For centuries, the Iberian Peninsula was home to one of the most vibrant and culturally influential Jewish communities in the medieval world. Sephardic Jews contributed profoundly to the intellectual, scientific, and economic life of Portugal and Spain — from astronomy and cartography to philosophy and medicine.
The forced expulsions of 1492 in Spain and the subsequent 1496 decree in Portugal, followed by mass forced conversions and the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition, shattered this community. Thousands were compelled to convert or flee, giving rise to the phenomenon of crypto-Judaism — families who secretly maintained Jewish traditions behind closed doors for generations.