The Secret History of Crypto-Jews with Mexican-American Jew Blanca Carrasco

Watch Being Jewish on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast

Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:

bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletter

For Sponsorships, please email:

[e-mail]

To contact us & all things BJJP:

www.BeingJewishPodcast.com

Follow Jonah on:

Instagram - @JonahPlatt

X - @JonahPlatt

Follow Being Jewish on:

Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast

TikTok - @BeingJewish

What happens when you grow up Catholic in Mexico — and discover you’re secretly Jewish?

In this riveting episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches, Jonah sits down with Blanca Carrasco, a descendant of Crypto-Jews who only discovered her family’s secret heritage at age 50. Now the president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, Blanca unpacks the unknown history of Crypto-Jews — descendants of Jews who secretly maintained their faith after being forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Blanca shares her extraordinary journey to discover who her true family is. She’s a leader in the global movement helping descendants of forcibly converted Jews reclaim their heritage.

 Blanca opens up about:

• 🕯️ How the Spanish Inquisition forced her ancestors to flee Spain and hide their Judaism for generations
• ✝️ Being raised devoutly Catholic — and the moment she began questioning what she was taught
• 🔯 Her path from Messianic Judaism to a full Jewish conversion
• 📜 The Facebook post that led to the discovery of her secret family tree
• 🎓 Her work with the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, and why their academic research has personal meaning for thousands of “Anusim” around the world
• 🎬 A sneak peek into the Society's upcoming Los Angeles conference, including an opera, film screenings, and a genealogy workshop with Jeannie Milgrom

From Monterrey to El Paso, from the Church to the shul, Blanca’s story is a global tale of discovery, identity, and reconnection. Her life proves that history isn’t just in books — it’s in your blood. Hit play to discover how centuries of hidden history came full circle, and what Blanca’s story means for all of us.

Host & Production Team

Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew "MoJo" Jones; Story Producer: Sasha Nelson; Content Director: Alexandra Fugère; Associate Producer: Sean Leviashvili); Editor: Post Relativity & Mike O’ Brien; Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild; Graphic Designer: Noah Bell

MENTIONED IN EPISODE

• Who Were the Crypto Jews? 
• The Converso History
• The Alhambra Decree
• Ottoman Lands provided Safe Haven for Sephardic Jews Expelled from Spain
• “Anuism” Meaning
• Captain Marcos Alonso de la Garza del Arcón (1551-1634)
• Inquisition on the Canary Islands
• Messianic Jew Jonathan Settel
• Who are Messianic Jews?
• Rabbi Stephen Leon
• Anusim Center of El Paso
• Common Converso Names
• Jewish Mourning Traditions (like Covering Mirrors)
• What is Ladino?
• Somos Primos Facebook Group
• .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}