The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot: Marranos and Other Secret Jews--A Woman Discovers Her Spiritual Heritage

by Trudi Alexy

Acclaimed in the Progressive's "Best Reading of 1993," these thrilling and harrowing firsthand stories of survivors and their rescuers vividly reveal the secret history of the Jews who found asylum from Hitler's Final Solution under Franco's Fascist regime.

Genres: History, Jewish, Nonfiction, Memoir, Judaica, Autobiography, World War II

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Trudi Alexy was born in Romania to a thoroughly assimilated Jewish family. She lived in Prague, Paris and Barcelona before emigrating to the U.S. as a teenager. After raising two children and working as an artist designer she returned to graduate school in her 40s to become an art therapist. She has published two books: The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot: Marranos and Other Secret Jews, and The Marrano Legacy: A Contemporary Crypto-Jewish Priest Reveals Secrets of his Double Life.

Reviews

[Lauren]

Great premise for the book but was hoping for more. My favorite part was the author's discussion about her family's experience fleeing Czechoslovakia for France, then crossing the border to Spain. In many ways, the book is a tribute to Spain and its relative "open door" policy to Jews during the Holocaust. The rest of the book - stories of other Jews and some non-Jews - who were accepted in Spain during WWII, is interesting, but suffers from repetition and wordiness. The book could have been shorter and the message would not have been lost.

I learned things that I didn't know about Franco's Spain, and I appreciated that. If you are interested in a "not often told" story from that era, this book is worth the time.

[Gilahk]

Every year when we get to Holocaust Memorial Day I think what is there left to tell us about this, so many stories, books, movies, lectures - I thought I knew it all . And then I read this book.

I had no idea that Spain - the same Spain that threw the Jews out of their country 500 years ago effectively ending the Golden Age period for Spain and its Jews, that same Spain was a haven for Jews fleeing the Nazi onslaught in the rest of Europe. While France went along with the Nazi plan of rounding up the Jews, herding them into camps and exterminating them, in Spain, if they got there somehow, the Jews were protected. The stories in the book are first hand accounts of the many families who were saved, including the author's family..

I would give this book 5 stars but there is some sloppy writing as well as factual errors here and there.

This was a very heart-warming book, the kind that reaffirms my faith that people can be good and do the right thing even in the worst situations.

[Cristina]

I loved this book! I regret to say I was ignorant to much of this history before reading this book. I found it compellingly written and easy to read.

To the people who said the book wasn't as described the cover, I would say, "so what?" To me that is like tasting a delicious beer (I love beer, but feel free to substitute meal in this analogy) and saying it was very good but I wouldn't call it a Amber. The label clearly says Amber but I think it is more of an Porter.

There is a lot going on. The author talks about her own journey (as described the cover.) She also explores the journey of others whose journey is very similar and intersects with her own. Then she looks at that same period through the lens of those rescuing, as opposed to the rescued, of which she is one. And at the end she delves into some personal accounts of people who were the Secret Jews.

So if you want a book that is only about Secret Jews find another book. If you want riveting personal accounts of people fleeing persecution and finding succor in the unlikeliest of places, read this book!

I absolutely loved it!

[Armando Garcia]

A very interesting memoir about the author's attempt to reconnect with her Jewish heritage

[Betsy]

Book is interesting but not what I expected. It is anecdotes, deeply heart wrenching stories, of Jews who escaped the holocaust by going to Spain. Their journeys are harrowing. I did not realize Spain was so accommodating to Jews at that time.
What I expected and what I was interested in reading about were stories of secret Jews, crypto-Jews, Marranos - Jews who had secretly maintained Jewish rituals and practices after coerced conversions to becoming Catholic, even going back as far as the Spanish Inquisition. This is briefly discussed near the end of the book.

[Grace]

The title made me think there would be a lot more about 15th century Jews who converted, and became "hidden." Not much there, except a few interesting stories at the very end. This book was trying to do too many things and I think it got confusing about what the point actually was. The author is trying to prove that despite Spain having expelled all the Jews in 1492, Spain was welcoming, at least covertly, of Jews escaping the rest of Europe during WWII. But the few anecdotal stories didn't amount to a fully researched historical record, and though there were a few references to professors and their research, the concept seemed overall unfounded. The title overstates what the book is.

