The Spanish Inquisition with Mexican-American Jew Blanca Carrasco

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 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

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 10 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…