Virtual Event Tomorrow on Doña Gracia, a Founder of the Sephardic Diaspora

How does one get a personal exemption from the Inquisition? And other questions regarding the life of Doña Gracia Nasi, 16th century converso banker

Hi folks,

I’m moderating a virtual event tomorrow, hosted by the Museum of Jewish Heritage, about one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in 16th century Europe, a converso banker named Doña Gracia Nasi.

Nasi’s influence is hard to comprehend. She did business with emperors and kings, had a personal exemption from the Inquisition, and got Suleiman I, the Ottoman emperor, to intercede with the pope on her behalf.

Pursued by greedy monarchs and the agents of the Inquisition, she fled slowly across Europe. Along the way, she and her family helped other conversos escape Christian Europe, and built the foundations for a Sephardic diaspora in the Ottoman Empire that lasted for centuries.

It’s a fascinating, largely forgotten story. I’ll be discussing it at 5 p.m. on Thursday with Andrée Aelion Brooks, author of a book on Doña Gracia, titled “The Woman Who Defied Kings.” If this sounds up your alley, you can register here. It’s free on Zoom; they request a $10 donation, though it’s not required. I believe it will be available to stream after the fact.

Best,

Josh