The Jews were greatly persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition. But that didn’t stop them from trying to keep Judaism.
Rosh Hashana During the Spanish Inquisition
Sadly, throughout the centuries, Jews have been persecuted. There have been no shortages of times when the Jewish people were forced to convert or die; forced to give up their Judaism or their lives. Or both. During the Spanish Inquisition, the Christians tried to find the Jews practicing Judaism in secret. They tried to find any Jew and tell them their conversion was not sincere. And then they would kill them. If you were a Jew, you couldn’t win.
And that’s why this plan to blow the shofar on the Jewish New Year was so brilliant. Because the Jews were practicing publicly. Very publicly. But it was a secret as well since it was “just part of the orchestra.”
Although what happened to Don Fernando Aguilar after this incident is unclear, one thing is for sure: Jews are determined. You can’t tell the Jewish people not to be Jewish. It won’t work.
The Jewish people are still here. Not only are they here, but they are thriving. They are making unprecedented contributions to the world. Despite all the persecutions, attacks, pogroms, the Holocaust, and more, the people of Israel have not disappeared or been destroyed. Many other nations have come and gone. Those nations were considered great. And where are they today? They don’t exist anymore. But the tiny Jewish nation still exists. Because when you are the people of G-d, you will never be destroyed.