MY 15 GRANDMOTHERS
Genie Milgrom, 2012
A fascinating book. The first half deals with her life in Cuba. Her wealthy Catholic parents send her to prestigious Roman Catholic schools. where she asked questions but was often dissatisfied with the answers. Her family left Cuba for Miami when Castro became the President.
Genie had always been interested in her family genealogy and learned that her family had Converso roots (a term used from the 14th century for Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity usually as a result, or fear of, the Inquisition) .
She found that her family had lived in an atmosphere of deceit and lies to survive the Inquisition and had secretly practised Judaism while appearing to be Catholics.
Her family had settled in a small Western Spanish village called Fermoselle on the Douro river across from Mogadouro in Portugal where she discovered the 15 Grandmothers whom she has listed.
She is currently the President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami, President of Tarbut Sefarad-Fernoselle in Spain and an active member of the American Society of Person Historians.
Genie’s website is at www. Geniemilgrom.com