[Kilian Metcalf]

The title leads the reader to believe that it is a book about Marranos and other secret Jews. It isn't. Except for the the last 25 pages or so, the book is a collection of oral histories taken from individuals who fled the holocaust and survived by taking refuge in Spain, a country that expelled all Jews in 1492. The stories were interesting and harrowing, but have nothing to do with Marranos or crypto-Jews until the final pages.

The relationship between Jews and Spain is a long and complicated story. Part of it is coveredin this book, and that makes it worth reading, but if you are looking for information about Marranos, look elsewhere.

[SDAntoNia]

This book was emotionally exhausting even before I was halfway through the book. Yet the journeys are incredible, first of a Czec girl who does not even see herself as Jewish until many years later, and then recounting the journeys and lives of many other Jews of Spanish origin, modern or medieval, and their often tense relationship with Spain. I'd not realized that Franco had ever, even if only during the last few years of the war, allowed or helped any Spanish Jews to come into Spain to escape the Nazis (yemach shemo). Even if it was only in the hope of using their international business connections to help the Spanish economy. :-(

[Elise Cohen]

"A very interesting modern history of European hidden Jews. There is an especially compelling, interesting section on the history of Jews fleeing to Spain during the Holocaust and their fairly warm reception there due to a lack of anti-Seminism as a result of the absence of Jews in Spain since the expulsion. Many issues and historically interesting points are raised that are not commonly found in other social or personal histories of the issue of hidden religious communities of the last 500 years."

[Jill]

What an appropriate book to read at this time when the leader of our country seeks to exclude an entire group of people based on their religion. This book has been on my shelf for a few years, waiting to be read. And now was the time to read about how the Spanish people legally expelled all Jews from their country. Five hundred years later, they are attempting to heal the breach and grant the descendants of those expelled the identity the were denied. If we do not know history, are we destined to repeat it?

[Elizabeth]

I found this book absolutely fascinating. I knew things were bad during the Spanish Inquisition, but I had no idea they were that bad. The book made me want to find out more about current day Conversos.

[Linda]

I liked it...learned a lot about Spain during WW11, there were a few too many stories that sounded so similar, it was a bit confusing. I wish there was a little more devoted to the Spanish Inquisition.

[Meryll Levine Page]

The book was published in 1993 and shows its age, e.g. in the use of Marranos instead of anusim. The oral histories provide a fascinating portrait of Jews finding sanctuary in Spain as they fled Nazi
persecution.

[Mikki]

Stories become very repetitive, but gives you and interesting take on Franco's position during WWII.

[Lara]

There is a whole chapter dedicated to my dad in this book... a truly amazing story of survival. very inspiring :)

[Jose]

My lesson learned; nothing can break your spirit. Fantastic narratives of survival and courage!

[Janet]

The title refers to Marranos and Secret Jews, which made me think it would be about 15th and 16th century Jews in Spain and Portugal. It's not. I was disappointed.

[Catherine]

See full review on my blog.

http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogsp...

[Diana]

Interesting piece of history. Not exactly about the title. More a collection of bios from WWII era.

[Balloon Bruce]

Disappointing - couldn't finish it.

[Randi]

Fascinating book about the history and the repercussions of the Inquisition.

[Jack]

A wonderful written story.

[Martin]

