The neofiti (English: Neophytes) were a group of Italian anusim, also known as crypto-Jews, living in Southern Italy.

Neofiti
Total population
unknown
Regions with significant populations
Southern Italy
Languages
Unknown, probably Sicilian, other Italian dialects, and/or Italkian
Religion
Catholicism and Crypto-Judaism until the 16th century
Related ethnic groups

History

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The Kingdom of Sicily.

The neofiti were descendants of Jews who were forced to convert to Roman Catholicism in 1493. They continued to secretly practice certain elements of Judaism, as did many of their descendants.

In the 1490s the Spanish Inquisition ruthlessly hunted the neofiti and many were tortured and executed, especially in Sicily.[1]

Today, some descendants of neofiti in Calabria and Apulia have converted back to Judaism and revived their former Jewish congregations.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Expulsion of the Sicilian Neofiti (Marranos) and their resettlement". The-jewish-story.org. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
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