Antisemitism and Converso Memory

When a Society “Does Not Know Joseph”
Antisemitism, Memory, and the Converso Story

By Michael Steinberger, Founder & CEO, Jewish Heritage Alliance
Inspired by a sermon delivered by Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun,
Skylake Synagogue, Miami,
Co-Founder of Jewish Heritage Alliance

January 11, 2026

This morning, Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun of Skylake Synagogue reflected on one of the most unsettling lines in the Torah:

“A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.”

As Rabbi Yeshurun explained, this cannot be understood literally. Joseph saved Egypt from famine, reshaped its economy, and elevated the kingdom itself. Egypt knew Joseph. What changed was not historical knowledge, but political memory.

Joseph—and by extension the Jewish people—no longer served Egypt’s evolving narrative. Gratitude became inconvenient. Contribution was reinterpreted as threat. Integration gave way to suspicion. With that reframing, enslavement became possible. History shows us that Jewish survival has always depended on how societies remember—or choose to forget—our contributions.

For decades following the Holocaust, American Jews lived under a fragile moral consensus. The memory of genocide restrained antisemitism. Jews were recognized as both vulnerable and vital contributors to the American story. Support for Jewish life and for Israel crossed political lines. That consensus is now eroding.

Today, antisemitism is rising from multiple directions. On parts of the political left, Jews are recast as representatives of power rather than a historically persecuted people. Jewish identity is flattened into categories that erase complexity. On the extreme right, older forms of antisemitism—racial, conspiratorial, and exclusionary—are resurfacing with alarming openness.

This is the American version of the “new Pharaoh,” but the pattern is global. Across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, rising antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda are redefining Jews and Jewish communities according to external narratives. Acceptance remains conditional everywhere. Memory fades faster than we expect. Societies remember Jewish contributions when convenient—and rewrite them when inconvenient.

It is precisely here that the long-silenced story of the Conversos becomes urgent.

The Converso Story: Survival Under Erasure

Conversos—Jews forcibly converted in Spain and Portugal—and their descendants throughout the Americas, represent a form of Jewish survival shaped by erasure. They carried Jewish identity underground, often without language, texts, or institutions. Memory was preserved through family customs, whispered traditions, names, and instinct.

Over centuries, many Converso descendants became part of the Latino world, often unaware of the origins of inherited practices or family stories. Today, through historical research, DNA studies, and personal exploration, growing numbers of Latino Americans are rediscovering Jewish ancestry.

This is not merely genealogical. It reframes Jewish identity in America. Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States. Converso descendants expand the Jewish narrative, challenge narrow perceptions, and remind us that Jewish peoplehood has always been diverse, diasporic, and resilient under pressure.

At a time when Jews are increasingly caricatured or misunderstood, the Converso story complicates antisemitic narratives, reconnects Jewish history to themes of migration and resilience, and builds bridges between Jewish and Latino communities at a moment when polarization thrives on division.

When Egypt sought to erase Jewish identity, it forced it underground. When Spain and Portugal did the same, Jewish identity survived in whispers and rituals. Now, as societies around the world begin to “forget Joseph” again, these hidden stories are resurfacing. Memory must be actively preserved, or it will be rewritten for us.

Jewish Heritage Alliance Converso Online Community Initiative

The Challenge

American Jewish security has long depended on public memory: memory of persecution, contribution, and vulnerability. Today, that memory is fading. Antisemitism is rising across the political spectrum, while Jewish identity is increasingly misunderstood, oversimplified, or erased from conversations about diversity and minority experience.

At the same time, millions of Americans—particularly within the Latino community—are rediscovering Jewish ancestry rooted in the Converso experience. Without guidance, community, and education, this vital chapter of Jewish history—and a strategic opportunity for Jewish resilience—risks being lost.

Our Mission

The Jewish Heritage Alliance Converso Online Community exists to:

• Preserve and restore the history of Converso and Crypto-Jewish descendants
• Provide education, community, and ethical guidance for those rediscovering Jewish roots
• Expand the understanding of Jewish identity beyond narrow or politicized frameworks
• Build bridges between Jewish and Latino communities in the United States and beyond
• Strengthen Jewish resilience in an era of rising antisemitism and historical amnesia

Why This Matters Now

1. Historical Repair
   Converso descendants were cut off from open Jewish life by force. Restoring access to knowledge, history, and community is an act of justice.
2. Strategic Jewish Continuity
   A diverse Jewish narrative undermines antisemitic stereotypes and reinforces Jewish peoplehood as multicultural, diasporic, and enduring.
3. Demographic Reality and Collective Power
   As the Latino population grows, the Converso story becomes central—not peripheral—to the Jewish future. By coalescing millions of these descendants—over 200 million living today—into an organized, engaged global community, we are creating a significant body of people uniquely positioned to combat today’s tsunami of a new and extremely dangerous breed of antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda worldwide.

Call to Action: How You Can Make a Difference

The history and resilience of Converso descendants is being rediscovered—but it cannot thrive without your support. By joining, contributing, or engaging with the Jewish Heritage Alliance Converso Online Community, you become part of a movement that:

• Preserves a silenced Jewish legacy and strengthens Jewish life against cultural and political erasure
• Builds an organized global community of millions of Converso descendants poised to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda
• Expands the understanding of Jewish identity beyond narrow or politicized narratives
• Connects Jewish and Latino communities, and Jewish communities worldwide, through shared history, heritage, and education
• Provides a safe, credible space for Converso descendants to explore and reclaim their Jewish roots

Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, share resources, or help spread awareness, your involvement directly ensures that Jewish memory, resilience, and community are not only preserved, but actively strengthened—across the United States and around the world.

At a moment when society risks “not knowing Joseph” again, your action makes the difference.

If you would like assistance with your donation, please contact JHA at
877.398.1461 or email us at

Info@JewishHeritageAlliance.com
.