The Secret History of Crypto-Jews with Mexican-American Jew Blanca Carrasco

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Jonah Platt

Cultural Exploration, Judaism, Jewish Experience, Jewish Athletes, Society & Culture, Art And Judaism Sports, Diversity Of Judaism, Personal Journeys, Non-jewish Allies, Faith Conversations, Faith And Spirituality, Jewish Heritage, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Identity, Jewish Food And Politics, Jewish Culture, Being Jewish, Celebrity Interviews, Jonah Platt

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Watch Being Jewish on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast

Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:

bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletter

For Sponsorships, please email:

Jonah@JonahPlatt.com

To contact us & all things BJJP:

www.BeingJewishPodcast.com

Follow Jonah on:

Instagram - @JonahPlatt

X - @JonahPlatt

Follow Being Jewish on:

Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast

TikTok - @BeingJewish

What happens when you grow up Catholic in Mexico — and discover you’re secretly Jewish?

In this riveting episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches, Jonah sits down with Blanca Carrasco, a descendant of Crypto-Jews who only discovered her family’s secret heritage at age 50. Now the president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, Blanca unpacks the unknown history of Crypto-Jews — descendants of Jews who secretly maintained their faith after being forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Blanca shares her extraordinary journey to discover who her true family is. She’s a leader in the global movement helping descendants of forcibly converted Jews reclaim their heritage.

Blanca opens up about:

🕯️ How the Spanish Inquisition forced her ancestors to flee Spain and hide their Judaism for generations
✝️ Being raised devoutly Catholic — and the moment she began questioning what she was taught
🔯 Her path from Messianic Judaism to a full Jewish conversion
📜 The Facebook post that led to the discovery of her secret family tree
🎓 Her work with the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, and why their academic research has personal meaning for thousands of “Anusim” around the world
🎬 A sneak peek into the Society's upcoming Los Angeles conference, including an opera, film screenings, and a genealogy workshop with Jeannie Milgrom

From Monterrey to El Paso, from the Church to the shul, Blanca’s story is a global tale of discovery, identity, and reconnection. Her life proves that history isn’t just in books — it’s in your blood. Hit play to discover how centuries of hidden history came full circle, and what Blanca’s story means for all of us.

Host & Production Team

Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew "MoJo" Jones; Story Producer: Sasha Nelson; Content Director: Alexandra Fugère; Associate Producer: Sean Leviashvili); Editor: Post Relativity & Mike O’ Brien; Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild; Graphic Designer: Noah Bell

MENTIONED IN EPISODE

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast.
0:08.1	I have to ask for a small favor.
0:10.4	As an independent show, we don't have a massive marketing machine behind us.
0:14.6	Our growth is purely organic, fueled by dedicated viewers and listeners like you.
0:19.5	So if you would be so kind, please take 30 seconds,
0:24.0	head over to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, find this show, and leave me a five-star rating and a short
0:30.0	written review. I love seeing all of your thoughtful and generous feedback. Some of it has even
0:35.0	made it onto the show and may again. And as of this recording,
0:38.7	we are just eight ratings away from hitting 500 on Apple. Crossing that threshold would be a huge
0:44.3	milestone for us. It's a small mitzv on your part, but it really is the fuel that allows us to
0:50.0	keep these amazing conversations going. So thank you in advance.
0:54.8	Unless you don't leave a rating, in which case you're a butthead.
0:58.0	If anything, what I have learned is that we are all interconnected.
1:01.8	You were raised Catholic.
1:03.5	How did you rediscover your heritage in these Jewish roots?
1:06.6	If you know that you have Jewish ancestry, you are not converting.
1:10.0	You are returning to what was taking away from you.
1:16.1	Welcome back to our sparkling summer edition of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt,
1:20.5	30-minute Menches.
1:21.8	Same vibe, same tribe, shorter episodes.
1:25.6	My guest today is a descendant of crypto Jews, and no, it has nothing to do with
1:30.2	Bitcoin. Born in Mexico and raised Catholic, she rediscovered her Jewish ancestry and quickly
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jonah Platt, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jonah Platt and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.