Before the expulsion of Jews and extreme Catholic ruling in Spain, Jews had always “followed the laws of the monarchy” (14). The Jewish community was unified and active. Jews held services in synagogues and had a sense of community. Although they were allowed to practice their religion, they may not have felt comfortable practicing in public. Despite there being no proclamations against Jews, they were always “slaughtered” (14) with the approval of the Church. The King of Spain would appoint “heads” of the Jewish community who acted as the voices of Jews and were in charge of the Jewish tax money meant for the king. Jews oftentimes served under royalty or in “the higher stations of Spanish society” (14). Others held positions of high esteem
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Yonah’s life is laden with moments where his survival is threatened. His story has too many moments where he is threatened to list them all. Yet, Yonah somehow lives. Yonah has various qualities that allow him to stay alive. Yonah always knows when a …show more content…
Quickly, Yonah began to lose track of the Jewish months and holidays. He is left alone with his own thoughts that challenge traditional Jewish ideals. Once in the company of others, who were Catholic, he has to deceive and present as the same. Overtime, this deception erases much of his Jewish identity. Regardless of this, Yonah consistently identifies as “the last Jew” (120). Yonah may not believe he is the ideal Jew, but he is still a Jew of simple survival. Yonah still identifies as a Jew, not only for the sake of himself, but also in memory of his father; Judaism serves as a connection to his lost family. To Yonah, Judaism is a link to the past, to a time of steady constants. When Yonah has the ability to reconnect with some Jewish culture, he is flooded with warmth and nostalgia. In the end, Yonah knows that it would be impossible to safely, truly, practice Jewish traditions with his child. Nevertheless, Yonah creates a safe space of Jewish objects and religion which he will use to become less isolated from his Jewishness.When Yonah was young, Conversos were Jews who converted to Christianity because they wanted to be Christians; they were
Yonah’s life is laden with moments where his survival is threatened. His story has too many moments where he is threatened to list them all. Yet, Yonah somehow lives. Yonah has various qualities that allow him to stay alive. Yonah always knows when a …show more content…
Quickly, Yonah began to lose track of the Jewish months and holidays. He is left alone with his own thoughts that challenge traditional Jewish ideals. Once in the company of others, who were Catholic, he has to deceive and present as the same. Overtime, this deception erases much of his Jewish identity. Regardless of this, Yonah consistently identifies as “the last Jew” (120). Yonah may not believe he is the ideal Jew, but he is still a Jew of simple survival. Yonah still identifies as a Jew, not only for the sake of himself, but also in memory of his father; Judaism serves as a connection to his lost family. To Yonah, Judaism is a link to the past, to a time of steady constants. When Yonah has the ability to reconnect with some Jewish culture, he is flooded with warmth and nostalgia. In the end, Yonah knows that it would be impossible to safely, truly, practice Jewish traditions with his child. Nevertheless, Yonah creates a safe space of Jewish objects and religion which he will use to become less isolated from his Jewishness.When Yonah was young, Conversos were Jews who converted to Christianity because they wanted to be Christians; they were