Hi, there ! It’s me , Renxkyoko Iglesias.
My previous post was a bit intense, huh, and I’m sure I had offended a few readers. I couldn’t help it, though. I was on edge , and so was everybody else here in the US. Although I was careful with the words I used so as not to offend anyone, I might have inadvertently used some hurtful words. I did try my best to be politically correct, and , believe me, it was no mean feat. I was angry. It was easier to just lash out, and be like this —-> bleep, bleep, bleep, asdfghjk ! But then I’d regret it forever. Nothing comes out well with words said in the heat of the moment.
My family had a very interesting topic of conversation over dinner last night. My brother who lives in San Francisco told us that he saw a documentary film about the history of Jews in the Philippines . The documentary was shown in San Francisco to commemorate the unveiling of the second marker in Israel in honor of Philippines -Israel friendship. This is actually the second marker. The first one is a monument that was built at the Holocaust Memorial Park located outside of Tel Aviv.
.
Philippine flag is shown. That’s a huge monument , isn’t it?
There’s an interesting story behind these two memorial markers. First off, a bit of Philippine history. The US colonized the Philippines in 1898 ( after defeating Spain during the Spanish-American war ) . In 1935, the US turned over governance of the country to a Filipino, Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon , with an American overseer , Commisioner McNutt. The Philippines became the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Full independence was given on July 4, 1945 after it was liberated from the Japanese. In the 1930’s , we all know , of course , what went on in Germany. The German Jews all wanted to leave but there were very few countries that wanted to take them in by the thousands.
Now here’s the most interesting part…….
The Philippine government had decided to take in Jewish refugees ( in fact, the Philippines was one of very few countries, including the USA , that took in refugees, and the only one in Asia ) during a poker game in 1938 ,, with players Commisioner McNutt, Pres. Quezon, General Douglas McArthur, Gen. Dwight Einsenhower ( Gen, Eisenhower became US President , but that time, he was just Gen. McArthur’ second in command of the US Army in the Philippines. ), and an American- Jewish businessman living in the country named Frieder. While playing poker, Pres. Quezon decided right there and then, to take in Jewish refugees. Eisenhower suggested 100, 000 visas should be issued. Pres. Quezon immediately issued 10,000 visas to German Jews. It wasn’t only to German Jews that visas were given. Jews who were already in Asia and those from the Middle East, mostly from Turkey, were allowed to come in. Jewish immigartion stopped when Japan invaded the Philippines.
Pres. Quezon
.A synagogue in Manila, later destroyed during WW2.
.A new synagogue in Manila, Philippines.
Photo above were German refugees having a party in Marikina , where they were settled temporarily. The land was Pres. Quezon’s property. ( Sorry I stole this photo from somewhere. Please don’t sue me.)
It’s weird that the matter of life and death was decided during a poker game. However, this was not the only time the Philippine government had helped the Jewish people. In 1947. the Philippines ” delivered the most crucial and deciding vote ” at the United Nations ‘ resolution to create a state of Israel. The Philippines was also the only Asian country to recognize Israel as a state. As a footnote….. there were Philippine officials then who had a few misgivings about allowing so many Jews into the country . That was understandable because the country was totally Catholic. Pres. Quezon angrily told them, ” The Jews gave us Jesus Christ” ! ! ! Pres. Quezon was a hot-tempered man. It was said that he would often use the gavel and yell , Puneta ! ! ( pronounced poon-ye-ta ) at Filipino officials. The word means literally masturbation, but it’s actually a generic all -purpose swear word. Filipinos swear in Spanish. But I digress.
Majority of the Jews later immigrated to Israel and the US after the war. Some remained and became prominent businessmen. ( If you’re a Filipino reader of this post, I don’t know if you’re aware of the Ysmaels, Kahns, Menzis, Guthriers, Levy’s etc,. … appliance manufacturer, owns jewelry stores such as La Estrella del Norte, A&W, Alhambra, Manila Stock Exchange, etc. They are all Jewish )
Well, that’s the history. I’m not surprised then why Israel erected a huge monument in honor of the Philippines’ humanitarian efforts .
