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Marranos Rediscovering Judaism

The new issue of The Jerusalem Report has an interesting article about Carmen Maria Rodriguez, a Hispanic woman who was born in Cuba before moving to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.

Rodriguez's grandmother observed traditions such as lighting candles on Friday night and giving away her bread on Good Friday. When an observant Jewish woman moved next door to Rodriguez, she realized the purpose for her grandmother's traditions. Many years later, she came across an article about Rabbi Manny Vinas, an Orthodox rabbi in Westchester whose family is also from Cuba and practiced Catholicism there. Vinas' entire family converted to Judaism when they moved to Miami, where Vinas went to yeshiva. Rodriguez recently converted before Vinas and two other rabbis.

The Jewish Week recently featured the Yonkers shul that Vinas recently became rabbi of.
posted on 9/08/2003