“My name is Hannah, but only a few months ago I was Ana. I was born in Porto, Portugal. Although Catholic, my family was not religious. From an early age, I was confused about who I was and where I belonged. When I was 15, I started a deep journey of questioning. The periods of history where people were forced to adopt a faith, even through torture and murder, in the name of G-d, were unbearable for me. When I was 18, I left Catholicism completely. What remained was a profound faith in G-d, maintained through internal ‘talking prayers’ and the belief that I didn’t need organized religion.

On Pessach of 2012, I came to Israel for the first time. I had my first experience of Judaism, the traditions and the holidays. The feeling of ‘returning home’ I experienced was overwhelming. Without understanding why, everything was very emotional to me. I just found in every aspect of Jewish life I had the chance to experience, a feeling of ‘this is where I belong’ that I could not explain logically.

After I returned home, I was watching a TV show about Israel with my parents, and a Star of David appeared on the screen. Suddenly my mother remembered something that made everything clear and triggered a great change in my life – as a child, she had had a Star of David on a necklace, given to her by her grandmother. From that moment, my Jewish soul came back to life. I started a journey of research about the history of the Portuguese Jews. Those earlier feelings of connection to the Jewish people and my identity were redefined. I decide to come to Israel to study Judaism and recover my Jewish Identity. I started a conversion program, meanwhile continuing my research about my family history. I found the ISAS online, and after meeting with them, I understood the Jewishness of my family surnames and some family traditions that I always thought were superstitions.

The feeling of being Jewish all my life was unquestionable for me. With the help of G-d, I finished my conversion to Judaism. During some travels to the Far East, I met Shay, a young Israeli man, who has been my partner back to where I truly belong. In 2015, as a Jewish woman, I married Shay under the chuppah. I live today in Israel an observant Jewish life. Words will always be limited to express the singularities of my personal story of return to Judaism and how thankful I feel every day for each detail of my Jewish life. May G-d help all lost souls to return and may the ISAS be a blessed tool on that mission.”

“A few years ago, through some very unusual circumstances, I discovered that I am descended on my mother’s side from Spanish/Portuguese Jews.

My mother’s maiden name is Dorta, which is a very uncommon surname. There are likely just a few thousand Dorta’s alive today, the majority of whom live in Tenerife, the Canary Islands (where my mother’s grandfather was from), with a few here and there spread throughout the Caribbean, Brazil, Venezuela, Louisiana, England and the Netherlands.

I discovered that the Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo in Portugal records at least 20 Dortas who were arrested by the Inquisition, most of whom were arrested, and some burned at the stake, for the crime of practicing Judaism.

I felt a connection to these people. They helped me understand myself better, and in an odd way, ‘the Blood Calls.’

The recent ‘Mapping the Anousim Diaspora’ conference held at the Institute for Sefardi and Anousim Studies at Netanya Academic College helped me establish connections and exchange ideas with a number of people who also feel this calling. The Institute’s efforts to assist the Bnei Anousim are exceedingly important and Netanya College is at the vanguard of an awakening, something quite significant, yet in its very earliest stages.

Consider the Judean Date Palm, a species which was once the staple of the Judean economy, and for that very reason, was purposely driven into apparent extinction by the Romans. In 2005, a scientist was able to revive a two thousand-year-old seed excavated from Masada by Yigael Yadin in the early 1960’s.  Just as there is a chance for the rich Judean Date Palm plantations to return to Judea, maybe there is a chance for the Bnei Anousim, with the kind assistance of the Institute for Sefardi and Anousim Studies, to be revived and flourish, as well.”