Isabelle Medina Sandoval

Hidden Shabbat: The Secret Lives of Crypto-Jews Isabelle Medina Sandoval

Hidden Shabbat is an epic story of the women and families who kept alive their Jewish identity in the mountains of New Mexico for centuries when it was illegal at first and later socially unacceptable to be Jewish. Drawing from accounts in her own family Medina Sandoval recreates the lives that her ancestors lived. Her passion for her heritage is unmatched in New Mexico literature. Hidden Shabbat is a sequel to her earlier historical novel, Guardians of Hidden Traditions (2009), which was a finalist for Best Book in the New Mexico Book Awards. This book is a masterpiece of scholarship and literature. Isabelle Medina Sandoval skillfully threads the untold cabalistic histories of several generations with the artistry of storytelling to reveal the secret Jewish-Hispanic tapestry that is rightfully part of New Mexico history. Her passionate writing captures the past and present-day Crypto-Jewish struggle with anguish, pride, and secrecy. In the end, Sandoval shares the vulnerability as well as courage of the present, and the optimism that the cabalistic light will shine brighter in the future. Daniel Díaz-Huerta, Executive Director New Mexico Center for Crypto-Judaic Studies & Culture