THE HALF-JEWISH NETWORK
Welcoming the Adult Children and Other Descendants
of Jews Intermarried to People of Other Faiths and Cultures
SAINT TERESA OF AVILA
Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, better known to us as St. Teresa de Jesus of Avila (1515-1582), was the grandchild of a Jewish-Christian intermarriage, and one of the most remarkable figures in the history of spirituality.
Her father, Don Alonso Sanchez y Cepeda, was a wealthy man with a painful secret -- his mother was a Christian; his father was a Jew who had been punished by, and forced to convert to Christianity by, the Inquisition of Toledo.
Don Alonso had grown up living a lie, knowing that his father had evaded further persecution by fleeing to Avila, and purchasing a false certificate of noble Christian birth.
Teresa never mentioned her Jewish grandfather in her writings, probably because it would have exposed her family to renewed persecution.
Teresa grew up in a large, devoutly Catholic family, and became a nun at age 21, giving up the advantages of her exceptional good looks and wealth to devote her life to God.
She became one of the foremost women of her era, establishing an entirely new branch of her religious order, the Carmelites, writing several profound books on Christian mysticism, and establishing a reputation as a visionary with miraculous powers.
Despite her extraordinary spiritual and intellectual achievements, St. Teresa remained a woman with a strong sense of humor and common sense.
She made fun of herself in her published writings, these joking comments interspersed among accounts of her amazing leadership activities and profound spiritual insights. She was widely respected for her warm heart and her equally hard head.