South of Sepharad: The 1492 Jewish Expulsion from Spain (Paperback)
A heroic, heart-breaking story of a father who holds tightly to his faith, his family, and his integrity all while confronting the grief of the past and the harsh realities of forced exile.
Vidal ha-Rofeh is a Jewish physician devoted to his faith, his family, and his patients. But, when Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand conquer Granada and sign an edict ordering all Jews convert to Catholicism or depart Spain in three months’ time under penalty of death, Vidal must choose between his faith and his homeland. Journeying in a caravan of 200 Jews to start their lives anew across the sea in Fez, Vidal struggles to care for the sick all while trying to mend strained relationships with his family. At the same time, his daughter back home finds herself exposed to the Spanish Inquisition living as a converso in a Christian empire.
Based on the true history of the 1492 Jewish Expulsion from Spain, South of Sepharad presents readers with a painful but important part of Jewish history as seen through the eyes of one Jewish family.
Praise for South of Sepharad
South of Sepharad is an epic, historical novel which brings readers directly into the lives of 15th century Jews during their expulsion from Granada, Spain.
– John W. Jarrett, Author of The Dark Prairie
South of Sepharad is an insightful, compelling, and poignant fictional recreation of the trials of displacement and what it meant to be expelled from or forced to leave one’s home. A brilliant achievement!
– Teofilo F. Ruiz, Author of Spain's Centuries of Crisis: 1300 - 1474
Weintraub personalizes history, bringing heart and humanity to Renaissance geo-politics through people, through lives and loves.
– Jordan A. Rothacker, author of The Pit, and No Other Stories
With South of Sepharad, Eric Z. Weintraub takes Jewish historical fiction in a fresh, new direction, bringing readers up close and personal with Spain during the Inquisition, and the battles fought for both survival and staying true to one's faith.
– Alina Adams, author of My Mother's Secret: A Novel of The Jewish Autonomous Region and The Nesting Dolls