On a personal note……. and another bit of Philippine history.
The first European to step on Philippine soil was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. He also died there. Spain colonized the country for almost 400 years , and named it in honor of King Philip II. ( So now you know why it’s Philippines, ha ha ) In Europe at that time , there was a Catholic Inquisition that went on. In Spain, Catholics, Jews and Muslims lived in harmony before the Spanish monarchy started The Inquisition in the 1590’s. Muslims and Spanish Jews were either forced to convert or leave Spain. Some of those who left went to the Philippines. However, they still couldn’t practice their religion since the Philippines was now entirely Catholic. Practicing Judaism was punishable by death. My mother was born in a remote town , about 200 miles from Manila. Although it was a remote town, there was a high concentration of Spaniards who lived there. The town’s church is one of the oldest in the Philippines, and there’s a Spanish fort with cannons, to protect the town from Chinese pirates.
.San Diego de Alcala Church
San Diego fort
Now I wrote above that this story was something personal. We had an extremely interesting discussion about this over dinner and after dinner. It might shed light on some strange stuff that my mother had often heard from her grandparents when she was just a kid. * Don’t let anyone know you’re a Jew.” It was always said randomly, and to a kid, it was really strange, and didn’t make sense. I mentioned above the Turkish Jews who immigrated to the Philippines. My mother thought back about the unusually large number of Turks in their remote town. In fact , right across from their house were the homes of two Turkish families, the Adads. The people there called them Turkos. She remembers them very well because she had a humungous crush on one of them. And by the way, Pres. Quezon came from the same place. The whole province was later named after him… Quezon Province.
Ha ! Conspiracy theory? Anyway, won’t it be great to trace my genealogy ? My mother’s side, of course. My father’s is pretty straightforward. We know where his grandfather came from… Sta. Maria la Nueva, Segovia, Spain. I wrote about him here ( Barcelona, Part 16). My grandmother even went there to Segovia to meet her relatives. So, there’s nothing mysterious about that. But, the idea of possible Jewish roots is almost unbelievable. Could it be….. ? No, I don’t think so. It’s inconceivable. …………….. It’s funny that 2 random people on 2 different occassions had asked me if I was Palestinian. Huh ? Why were they so specific about the place? And just last week, I was asked by a customer if I was Persian . What ? Again? ( My manager is a nice Persian lady ) I’m Asian, people !
So, okay, I know this post is boring. If you are still reading at this point , thank you.
My next post will be my tour of Amboise and Bourdeux in France. Promise.
PEACE ! ! !
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by greenembers on April 29, 2013 at 12:42 am
Nope, wasn’t boring at all. Learned some stuff I never knew. It is interesting, a lot of politics and business plans takes place in unusual places like the Poker table. The golf course, of course, is one where it frequently happens and oddly enough, in video games, like World of Warcraft. Kind of crazy really. Oh, I also learned why it was called the Philippines! Never knew that. Thanks for the update, I really enjoyed it!
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 2:01 am
I can visualize the scene. McArthur and Quezon with their tobacco pipes, and there was a fog of smoke in the room … meanwhile a decision was being made on the lives of thousands of Jews. It’s an eerie scene.
Posted by apollo on April 29, 2013 at 1:12 am
I also read the movie showing in the news lately.
this shows that our country was once influential. ngayon, ala na. nakakalungkot much.
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 2:01 am
Really? In Minnessota?
Posted by apollo on April 29, 2013 at 2:24 am
nope. the show in san fo. I read in the inquirer.net
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 2:32 am
Ah ! I researched too. I figured it would be a very good and interesting topic. The family talked about it for hours. We thought my mom’s grandparents saying that ” Don’t let anyone know you’re a Jew” was kind of a reminder, passed on from one generation to another.
Posted by apollo on April 29, 2013 at 1:13 am
…back on the jews, I tend to be biased towards them. maybe because of the stories from the bible. 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 2:03 am
I don’t know if what Pres, Quezon said was a fact. Jesus was a Jew, and that was good enough for him.
