Day 10: Who are the Anousim and why do they matter?

The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (Spain) shall possess the cities of the South (Negev). – Obadiah 1:20 NKJV

God is bringing Jews back to Israel from many places in the world. In Obadiah, God wrote about the importance of one particular area, which we will study today.

Debbie Kellogg shares

Anousim are Jews of Spanish descent. The word, Anousim, means forced ones or raped ones. They are also called Sephardic,¹ which is from a Hebrew word meaning of Spanish descent. They are from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula. Another name for them is Crypto because they had to hide their Jewishness to save their lives. They practiced their faith secretly because they were persecuted by Catholics, who forced them to renounce their faith and become Catholic. As a result of having to destroy all the evidence that they were Jews, it is very difficult for them to make Aliyah.

The book of Obadiah unveils an important purpose God has for these people. I encourage you to read the whole book; it is only one chapter! The Anousim are opposed on every side because they are a key, as we will see!

Meditate on and study the following verses:

Obadiah 1:19–20 (ESV): “Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.”

• This tells who they are and where they came from.
• Sepharad and Shephelah are Spain and the Negeb or Negev is in southern Israel.
• This is where the name Sephardic comes from. These are people of Hispanic descent who fled to Spain because of persecution. However, in Spain the Catholics persecuted them, so they had to pretend like they weren’t Jewish, otherwise they could be killed.
• When the Jewish descendants of those expelled from Spain come back, they will settle in the Negev (Southern Israel) and “possess the cities of the South (Negev).”

Obadiah 1:21 (NKJV): states that when these people return and settle in the cities of the Negev, “Then saviors (deliverers) shall come to Mount Zion (Jerusalem) to judge the mountains of Esau, and the Kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”

• They will be used by God to judge the mountains of Esau and its influence in Israel for evil. The mountains of Esau are part of Edom, which is south of the Dead Sea in Israel.
• When the Sephardic people make Aliyah, saviors will come to Jerusalem and deliver Israel from all evil influence. Then they will be free to follow God and experience Him in a new way. Who might these saviors be?
• Consider how the return of the Anousim will impact all of Israel.

Read all of Obadiah to learn more. What did God show you about the Anousim?

A prayer to pray

Lord God, thank You that You are bringing all Your people back to Israel, regardless of whether they have paperwork showing they are Jewish. I ask that You would open the way for them, even if it isn’t in traditional ways. I confess and ask forgiveness on behalf of people who persecuted the Jews in the name of Christ. No wonder they don’t trust Christians. Would You give believers in Yeshua the opportunities to show Jews that we are different and are willing to repent on behalf of those who have persecuted them?

Prayer points for today

• Pray that the Anousim, the Sephardic Jews, those from Hispanic descent who were persecuted in Spain and other places, will be allowed to get their citizenship in Israel. Most, if not all, of them have nothing that reveals their Jewish identity, because they had to destroy all of it to keep from being persecuted.
• Pray also that the doors will open for Jews who already believe in their Messiah to get their citizenship. Believers in the Messiah are the most discriminated against by those who make the decisions in the Israeli government. If those in power find out that someone believes in Yeshua, they are automatically denied citizenship.
• Pray that the leaders in the government who are over Aliyah will be changed, so any and all Jews will be allowed to get their citizenship, including the Anousim and believers in Yeshua.

An action to take

Here are more ways you can befriend Jews. We looked at a few ways earlier.

Actions speak louder than words. When we show kindness, or offer to help them in some way, this speaks more than many words and it builds trust. When you do speak to them, speak from your heart; they will pick up on the genuineness and this will open their hearts.

Be sensitive to how they may see Christians. The term Christian and the cross to many Jews, brings the thought of death and destruction, not life. Don’t be offended by this. Throughout history Jews have been killed by those who called themselves Christians and were wearing or carrying crosses. They were slaughtered by those who said they were doing it in obedience to God. The Jews have many times been pegged “Christ killers” and because of this, they are considered to no longer be God’s people. Thus the church justified its violence and belief that Jews and Israel have been replaced by the church. The Crusades, the Inquisition in Spain, persecutions and anti-Semitic attacks throughout church history were carried out in the name of Jesus. Hitler himself quoted from Martin Luther, one of the founding fathers of the Protestant reformation, to justify the “final solution,” the annihilation of the Jewish race during World War II.

If this subject happens to come up, make it clear you do not believe like this and that this is totally against what the Bible teaches. You might state your thankfulness to them for giving us the Bible and the Messiah and for what you can learn from them about God. You might want to ask forgiveness for the way the church has treated their people in the past and even sometimes today. Tell them that you are committed to stand with them and to be a true friend.

You can find more resources on our website.

1. Other Jews are called Ashkenazi; they are from Germany and Eastern Europe and are called Ashkenazi because the rabbis call Germany Ashkenaz.