1492: Columbus and the Jews
Thu, May 07
|Webinar
The discovery of the New World and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain... and the question: was Columbus Jewish?
Time & Location
May 07, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Webinar
Guests
About the event
Join Rabbi Shlomo Pereira for a fascinating exploration of one of history’s most pivotal moments—the year
1492. This presentation examines the dramatic intersection between Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the
Americas and the expulsion of Jews from Spain, two watershed events that occurred within days of each other.
Discover the remarkable Jewish figures who made Columbus’s expedition possible: Rabbi Abraham Zacuto,
whose astronomical tables saved Columbus’s life; Don Isaac Abarbanel, the brilliant court financier who fled
Portugal for Spain; and Luis de Santangel, the converso who financed the voyage. Learn how the Almanach and