Writings of Yehuada Shabatay Yehuda Shabatay List of honorees Louis Rose Society Jewishsightseeing home
Our Past in Present Tense
Was Columbus Jewish?
Dr.
Yehuda Shabatay
Oct. 12 was the 505th anniversary of our continent's discovery by Christopher Columbus, one of the most mysterious personalities in human history. No portrait of Columbus was drawn, carved, or painted in his lifetime, and as a result there are enormous variations in his physical representation in later years.
But we have at least a brief description of his looks by his son, Hernando, that is probably correct: "The Admiral was a wellbuilt man of more than average stature, the face long, the cheeks somewhat high, his body neither fat nor lean. He had an aquiline nose and light-colored eyes, his complexion was too light and tending to bright red. In youth his hair was blonde, but when he reached the age of 30, it all turned white."
However, when it comes to Columbus's ancestry and country of origin, Hernando's biography lacks details. The son maintains that his father "chose to leave in obscurity all that related to his birthplace and family" because he did not want to disclose that he was not born in a great city and of noble parents.
Naturally, such secrecy has given birth to numerous hypotheses, including the possibility that Columbus had a Jewish background or that he himself was a "converso," a converted Jew. Supporters of that idea have been offering several "proofs" for their contention, e.g., that the name Colon (or Colombo, was not uncommon among the Italian Jews in that period; that his illegible signature may include Hebrew characters; and that he postponed the originally scheduled date for his departure from Spain because it would have taken place on Tish'h beAv, the fast that commemorates the two Temples' destruction.
But there were much more important, indisputable contacts between Columbus and people of Jewish origin that may be of interest to all of us today. The foremost connection was that his expedition was promoted by conversos and still practicing Jews. Toward the end of the 15th century, Spain's population included more than 300,000 conversos, many of whom rose to prominent positions in the government and in the country's commercial life. Furthermore, prior to their expulsion there were still a few rich and influential Jews in Spain like Isaac Abrabanel, who had access even to the royal family.
Spain's comptroller-general, Luis de Santangel, who persuaded the hesitant King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to sign an agreement with Columbus, and the Kingdom of Aragon's treasurer, Gabriel Sanchez, were both conversos. Santangel's intercession in favor of the venture and other conversos' financial help came at a critical moment when the ruling couple was ready to dismiss Columbus's plan because the country was near bankruptcy.
The enthusiastic support of Jews and of conversos to the proposed explorations has been interpreted by some historians as an attempt to find a new Israel for their fellow Jews. In those days very few Western European countries tolerated Jews in their domain, and expulsions even from those countries were quite common. Thus, the possible discovery of a hitherto unknown land may have had desirable long-term effects on the conditions of Western Jewry.
Whether Columbus was aware of such possible side-effects of his venture we may never know. But it is an historical fact that the interpreter on his first voyage was Luis de Torres, a Jew baptized only a few days before the first expedition sailed. Torres spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and some Arabic beside Spanish. Why would Columbus employ a Hebrew-speaking interpreter? Did he search for the ten lost tribes of Israel—as some maintain? Again, we may never know. But one fact is clear: Torres never returned to Spain. He found freedom and wealth in present day Cuba, and there he became the ruler of a Spanish territory—before the Inquisition began to investigate every former Jew.
On each Columbus Day we may be prompted to ask: Was it a mere coincidence that Columbus's small fleet left Spain the day after the last Jew was expelled from that land? Or was the Jews' and the conversos' unequivocal support to Columbus do to their foresight that his courageous crossing of the ocean might lead to the discovery of a new place of refuge—at a time when one of the largest and most highly developed Jewish communities was forcibly dissolved?
Whichever way one presents the question, the answer is clear in our days. While Spain remained Judenrein for more than four centuries, the continent Columbus discovered is now the home of millions of Jews. Regardless of his origin, Columbus must be recognized as one of the foremost figures in our history.
Dr. Yehuda Shabatay received rabbinical training in Budapest, a master of jurisprudence degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and his doctorate in Hebrew literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. He was engaged in Jewish educational administration over most of his career and now teaches Jewish studies and history at Palomar and City College..