Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso is joined by his daugher and grandchildren to talk about the story of Hanukkah, one filled with faith and overcoming oppression and adversity. While sharing traditions and singing traditional (and not-so traditional versions of) songs, Rabbi Leon also delves into the significance the celebration has both for the faithful and the descendents of those forced to hide their religious heritage due to more recent religious persecution, and the surprising ways that influence and legacy can be seen to this day. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso discusses stories of those he has encountered in his decades of researching and reaching out to the b'nai anusim, the descendents of those forced to keep their faith and family heritage secret in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition and religious opression. Rabbi Leon also speaks with David Varela, a recent discoverer of his own hidden heritage hidden in plain sight through family practices and traditions that take on a deeper significance through the undestanding of crypto-judaism. TTo learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso addresses the recent violence and outbreak of war in the Middle East, and the discourse surrounding it, from the perspective of a Jewish community leader and that of the anusim/crypto-Jews. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso discusses the commandments in the Torah and Jewish pratice to both observe and keep the Sabbath holy, and how those traditions relate to the descendents of Jews who had to take their faith and observances of such commandments into secret practice to preserve their beliefs in the face of oppression and persecution. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso talks about the specific observances and celebrations towards the end of Sukkot in the Jewish high holy days, and how certain practices and traditions relate to the b'nai anusim, or the descendents of those persecuted for their faith in the events surrounding the Spanish Inquisition that then kept their faith alive in secret and passed those practices down through generations and centuries. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso discusses how he first came to know about the presence, history, and heritage of crypto-Jews in the desert southwest, including a series of eye-opening encounters in his first week as the new rabbi for a local congregation. Those questions would lead to a life-long mission to study, understand, and bring awareness to the hidden heritage of the descendents of those forced to publicly convert in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. Rabbi Leon also discusses how the commemoration of Tisha B'Av in the Jewish faith takes on new significance through the lens of those experiences, and talks with Blanca Carrasco about her experiences and journey to returning to Judaism after learning of her family's history and connections. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso concludes the discussion of the celebration of the Jewish high holy days with an in-depth look at Sukkot. Following the solemn and dutiful themes present in the preceding holidays, Sukkot features the unique commandment from the Torah "that you shall rejoice on your holiday and only be happy." Along with the practice of constructing the sukkah, or temporary shelter, to sit, stay or dwell in during the holiday, Rabbi Leon explores the connections with those forced to convert on pain of torture or death during the Spanish Inquisition and their descendents, and his own personal family history to that era. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso continues the discussion of the ongoing Jewish high holy days with a focus on Yom Kippur. Also known as the Day of Atonement, the holiday takes on special significance for those exploring their history and heritage as descendents of Jews forced to convert at threat of torture or death, and what atonement means in light of that legacy. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso talks the upcoming Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah and what it means for the faithful and those that are rediscovering their ancestral connections to Judaism as descendents of those that were forced to hide their faith and heritage in the wake of the Spanish Inquistion. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.

Rabbi Stephen Leon of the Anusim Center and Synagogue of El Paso talks about the phenomenon in the Southwest that he first encountered thirty years ago as a new Rabbi in the region - the existence of the descendants of the Spanish Inquisition who are discovering their Jewish roots. In this introduction to the ongoing podcast project that is the Secret Jews of the Southwest, Rabbi Leon lays out how the intersection of faith, heritage and history became a personal passion and a lifetime mission to this day. To learn more or become a member of the Anusim Center and Synagogue, please visit https://www.anusimcenterep.org/ Or send a donation in any amount to: The Anusim Center 321 Sundown Place El Paso, TX 79912 You can also donate online: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KJ5GJ9J59XFDJ Follow The Anusim Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAnusimCenterofElPaso Contact Rabbi Leon by email - rabbisal@aol.com.