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Christopher Columhns
The Jewish connection
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by Sol Beton
Are Jews concerned that Colum
bus may have been descended from
a Spanish Jewish converso family
that fled from Catalonia after the
pogroms of 1391 and finally settled
in Genoa? According to Salvador
de Madariaga, Spanish historian
and statesman, they should be
aware of his background and the
Jewish Connection. In trying to
dispute or disprove his Italian ori
gin, his research delves deeply into
his Spanish Jewish background.
The mystery of Columbus has
puzzled scholars for generations.
There is no question as to the Jew
ish influence that surrounded his
life.
That Columbus himself was of
Jewish origin has not been proved
beyond any doubt despite de Ma
dariaga’s persuasive book “Cristo
bal Colon.”
He received help from Gabriel
Sanchez, the high treasurer of the
Kingdom of Aragon, and Luis de
Santangel, chancellor and comp
troller of the royal household of
Aragon, both conversos. Santan
gel was responsible for introducing
Columbus to Queen Isabella, hav
ing advanced 5 million maravedis
to finance his expedition. Colum
bus relied on the astronomical
tables and Jacob’s staff invented
by Levi ben Gershom (1288-1344)
and the astroblabe and improved
astronomical tables of Abraham
Zacuto (1450-1515).
In his earlier days, he received
scientific knowledge in navigation
and cosmographic learning, domi
nated by Jews with Judah Creques
as its master. The ship’s surgeon,
Marco; the ship’s doctor, Bernal,
who in 1440 was forced to do pub
lic penance for his Jewish beliefs;
his interpreter, Luis de Torres,
who knew Hebrew, Chaldean and
Arabic and Alonso de la Calle...all
were conversos. Of the 88 men who
accompanied Columbus, many were
conversos. Was Colon the hero of
a song sung by his sailors contain
ing the lines—“Quexoso del Ami-
rante, este espanol Judaizante.”
(Complaints from the admiral, this
Spaniard of Jewish beliefs.)
Known as the Colombo family
•n Genoa, Italy, Madariaga further
states that he fought in 1476 on the
side of the Portuguese against
Genoa. He changed his name to
Colom, a Jewish family name of
Catalan-speaking Spain (Andrev
Colom, a Catalan Jew, was burnt
as a heretic in 1479.)
Columbus spoke and wrote
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New Home Sites
BATTLE CREEK
Subdivision
on
The New World’s discoverer as he appeared in an old engraving.
Spanish to his son, Diego, and his
letters had the inscription “beth”
and “hai”—possibly the Hebrew
benediction or greeting for Baruch
Hashem. Columbus read the Proph
ets and frequently quoted Isaiah,
Esdras (Agra) and Jeremiah. In
chronology, he used the Hebrew
dates in referring to ancient Jewish
history.
Was Madariaga trying to prove
that Columbus was of Spanish
origin even though his family was
transplanted to Genoa, Italy, as a
result of the 1391 pogroms in Spain?
Furthermore, in his research, he
discovered not only the Spanish
connection but the Jewish one as
well.
It was a coincidence that the his
toric voyage, which began on the
ninth day of Ab, ended on Hoshana
Rabah, the 21st day of Tishri, a
day of rejoicing during the Sukkot
festival. Columbus left in his will a
legacy to a Lisbon Jew.
In the final analysis, was there a
converso conspiracy to find new
lands for the persecuted Jews? A
rumor existed that the Jews were
looking for the lost tribes. A refuge
to the New World by Columbus
was the hope of the Conversos to
escape the persecution of the In
quisition.
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SHANA TOVA M’TUKAH
A SWEET AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
Mr. Robert Wilensky, President
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PAGE 29 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 10, 1986