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Portuguese Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources

Jews

One of the first Jewish congregations in America was the Touro Synagogue in New York City. Finding a place of safety where they could practice their faith without persecution allowed this group of Sephardic Jews to prosper and build their community. Many Jews who fled the Inquisition in Europe became crypto-Jews in the Americas, hiding under a veneer of conversion to Roman Catholicism. Some obstacles to genealogical research have come about because of the need to hide Jewish roots.

In this selected bibliography are publications that may guide researchers to sources for Jewish ancestors who practiced their faith openly, as well as to those who tried to disguise that faith.

For documentation regarding the Inquisition in Portugal, see Documents from the Inquisition | Portuguese National Archives External.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available. Please note that this is a sample of items in the Library of Congress online catalog and is not comprehensive.