael.Birmizrahi]

As far as I know jews at that time enjoyed a good amount of tolerance in Istanbul (capital of the Ottoman empire) and the region around it. Those were mostly the jews who escaped Alhambra decree

[@wolfsbaneandnightshade2166]

Thanks for keeping the old f for s in some of the texts!!!!!!!

[@milobem4458]

22:20 The leader of the Orange party was named Tromp? How bad was it?

[@arlosmith2784]

Note. The Jews fled to the Ottoman Empire for the good reason that Muslim rulers did not seek forcible conversion of Jews.

[@ladylongsleeves3175]

This video is incredible.

[@Yitzhak480]

That....... that was a harsh one

[@scottwarthin1528]

16:14 "...World To Com." Sam makes it so compelling! Evolution of 'Soul's Immortality' in the post-reformation context of Holland's (later Europe's) burgeoning religious tolerance & pluralism is spelled out step by step. The spectrum of Jewish understandings on the soul (kzbin.info/www/bejne/fV6ceIOnobh9ndE) makes a lot more sense.

[@massimosoria9910]

that was awesome thanks dude

[@natureschild.5380]

Very good story telling, thanks for the refresher, I like history.

[@KrazyKaiser]

Ummmm, did you say "Killed and EATEN"?!?

[@Rustyuoiman]

I don't know why, but I find the thought of Sengoku Jidai Jews humorous.

[@asdfmapping2745]

What the heck happened to Vicki Nelson????? :(

[@OliveOilFan]

Sam I got a question When you’re done doing the timeline of Jewish events. Will you do individual Jewish groups like you did with the Hindu jews? So like the Yemenis, bukharians, and polish?

[@calicoixal]

He's mentioned before that he does have plans for that, but those plans don't become concrete unless there's a history KZbinr get-together, just like how the vid on the Jews of India was part of "Project India". So start bothering other history KZbinrs to do a Project Yemen or Project Bukhara if you want to see it happen

[@OliveOilFan]

@@calicoixal I thought that was a one time thing? He can’t do individual Jewish groups on his own? It would make sense

[@calicoixal]

@@OliveOilFan look man, I'm just relating what he said in a previous video, I think it's the corrections video after the section with the Jews in India video

[@Duiker36]

@@OliveOilFan He isn't doing it, as stated in one of his recap videos, because they're the best candidates for collaboration and therefore better revenue for him. Since, y'know, this channel is a business.

[@aromero385]

Since there are more than 100 millions descendants of these Sephardics that were converted by force and coercion. What would be like, if only part or that total decide they want to reconvert?.

[@formulaone07]

There is an organization called Reconnectar that is trying to help these people reconnect to their Jewish heritage. I think most people won't convert back but a minority might - and some of that minority might make their way back to Israel. There is a semi-famous sepharadic rabbi in Israel who already visited some of these people in South America and says that only a simple conversion (rather than the standard one) is needed to welcome them back in.

[@aromero385]

@@formulaone07 Yes, as you say, even if these people with Sephardic ancestry, decide to reconvert would produce a crisis of overpopulation in Israel. Most of them I guess will prefer stay put in their native country.

[@realmless4193]

Why do you have accurate HRE? Nobody demands this gift.

[@Pospisk]

This April I visited Jewish museum in Amsterdam, incredible place worth to visit!

[@sampuspitakumarajiva8930]

Btw sam, what are your alternate sources of income.

[@andremedeiros2991]

They ate de Witt? WTF for real?

[@devonrocks6]

Is that an offshoot of a locust valley lockjaw accent? Lol

[@Pingwn]

I have to know, are your video's names in Hebrew or is KZbin translating them for me or something? Since it dose it sometimes but I never saw a single video of yours that wasn't named in Hebrew including the description.

[@bernd_das_brot6911]

We learn about this in Dutch history lessons, we are very proud of our synagogues and our jews. I am very sad that many left

[@davidpackman2733]

please add a video about the Jewish pirates!

[@gedgar]

so excited to watch this :D

[@gustavolebrech8883]

Como descendiente de Isaac da costa , orgulloso de los judíos españoles!.

[@LHollan]

“Da Costa” es apellido portugues

[@deltahat2625]

Based Spinoza.

[@texasyojimbo]

There seem to be some parallels between the Jewish Enlightenment and the Scottish Enlightenment happening at (more or less) the same time. Thomas Aikenhead was executed in Edinburgh in 1697 for making similar claims as Spinoza. Within a few decades however Scottish society had become increasingly secular, producing David Humes and Adam Smiths (though in fact, the Scottish blasphemy law has never been fully repealed).

[@nowhereman6019]

The absolute GigaChad Spinoza.

[@johnvonundzu2170]

Excellent vid, but (quasi) Fs in place of S in typography appear only as the first half of SS - essentially identical to the German Eszett. A single S never resembles an F / f in antique typography. Maybe you were aware of this, but your use here (as in fuccefsors) becomes a bit of a joke - but maybe you meant it that way? I can't tell.

[@viliussmproductions]

I had to triple chrck whether you said "beaten" or "eaten". The Wikipedia article doesn't dwell on this either. What the hell.

[@rontubman6953]

His liver was indeed cooked and eaten

[@annickbrennen8779]

Great stuff to know!

[@eliyabarzel9871]

תיקון תעשה סרטון על האם דרך המשי הייתה גם ברומא

[@boldandbrash8431]

Spinoza deserves a video of his own

[@Abraxium]

I am surprised at how often I forget that Spinoza was Sephardic

[@eliyabarzel9871]

תעשה סרטון על האם דרך המשי הייתה גם