I told an acquaintance that I was descended from Crypto-Jews of New Mexico and she recommended this book. I was surprised to learn that this book only contains about 12 pages pertaining to my background, which was fine because I've already read several books on the subject like Stanley Hordes' "To the End of the Earth". I guess this book was the only reference that my acquaintance had for what I was telling her.
However, this was a terrific book that for the most part is interviews of Jews who fled Nazi-occupied Europe, mostly France, and made it to Spain. The understanding was that they were going to pass through Spain once they had collected themselves and found a place to go, which was usually the U.S.
The interviewees all remembered Spain fondly and a few went back there to live. What's so confounding is that this was the country that had expelled or forcibly converted all of its Jews in the Inquisition. So why were ordinary Spaniards so quick to support these refugees? 1) Because they had had almost no Jews for 400 years, they didn't have the anti-Semitism that pervaded nations where Jews were a part of life. 2) Because they had just gone through their Civil War, they may have had increased empathy for oppressed peoples. 3) Franco was only tenuously allied with Hitler. He certainly didn't want Hitler calling any shots in Spain, and he didn't want to have to take a side in a war that he seemed to believe Hitler couldn't win. And he was a Fascist, but did not appear to be prejudiced against the Jews. So he turned a blind eye to what was happening in towns bordering France. 4) Most Spaniards had a sense that not only was a lot of their culture built on Jewish influence, but that most Spanish have some Jewish in their background.
The stories of escape from France are incredible. The Jews were trapped in France because the government would not give them exit visas. The people of France seemed to hate Hitler but not care what happened to the Jews. The author notes that several of the interviewees act very personable, but they recount their stories as though they happened to someone else and don't necessarily pause for reflection at key points. The most common refrain, however, is 'Anything was better than France.' The border guards tended to just let the people in; their numbers or their conditions were often too overwhelming to deal with. Many of the interviewees said that they had never heard of any border guards turning Jews over to the Germans.
Since the war, much work was done to counter anti-Semitism that was embedded in Spanish culture due to the Catholic church and certain provincial tendencies. This book was first published in 1993, so one of the methods by which Spaniards became more aware of Jewish struggle was when the American mini-series "Holocaust" (a Jewish, "Roots"-sized TV event) aired on Spanish television and captivated the imagination and conscience.
This book also has a history lesson on how the Inquisition was enacted, and how had Jewish life in Spain flourished before that. It starts with a long personal journey of the author whose family had fled the Holocaust to NYC, and her bourgeoning awareness and embrace of her Judaism. And then it ends with the journey in the 16th century of Jews who fled to the New World, resulting in Crypto Jews found in New Mexico.
This was a really fast read, and I recommend it mostly for the interviews of the people who escaped to Spain. But it's a multi-faceted book with a lot of different elements.

[Sharyn]

Written in 1993, Alexi lived a little known historical event. Her family escaped the Nazi's by crossing into Spain along with thousands of other European Jews. Part memoir,part stories of other refugees, I was surprised at how kind the Spanish were during Franco's time.
Serendipitously, I had just read abook set in 1989 where the Joint helped Russian Jewish refugees, and here they appeared helping them in Spain and Portugal. Alexi explains that Spanish anti semitism was different as Spain had expelled Jews in 1492, so had little experience with actual Jews. There are stories of crypto Jews and their lives today. All in all a fascinating book.
The title refers to a time in Spain when conversos ( Jews forced to convert to Catholicism or be killed) would place a mezuzah in a Mdonna statue so they could kiss it when they entered their houses.

[Oona Woodbury]

4.5 rounded up

This book was very interesting but a weird combination of topics that I didn’t expect. It is largely focused on efforts to help Jews in France escape Nazi occupation by fleeing to Spain, which was fascinating. Alexy interviews notable people involved who saved thousands of lives. She also includes her personal experience fleeing to Spain, efforts to combat antisemitism in Spain in the 20th century, and a brief overview of crypto-Jews in Spain and the Americas.

Her interviews with rescuers were probably my favorite part and her personal experiences and relationship with Judaism was also interesting. I appreciate the other aspects, but felt they needed their own books to fully be explored

[Michal]

interesting and readable memoir of a Jewish woman's reconnecting with her Jewish roots after the Holocaust.
The story centers on the experience of Jewish refugees in Franco's Spain, where the author and her parents escaped before the Nazis invaded France.

The title was misleading; 250+ pages into the book, she finally gets to crypto hidden Jews and Marranos Anusim and their descendants in the late 20th century.

The book was published shortly after the 500th year anniversary of the Expulsion from Spain. Rather thin on the title subject.
The book also didn't have a bibliography.

[Readersaurus]

Excellent and full of hope. Great writing. Parts of this read so smoothly, like a novel, though it’s all history. Tales of brave escapes, righteous helpers, and what it means to live in secrecy or outside the law. Excellent parallels to today - What would move you to assist someone deemed “illegal”? When do you decide the law is wrong? Reminders of some of the many reasons why people might face danger, leave everything they own behind, and flee towards uncertainty.

[Rhonda]

This book took me a little longer to read than expected, but it was jam packed with a lot of history that was fascinating.
If you like history and would like to learn more about the persecution of the Jewish race, this is a must read.
I loved how it had multiple stories told by different people who lived through these horrible times.

[Fran]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It got a little dry in a few places talking about the hike over the mountains, but it is worth reading. Opened up my mind to a lot. I would have enjoyed hearing Trudi Alexy speak at an event. (My book does not have this blue picture above).

[Dara]

Educational and emotional. A reminder that anti-semitism is constant, as well as the Jewish people’s ability to survive.