The Converso Online Community Initiative

The Converso Online Community Initiative is a groundbreaking global effort dedicated to rediscovering, reconnecting, and empowering the descendants of Iberian Jewish communities that were uprooted during the late 15th century. Through education, digital engagement, and storytelling, the initiative transforms a complex historical legacy into a living source of identity, pride, and connection for millions around the world.

Rooted in the history of the Jews of Spain and Portugal — whose communities were shattered by expulsion, forced conversion, and centuries of Inquisitorial persecution — the converso experience remains one of the most far-reaching cultural and spiritual narratives in Jewish and world history. Those who were compelled to convert, known as “New Christians” or conversos, often lived under constant suspicion and fear, accused of secretly maintaining Jewish customs and traditions.

Today, this story is no longer confined to the past. The Converso Online Community Initiative seeks to bring this legacy into the present by creating a dynamic digital platform where descendants, scholars, communities, and supporters can explore ancestry, share personal histories, engage in meaningful dialogue, and take part in a growing global network of discovery and reconnection.

Far more than a historical exploration, this initiative represents a transformative movement of generational significance — illuminating identity, restoring memory, and giving voice to a narrative that continues to shape lives across continents well into the 21st century.

The timing of this initiative is especially critical. At a moment when antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric are surging across the globe, this platform will not only restore awareness of a powerful and long-silenced chapter of Jewish history — it will also empower informed voices, strengthen identity and resilience, and contribute to the broader effort to confront misinformation, intolerance, and hate.

Beginning in the 14th Century, hundreds of thousands of Sefarad Jews lived on the Iberian Peninsula (nowadays Spain and Portugal). Many were forcibly converted to Catholicism (Conversos). Those who attempted to hold on to their Jewish traditions in secret were referred to as crypto-Jews. In later decades and centuries, these hidden or crypto-Jews lived in extreme secret in the hope of not being discovered by the tribunal of the Inquisition, which meant torture and death, often by fire. A substantial presence of this culture can be found in Latin America and the Southwestern part of the United States. Millions of people worldwide are discovering and exploring their Jewish ancestry and seeking a reconnection with their Jewish heritage.

While a few return to their Jewish roots (convert back to Judaism), most stay Christian. However, upon discovering they are descendants of conversos, many embrace their Jewish heritage and feel a greater connection with the Jewish People, Sefarad, and Israel. As there are an estimated 200 million descendants of conversos in the world today, this initiative can truly transform history. The Converso Phenomenon is not just a historical footnote—it is a living, evolving story that continues to shape identities and communities across the globe.