Posted by knightofjanuary on April 29, 2013 at 2:43 am
This post can be best described as a history lesson with a twist.
And by the way, you are right~ there’s nothing wrong with being a Jew. Race is and should not be an issue.
Keep writing !
🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 6:56 am
The twist being, maybe I have something Jewish in my ancestry. Unbelievable.
Posted by knightofjanuary on May 2, 2013 at 1:20 am
🙂 Maybe. I think you are “mestiza” of some sort, because you are pretty and your features are differen from average Pinay.Or are you even pinay?
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 4:53 am
I guess you can call me mestiza. On my dad’s side. the family ‘s able to trace ancestry up to 5 generations. But Mom’s side is a bit mysterious. She left the town when she was maybe 9 years old, and never really knew her relatives. So she’s obssessing now. … says the people who might shed some light are dying off. Don’t we all want to know where we came from?
Posted by knightofjanuary on May 2, 2013 at 5:16 am
Yeah! Just what I had in mind ~ you are indeed a mestiza ~ one of those mestizas roaming in this country, but of exquisite features. And yes, we are eager to know where we came from.
Looking forward to read your future posts.:-)
Posted by doon po sa amin on April 29, 2013 at 8:38 am
hello, Ren… oo, nga, there seems to be something about your looks that could be mistaken for a Palestinian (though they are taller) or Persian. ikaw na ang mixed blood, kapatid. 🙂
ay, sows, gano’n talaga – sa poker games at inuman dini-decide ang malalaking bagay, hahaha. warm regards, have a happy spring time, my dear. 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Sabi ng isa commenter, sa golf course. Pero, commom sa poker table, di ba ?
Palestinian? far out. Idiot lang yung nagsabi nyan, ha. Latina, yes. Latinos just speak to me in Spanish. I tell them I don’t speak Spanish,he he he.
Do you think suspicious yung great-grandparents ko? My Mom is really wondering. It’s a possibility.
Posted by doon po sa amin on April 30, 2013 at 5:33 am
hello, Ren… circa 2000, uso na rin nga ang deciding peoples’ fate sa golf course. earlier, dun sa poker table, kamo nga, hehe. sa Schindler’s list, saan nga ba nila dinecide? ahehe. ^^
ei, compliment yong Palestinian-Persian allusion sa beauty mo, bru… magaganda kaya ang mga ‘yon? suplada ‘to, hehe. hala, hot chick ka pala sa Latino guys, hakhak. be a dear and tell them off nicely, hwag kang uncool, haha. peace 😉
o, basta, mixed and mysterious ang background mo. o, di ba, interesting? teka, panoorin mo ang movie na Vamps – medyo no-brainer movie, pero nakakatuwa rin. may ganyang usapin – one’s ancestry, hakhak. cheers!
Posted by renxkyoko on April 30, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Oh, my gosh, hangan ngayon, we’re still talking about that. Mom is kinda obssesing about it. kasi, she doesn’t know anything about her side of the family… well, at least her relatives from Quezon. Yung family niya, uncles, etc. they all look castillian, Her uncle was a rising actor ( he died in the war, though, he was just 22 ) before the war and her 1st cousin was a Ms. Philippines.There’s no doubt about that. Pero, we’re speculating the Spanish Jews and Turkish Jews all congregated in that remote town, to escape the prying eyes of the central government. Mom can’t stop speculating about this coz she remembers them telling the family about not letting anyone know….. parang subliminal message, hindi ba?
Posted by efratadenny on April 29, 2013 at 9:47 am
So you are Palestinian or Persian? 😀 Just kidding.
If you are in Jakarta, people will think you are Indonesian for sure.
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I look like anybody, except Caucasian and Chinese, it seems. ha ha ha. But it’s always fun to make people guess. They come up with so many guesses, but never Asian. Weird.
Posted by efratadenny on April 29, 2013 at 5:09 pm
From your photos, you are definitely Asian. But I don’t know your accent. Maybe you have a good Persian or Palestinian accent. 🙂
Posted by countingducks on April 29, 2013 at 10:07 am
No. It wasn’t boring and I never knew that the Philippines were so hospitable to the Jews over the War. That is something to be proud of for sure
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 5:06 pm
My parents never knew either. But we’re happy Israel recognized it. That huge memorial monument shows their gratitude.
