Casa Shalom
Institute for Marrano-Anusim Studies

Casa Shalom - Online Readings

Note from Gloria Mound
August 2006
As many of you know in this past year we have managed through the exceptional Data that we have in our Library, to prove successfully to the Rabbinical Authorities here in Israel on more than one occasion that many Annusim who apply for recognition as being already Jews are entitled to come to Israel under the Law of Return, even though initially the Rabbis thought otherwise, not having themselves sufficient data and knowledge at their disposal.

For many years we have been have been pressing that Israeli Embassies and Jewish Agency offices , worldwide should also not turn away the many Aliyah applicants that approach them without sufficient papers, before first consulting persons with this special knowledge who can help them achieve their great desire to live in Israel.

Therefore we received this Jewish Agency letter to Casa-Shalom with considerable satisfaction. To do the extra work mentioned in the attached letter and maintain our other work, on our exisiting small budget will not be easy, but we shall do our utmost to succeed until more assistance arrives. Therefore, we ask your continued interest and support at this time and hope it will be possible that our VITAL work can continue.

Note from Gloria Mound
July 2006
Early in 2005 many of you were approached by me for information on Jewish family names/rituals/etc. in Puerto Rico and Cuba.

This was to aid a family, husband and wife and four children, who required no financial help, but had arrived in Israel without the necessary papers for them to be accepted as Jews or Olim and were within days of being deported at the time they found Casa Shalom and appealed to us for help.

Casa Shalom put all our possible contacts into action and we were most grateful for the prompt response, which initially gave the family a stay of execution whilst their case was reviewed by the Rabbis and Ministry of the Interior and we arranged for them to have proper Legal advice. Whilst we collated and studied to put together a full picture from our Data Base.

Today this family's case was heard before the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem and I was asked to present my findings. The most I was hoping for was that not only would they be given the right to stay and given permission to take Conversion Classes, with hopefully not too many more months of waiting for a decision, but I am thrilled to tell you as follows:

The Rabbinical Court having heard my evidence , which included seeing a resume of the Institute's work, plus the present Casa Shalom Journal and the Testimonials of Rabbi Vinas, our Cuban Rabbi member from New York, was as follows: "The Family should IMMEDIATELY be given a CERTIFICATE OF RETURN and immediately be accepted as Jews, without any need for Conversion."
THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE RULING!

This means the Barmitzvah of their eldest son can go ahead in February and we have a very happy family.

During the Proceedings the Rabbis took great interest in our work here and indicated great respect for what we are doing and may use us again. In the meantime, I want to thank you all that responded to my earlier in the year call on this matter and each of you can feel justly proud of your participation us open, others adding to our Library and generally to keep us open at such a CRUCIAL TIME.

Do not hesitate to ask me anything further that is not sufficiently clear.

Letter of recommendation received from Rav Drukman, June 2006
Click here to read the letter (in Hebrew).

Article published in "Sharsheret Hadorot Vol. 2. No.1, February 2006", and also in the Israel Genealogical Society web site. Click to read: in English or in Hebrew.

Last updated: 29 Jan, 2007