She grew up Catholic in Venezuela, never knowing Jews still existed, yet her family quietly lit candles, covered mirrors, and placed stones on graves. Centuries-old Jewish practices survived in her home without explanation, passed down in secret since the Spanish Inquisition.
In this episode, Reyna Simnegar shares her extraordinary journey from Venezuela to Judaism: uncovering crypto-Jewish roots dating back over 500 years, discovering her family's hidden mesorah, living through political collapse under Chávez, and ultimately converting Orthodox and building a Jewish life and family. From Schindler's List to UCLA, from Taco Bell to Jerusalem, this is a powerful story of identity, faith, exile, and return.
A rare, deeply personal conversation about Anusim, survival, and what it means to come home, even when it takes generations.
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