Anusim

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The term anusim (Hebrew אנוסים, plural of anús forced) is a rabbinical legal term for Jews who were forced to leave Judaism against their will and who, as far as they can, continue to practice Judaism under repressive circumstances. It is derived from the Talmudic term abera be'ones ( treatise Avoda sara 54a).

For Jewish heretics , the synonymous terms Kofer , Min or Epikuros are used in the Mishnah , after the Greek philosopher Epicurus . The Mishnah does not contain any definitions of these terms, but it is assumed that they are people who do not believe in God's providence .

Because of the massive forced conversions of Jews in Spain and Portugal in the 14th and 15th centuries, the term anusim was widely used by Spanish rabbis at the time of the Inquisition . Example:

In terms of parentage , all Israelites are brothers. We are all sons of a father, the rebels (reshaim) and criminals , the heretics (meshumadim) and forced ( anusim ) and the proselytes (gerim) who are added to the house of Jacob. All of these are Israelites. Even if they forsook God or denied him or violated his commandment, the yoke of the law will still rest on their shoulders and will never be removed from them. [R. Saadia ibn Danan, rabbi and Talmudist from Granada , died 1493 in Oran , Response in Khemdah Genuzah, 15b]

Non-rabbinical literature

In non-rabbinical literature, the anusim are called “ Conversos ,” “ New Christians ,” “ Crypto Jews ” or “ Marranos .” The Catholic Church coined the first two terms, the third is more of a modern creation by historians, and the fourth, originally pejorative term, is a common term in today's research for (forced) converted Jews of Sephardic descent.

Rabbinical literature

The anusim have a special place in rabbinic literature . Since the rejection of Judaism was against the will of the person concerned, Anusim are still considered Jewish in all respects. This means that despite the forced conversion of Anusim, slaughtered meat, wine prepared by Anusim, marriages concluded by Anusim, etc. are halachically recognized.

All descendants of Anusim through the maternal line are specifically Jews because according to Jewish law, the child of an Israelite woman is an Israelite, regardless of what faith the child grows up in.