The definition of a Crypto-Jew provided by Google is: “a person who secretly practises Judaism while publicly professing another faith”. Based on this definition, it’s probably not inaccurate to call two women from the Western Cape ‘Crypto-Jews’.
The two sisters, who spoke at the Limmud event in August under the pseudonyms ‘Batya’ and ‘Gila’, have lived as devout Muslims throughout their lives – that is, until they discovered their Jewish roots in more recent years, and finally took the decision to identify as Jews. It’s been a long, emotional journey for these two women who are finally embracing their Jewish heritage and rethinking their identities.
The fact that the two sisters did not use their real (Muslim) names at Limmud, and that they asked that no photographs of them be published reflects the difficulties they have faced in this incredible reclaiming of their Jewish identities. While their decision has been accepted by some of their family members, it’s been rejected by others from their Muslim family and the wider Muslim community. And so, while they have enthusiastically and happily taken on their Jewish identities, they still remain, in a way, hidden, fearing the wrath of some people who are unwilling to accept the choice they have made.
Speaking to two large audiences at the Cape Town Limmud event – and thereafter at the event in Johannesburg – the sisters left their audience without a dry eye. Clearly strongly immersed in their Muslim religious backgrounds, the two spoke about their studies of the Quran and the Arabic language, and of their observance of the tenets of the Islamic faith. During their childhood, they attended Madressah (an Islamic educational institution) to learn about the Muslim religion and religious practices, and were included in Muslim lessons at Grove Primary School, which they attended in their junior school days. As adults, they deepened their understanding of the religion through
their studies.
Yet, despite the depth of their Islamic education, there was always something different – they were constantly aware that they stood out from others in their family and community. But they did not understand the reason for this difference. Both their mother and maternal grandmother – clearly, strong forces in their lives – told them that certain practices others were doing did not apply to them. At one point, their mother took them out of the religious school, offering instead to ‘home school’ them in religious matters.
As the girls grew older, they began asking questions about their past, discovering that there were predecessor women in their family named Rachel, Chana and Chava. They also learned that there had been many divorces in the family, presumably caused by disaffection around
religious issues.
A breakthrough moment came when one of the sisters found out by chance that Jewish identity is passed on through the matrilineal line (from mother to child), rather than from father to child, as is the case in Islam. Most significant about this is that the sisters realised that the Jewish religion would in all likelihood regard them as being Jewish because their Jewish identity had come down through five generations of women, beginning with a foremother called Rachel.
This sparked an intense period of self-driven learning about Judaism, obtained via sources from various organisations, including Chabad. They came across concepts during their research that they had learned from their mother and grandmother which they knew were not from Islam. These learnings about Jewish culture and practices “felt like home”, the sisters related to the audience.
The process of a full return to Jewish life and religion is ongoing for the sisters. It’s a hugely emotional journey, but one which they are embracing wholeheartedly.
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