Posted by Shakti Ghosal on April 29, 2013 at 10:38 am
An extremely well documented and knowledgeable post. Isn’t it interesting the extent to which the Jews diaspora spread through the world? In the absence of a place which they could call home, they searched for the next best option….
Shakti
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Therein lies the problem…… they have homes, they have countries, they are citizens, but their religion seems to keep them apart from the rest. The mind set of people are so wrong, like what happened in Germany.
Posted by ledrakenoir on April 29, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Very interesting – if it’s boring – okay so I’m boring too… 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Well, it’s not an important country, that’s why I thought it would be boring. Although I thought the country’s humanitarian efforts were something that should be told.
Posted by koshersamurai on April 29, 2013 at 9:53 pm
Wow. I had no idea! I knew some Jews went to Shanghai during the war but I had no idea about the Philippines! Thanks, Ren! 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on April 29, 2013 at 10:36 pm
KosherS, they all packed up, about 300 of them, and went to the Philippines.
hey, I hope I didn’t offend you , but they said that was what happened/ Also, my parents are3 still discussing about our suspicions regarding that stuff I wrote above. ” Don’t let anyone know you’re a Jew. ” I think that’s a subliminal message, passed on from one generation to another. From 1600, that’s just 6 to 7 generation considering that my mom’s mother lived up to 93 years, likewise with her grandma, about 90, so that’s almost 200 years . What do you think?
Posted by Sam Han on April 29, 2013 at 10:31 pm
A good read 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on April 30, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Thanks, Sam Han…. it was disturbing to write about this, though.
Posted by parth893 on April 30, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Wow … Very nice post here renxkyoko , i gained pretty knowledge about philippines. 😀 thanks ❤
Posted by renxkyoko on April 30, 2013 at 7:29 pm
Thanks, parth893.
it’s just a little FYI. the Philippines is such a small country, but at one time, had helped people in their own small way.
Posted by Kitt Crescendo on April 30, 2013 at 6:11 pm
Wow! As someone who’s half Pinay, I’ve got to say that I found this very interesting and educational. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by renxkyoko on April 30, 2013 at 8:02 pm
You’re welcome , Kitt.
I try to be educational. To make it interesting is a problem though, ha ha ha.
Cheers, fellow Filipina !
Posted by Ang Tambay na si MyR on April 30, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Im glad you still know all this stuff…you still know how to look back where you came from….iilan na lang talaga ang mga kakilala kong ganyan na nakapunta lang sa ibang bansa they dont even know yung bansang siniangan nila.. Im proud of you pal…Very historic and really educational….galing 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on April 30, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Myr, I read aPhil. history book 3 times, ha ha ha… and I have my parents to thank for. they ‘re very intellectual.
Posted by Ang Tambay na si MyR on April 30, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Good…keep reading. nothing beats the Philippine History. I ve even read and study ASIAN, American and World History but our nation still the best 😉 ajah!
Posted by Eddie Two Hawks on April 30, 2013 at 8:30 pm
You’re 100% human being and sweet
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 4:56 am
Awww ! Thank you. I’m a history wonk, I guess. And I feel this is an important piece of history that’s not been told yet.
Posted by Eddie Two Hawks on May 2, 2013 at 2:21 pm
You do an excellent job of this…I enjoy the humor you add
Posted by ResidentPatriot on April 30, 2013 at 9:21 pm
dami ko natutunan sa post na ito, hindi s’ya boring para sa ‘kin…
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 4:59 am
Thanks, RP. Importante ‘to. And the state of Israel knows it. hence the monument. maybe the Filipinos have not realized the importance of what the country did, but Israel has. It’s a big deal, RP.
Posted by Smaktakula on May 1, 2013 at 5:08 am
The poker game story was pretty awesome. Lots of stuff in this I didn’t know.
