The Jews of Goa

Some of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1496, as well as those who fled after the Portuguese Inquisition in 1536, migrated to Goa, India. However, once the Court of the Holy Office established itself in Goa in 1560, the Jews—who had formed an organized community there—became subject to the persecution of the Inquisition. Despite the horrors of the Goan Inquisition, some Jews and New Christians, or conversos, who practiced their religion in secret while ostensibly practicing Christianity, managed to retain favour in the service of the Portuguese Crown.

The Jews of Goa brings together scholars and researchers to discuss the history and legacy of the Jews and New Christians (convesos), through texts and primary documents, missionary literature and records of the Inquisitorial trials from the Lisbon and Goan archives. The volume breaks new ground in examining the early and medieval history of the Jews, with a focus on the Portuguese period after Goa became a major power centre in India. The book breaks the silence that has surrounded the Jews and New Chritians and their descendants in Goa during the past few hundred years.