acceptance in 1994 when an Israeli Rabbi went to Belmonte to convert a Belmonte group. Crypto-Judaism The Sephardic tradition of Crypto-Judaism is unique, and dates back to the Middle Ages. The word “crypto” originates from the Greek term kryptos (κρυπτός), which translates to “hidden”. It is defined as the Jewish tradition that was practiced in secrecy under the public guise of Christaintiy. Since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jewish community went through centuries of enslavement in the Middle East and Europe. The true distinction between Judaism and Christianity did not occur until 380 AD. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, and dominated social and cultural life in Europe. The Jews during the early stages of ancient anti-semitism were charged with ‘Deicide’. The charge blamed Jews for the killing of Jesus Christ. This charge has lasted centuries. There are many different circumstances that dictated whether they could practice their faith. However, the fluctuating history of European anti-semitism, since the charge of ‘deicide’, did mean that they mostly had to hide their heritage. The Portuguese Inquisition The Medieval Inquisitions of the late 12th century triggered a chain of three Christian Inquisitions throughout Western Europe. These include the Spanish Inquisition of the late 15th century and the Roman and Portuguese Inquisitions of the 16th century. The first stage of the Inquisition began in Spain in 1478. By 1481, Conversos were targeted. Conversos were Jews who publicly renounced the Jewish faith and adopted Christianity due to the pressure of the Spanish Inquisition. Conversos were expelled from Spain in 1492 and as a result, thousands migrated to Portugal. The next stage of the Inquisition spread from Spain to Portugal in 1536 and ended in 1821. The Inquisition in Portugal was also referred to as the ‘General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition of Portugal.’ The targets were converts from Judaism to Catholicism. (Also referred to as Converso or Marranos, who were suspected and accused of practicing their faith in secret). The Inquisition triggered a diaspora group that formed in Portugal, who are referred to as “Crypto-Jews”. They kept their outside image as Christian to survive but practiced Judaism in secret. The Inquisition spread to censor any Jewish-related material. As art was considered a tool that was used to differentiate Christianity from the ‘new Jews’. In other words, to differentiate from the converts. Art and literature was