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 5:43 am
I know, right. I can imagine the scene…. smoke – filled room ….. drinking whiskey…. and deciding the fate of thousands of people.
Posted by 25pesocupnoodles on May 1, 2013 at 5:18 am
nagbalik ala-ala sa kasaysayan, hehehe.
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 5:47 am
History buff ako. Pero, importante to, 25peso, di ba ? Pari mother ko, sobra naintrigue. She wants to call her older sister in the Philippines, ha ha ha and talk about making a family tree. She says everyone in the family is dying off, especially those who may know something.
Posted by 25pesocupnoodles on May 2, 2013 at 11:52 am
tama, ur mom wants to have cguro grand reunion for ur family. masaya iyon.
Posted by The Story Reading Ape on May 1, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Hi Renx,
Great blog, are you going to put a Like button onto it so we can all show how much we appreciate each post?
🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 5:50 am
But, there’s a LIKE button. You don’t see it? It says there, 52 bloggers like this.
Anyway, thanks ! ! I’m glad you like it.
Posted by TWWK on May 1, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Very interesting article – I don’t know if you’ve read this on my blog before, but I work with Holocaust and genocide issues, so the info you provided is right up my alley. Thanks for the education!
Posted by renxkyoko on May 2, 2013 at 5:55 am
Oh, wow, TWWK ! that’s great ! So, is this the first time you’ve heard of it? Israel has deemed the Philippines’ humanitarian efforts important enough that they erected a monument .
I have to put in some historical backround so readers will understand why McArthur , Eisenhower mad Quezon were playing poker, he he he.
Posted by TWWK on May 2, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Yep – this is totally new to me. Thanks for the illumination! 🙂
Posted by thebestdressup on May 3, 2013 at 5:02 am
ciao! race, culture or religion does not make one ever more or less. a race does not make an individual superior, a culture more cultural or relion more spiritual…respect and appreciation of our differences is what grows us. great post.
thebestdressup
Posted by renxkyokorenxkyoko iglesias on May 3, 2013 at 11:01 am
True. So true. There should always be respectfor others’ diversities. It makes for a better world. Cheers !
Posted by Malcolm Greenhill on May 3, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Thank you. A very interesting post. I never knew about the special relationship between the Philippines and the Jews.
Posted by renxkyokorenxkyoko iglesias on May 5, 2013 at 2:26 am
Nobody knew , surprisingly. My parents said it wasn’t even in Philippine history books.
Posted by Sam Leung on May 4, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Wow, that was a really interesting post! I only knew some really basic history about the Philippines. I was born in Hong Kong, so I really should know more since I used to live so close by. Hmm, I wonder how many major decisions have been made over poker games. Maybe more than we’d imagine? 🙂 It does seem like the sort of atmosphere that would be conducive to quick, but important decision-making! I know what you mean about being fascinated by your own lineage though. Since so many of the records were destroyed in China, because of… well you probably know why, I don’t think I’ll ever be sure of where I came from. My father’s pretty straightforward as well, but my mother’s parents were nomads essentially, so I guess we’ll never really know! People can never seem to guess where I’m from either! Sometimes people guess Philippines, although I’m pretty sure I don’t really look like I’m from there…? I would never have thought you were Persian or Palestinian personally!
Posted by renxkyokorenxkyoko iglesias on May 4, 2013 at 6:38 pm
They say, some decisions are made on golf courses.
Well, at least you know your ancestors came from China… but of course you’d want to know if they were royalty or what, ha ha ha . Ha, who knows ? )
yeah, same here. Ancestors on my dad’s side are well known to the family, but Mom’s side is mysterious, and she’s obssessing now, and she has called relatives in the Philippines ( her sisters) and asked them about their grandparents. And yes, they are aware too that the grandparents have told them about the Jew thing, as well. Mom is really fascinated because of Jewish history… that a Jew belongs to the 12 Tribes, or something like that.
