Mandell JCC's Phyllis Hoffman Hartford Jewish Film Festival 2023

Xueta Island

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Part travelogue, part documentary, this fascinating film explores the history of Majorca’s Xuetas (pronounced Cheutas), descendants of a group of 15 Jewish families expelled from Inquisition-era Spain and forced to live as Catholics for 450 years. These Crypto-Jews put down roots on the Spanish island of Majorca, but during centuries of discrimination, secret worship, and forced conversion they gradually intermarried and lost touch with Jewish customs, traditions, and faith. Jewish-American expat Dani Rotstein takes us on a tour of towns that bear traces of a Jewish culture that has vanished. Today the oldest survivors (now practicing Catholics) are joining with younger generations to rediscover their Jewish ancestors. Approximately 20,000 Xuetas live on the island today, and the new awakening allows for various levels of religious commitment and piety.

  • Year
    2021
  • Runtime
    63 minutes
  • Language
    English and Subtitles
  • Country
    Spain and USA