Under a veil of secrecy: Parted Waters

Jews fled to the Spanish colonies after they were expelled from Spain in 1492. And as the Spanish Inquisition spread to the New World and Mexico City, some of these travelers’ descendants moved to what is now New Mexico to escape persecution. Many maintained rituals from their old religion over the generations, even as they outwardly practiced Catholicism. In Parted Waters, a play by Robert F. Benjamin, a Northern New Mexico family’s secret Jewish past comes to light when an aspiring politician makes an anti-Semitic remark about his opponent. Teatro Paraguas (3205 Calle Marie) presents a staged reading of Parted Waters at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9. A community dialogue about Crypto-Judaism in New Mexico follows the performance. Admission is a suggested donation of $5-$10; 505-424-1601, teatroparaguas.org.