Ha ha. You’re right. My jaw dropped when they said that. A palestinian, indeed. Ha ha
Posted by The Story Reading Ape on May 4, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Excellent investigative journalism Ten 🙂
Posted by renxkyokorenxkyoko iglesias on May 5, 2013 at 2:40 am
I think it was quite easy to put two and two together., that is, as far as our personal genealogy is concerned. I mean, where would Jews try to hide, far from the prying eyes of the central government…where else, but in a remote town about 200 to 250 miles from manila, the center of the government. In 1600, that was quite far. And of course that ” don’t let anyone know you’re a Jew ” thing is such an important clue. we are thinking it could be a subliminal message passed on from one generation to another. that’s just 3 or more generations before my mom’s grandparents, since my mom’s own mother lived for 93 years.
Posted by kenthinksaloud on May 5, 2013 at 10:00 am
What a fascinating potted history of the Philippines and the relationship with Spain and Israel! Thanks for this – loved it! 🙂
Posted by Addie on May 6, 2013 at 12:58 pm
When are you visiting the Philippines, Ken?
Posted by renxkyoko on May 6, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Oh, Ken is ?
Posted by kenthinksaloud on May 7, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Oh I would really love to! Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to stay there – too poor to afford hotels and the like! 😦
Posted by renxkyoko on May 6, 2013 at 4:44 pm
I blog to inform, ha ha ha. No, not really, but for some reason, it goes that way. Thanks, kenthinks. And you’re welcome. I’m glad you loved it ! ^^
Posted by Addie on May 6, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Wasn’t boring at all. Only shows how ill-educated I am on this matter, so thanks for filling me in. 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on May 6, 2013 at 4:46 pm
My family kind of knew, but not to that extent that Israel would erect a monument for the country. hey, cheers, Addie !
Posted by The Hook on May 6, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Your musings are both enlightening and unforgettable.
Well done.
Posted by renxkyoko on May 7, 2013 at 9:24 pm
thanks, Mr. Hook. * I always say this, aaargh *
I hope educational, too, and made you interested in the history of such small country. Small but terrible, huh..the Philippines does have a colorful history.
Posted by terrytrekker on May 7, 2013 at 2:24 pm
Great post! I’ve never been to the Phillipines and I am planning a trip soon and hope to learn more!
Posted by renxkyoko on May 7, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Oh, nice !
But read up on the country first, get tips, etc. well, you know the drill.
Cheers, terrytrekker !
Posted by Arindam on May 7, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Ren, it’s a beautifully written and very nicely presented post. The beauty of Philippines always fascinated me. It’s food and locations is something I would love to explore someday. And now you have shared something more about this land and people living there with this post. Well done, Ren!!
Posted by renxkyoko on May 7, 2013 at 9:19 pm
The food , Arindam, is totally different from the rest of asia. There’s no escaping from 400 years of Spainish influence.
The Philippines is also a very small country ( California is bigger ) , poor, etc, but people are very educated, and western.
Oh and if you like the sea….. 7000 islands , arindam. Beautiful beaches.
Posted by Mitzie Mee on May 7, 2013 at 9:03 pm
That was a really interesting story, both about the Philippines and your family:)
Posted by renxkyoko on May 7, 2013 at 9:26 pm
yes, i think so, too. So many colonizers… but somehow, it made the Philippines unique. And yeah, my mom, especially.. she’s obssessing now on the suspected Jewish roots. LOL
Posted by Jonathan Caswell on May 7, 2013 at 9:46 pm
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
JEWS IN THE PHILIPINES
Posted by renxkyoko on May 8, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Thank you, Jonathan Caswell ! ! I’m honored ! !
Posted by Nia Simone on May 8, 2013 at 8:35 am
I think it’s fascinating! I read every word!
Posted by renxkyoko on May 8, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Thanks, Nia Simone ! ! I’m glad you liked it . Cheers !
Posted by Kavita Joshi on May 14, 2013 at 3:02 am
very interesting read dear…thanks a lot for sharing with us here
Posted by 35andupcynicismonhold on May 14, 2013 at 7:55 am
hello, Ren… looking at MLQ’s pic above again, yeah, there’s something Turkish about his looks. or, am i the only one who noticed that? btw, i see that synagogue in Makati, right? it’s where rich Jewish in the Phils. worship, ahaha. regards to you… 🙂
Posted by Imelda K. Kaufman on May 15, 2013 at 3:07 am
“Max Weissler’s testimony and Frank Ephraim’s chronicles make the whole story factual and indisputable,” Ambassador Calonge pointed out durig his presentation of the Philippines’ bid for Quezon’s recognition.
Posted by Leo on May 18, 2013 at 12:45 pm
It was really interesting, I’m jew and I live in Israel, but I was born in Argentina. My grandmother and my grandfather (from my mother’s side) were from Poland and Russia, and they inmigrated to Argentina scaping from Hitler. From the side of my father I’m indian. Well, I’m most that thankful for your country and for your glimpse of history, I didn’t knew that till now. .
Posted by renxkyoko on May 18, 2013 at 11:23 pm
We didn’t know, either. Well, my parents had an idea that it happened but not to that extent, and we wouldn’t have believed it had Israel itself not acknowledged it.
My Mom researched it and was surprised about Spanish Jews settling in the Philippines. We thought the Spanish Jews settled in a remote town, far from the prying eyes of the central government in Manila… and 200 miles was quite a distance in 1600, ha ha. The problem, we guessed , was the fear of being persecuted , if found out. There was actually a couple of Spanish Jews who practiced the religion and persecuted that time. It was also curious that Turkish Jews settled in this remote town. What we found most curious was Mom’s grandparents’ constant reminder ” not to tell anyone she is a Jew.” We speculated that perhaps, that was actually a ” message” passed on from one generation to another. And if we think about about it, it was just 2 or 3 generations from 1600. After all, Mom’s grandmother lived for 93 years. What do you think?
Posted by Leo on May 19, 2013 at 8:03 am
I don’t know … but if so, it could be nice, it’s not so bad to be a jew …
Posted by StetotheJ on May 18, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Belatedly read this, absolutely fascinating, I need to know more about the Philippines, between you and ‘Nica you teach me a lot!
Posted by Nessy San on May 30, 2013 at 11:40 pm
INteresting post, not to avoid the manga character there, that’s so “Asian”. 😛 So probably next time they ask what’s your race, just give them the Y^__^Y sign, they might get it, hahaha! By the way, yes I read in the news about the Phil-Israel memorial day, or something like that. But I never knew about Jew-Turks living in Philippines. You gave me something to search for tonight. Thanks alot! ^__^
Posted by SerachShiro on July 1, 2013 at 3:55 pm
I was still reading and it was very interesting, I didn’t know that it was decide in a stupid Poker game and that it was the Philippines, one of the view countries who offered a new home ! I think it’s always very interesting to know how many different kind of blood are flowing in your vain and that can be many…….hahaha ! Great post 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on July 1, 2013 at 7:34 pm
A lot of stuff are being decided on the golf course, over dinner of steak and champagne, and goodness over what else. This time, it was during a poker game. It’s weird , ha.
Ha ha… Right. I’m sure of two, Filipino and Spanish blood. And as I said, we know our relatives from Spain.
Posted by Jewish Knight on July 29, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Hello Renxkyoko. You’re article captured the attention to a vast array of readers and of them is me. However, I will be stressing some reality checks.
– Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Spain/Portugal/North Africa/Middle East, were called Shepardim and the historical diaspora of these people can traced their roots back into ancient Israel. They spoken and I believe they still are, the Ladino. This is in contrast to the Azkenazi Jews, which had its origins in Germany/Eastern Europe, in which they are Yiddish.
– The “decree of Alhambra” by the reigning monarch back in the days of 1492 meant the expulsion of the Jews out of the Iberian Peninsula for several odd and hidden reasons. The more subtle term of this one is known today as “the Spanish Inquisition”. It is unimaginable to sketch the pictures and scenarios of this situation and I live it to you then. Moreover, a large section of these Jews were ennobled.
– From 1492 onwards, Jews who remained in Iberian Peninsula were labeled as conversso, marranos, and crypto-jews among others. However, there was a section and still is, of Eastern Spain and Western France called the “Basques region” that became their refuge.
– Those who leave the Iberian Peninsula went in almost directions of the known world. Interestingly, some of these “cryto-jews” were in the Spanish Army in which history told us that they reached Philippine shores. The not thoroughly explored “Archive of the Crown of Aragon” has a lists of exhaustive records of this.
– In my own research with Shepardim leaning Jewish websites, this strain of Judaism doesn’t usually change their family names for hundreds of years. There might be a spelling concerns due to probable reasons of hearing problems or language barriers, but the rhyme and the pronunciation is basically related. Interestingly. the people in Spain during that time had a so-called “coat-of-arms”. By that alone, one can tell where its bearer came from and the large populace of Shepardic Jewish community had it as well.
– Fast forward 1849, the Spanish authorities obviously went mental as there was a large portion in the entire Philippine Islands with weird sounding first names and worst, no family names. This became hard for them to tax the population. And so did came into perspective the Claveria’s Decree of 1849 (Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos ), thus giving the natives with Spanish sounding family names.
– Anyone in the Philippines during 1849 and onwards could secure a Spanish surnames without even having a traced of Spanish ancestry whatsoever. Nevertheless, none on this Claveria’s lists were Spanish surnames that have a nobility titles as it was forbidden to use them if you were not its direct descendant.
Long before the Americans came, the Philippines had been in contact with Jews from other countries and many of them stayed. Moreover, during the 50 years of American era , the Philippines again came into contact with first waves of Russian Jews during the late 1910s and early 1920s fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution while the second wave was during the late 1940s during the Communist takeover of China.
In all of this confusing history, what matters at the end of the day is what you believe in. After all, why would we aligned ourselves to the Jewish faith when we all knew that those who did were persecuted since time immemoriam? But as the saying goes, “blood is thicker than water”.
This quest started last 2-4 years ago when several Azkenazi Jews at work asked me if I am Jewish as well as on so many several Spaniards/Latinos at work thought that I was from Basque region in Spain and which even amusing was that, a few eastern european friends presumed that I am a Jew by my looks alone. Well, though diligence, I had traced the “coat-of-arms” of my family name’s Shepardic Jewish ancestry and they were from the Galician/Vitoria and Basque regions of Spain. In retrospect, it appeared to me that my Jewish ancestors were once knights of the Spanish kingdom and then with the Spanish Army . To this day, I knew of people who has the same family name as mine that are Shepardic Jews but they are French speaking. This, to me, didn’t ended up my journey of who my roots were and how they lived, but it rest in me the sublime taught “to find my way” of who I am.
Posted by loujenhaxmyor on May 13, 2015 at 7:01 am
Many thanx for the history info. So far I myself have learned that I am Polish, Irish, English, Filipino and Austrian. However, I’ve heard that because some distant Filipino cousins had Spanish and/or Chinese in their blood– who knows how much more ethnicity is inside of me. Nice post.
Posted by renxkyoko on May 13, 2015 at 7:51 am
Really ?? You should blog about that ! ! Especially about your having a bit of Filipino blood .
Posted by Olic on January 4, 2017 at 2:36 am
I just recently discovered myself that I a mix Bisdak and European Jew. I was in a prayer mode and the Holy Spirit kind of dictate to me that I am a descendant of the tribe of Joseph reason I always have uncles , grand uncles named Joseph. My great grandma on my maternal side looks so Jewish. After knowing the history of Inquisition. I think the population Pinoy with Jewish is more than we thought. A lot of Spanish mestizos in the visayas have Sephardic Jew last names and they mostly dominate business and politics. Anyway I just recently did a DNA test
for my ancestry and waiting for the result in the next 2 weeks
Posted by MOMENTS on February 14, 2018 at 11:34 am
I like your very informative posts. It is important to know about our ancestors and about the historical events happened before we were born. How could we otherwise understand today’s world? Yes, PEACE, but real one which respects each person and each people on earth no matter what religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, language, etc.
Posted by eslkevin on October 25, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Reblogged this on Eslkevin's Blog.