This important history documents the religious customs of the crypto-Jewish culture in Spain Portugal and their American colonies principally Mexico Peru and Brazil. In coping with clandestineness crypto-Jews rapidly evolved their own idiosyncratic religion. Its Jewish core was quickly replaced with concepts and practices from the surrounding Catholic culture covered by a veneer of Jewish theology. Included in this award-winning volume are examinations of crypto-Jewish beliefs superstitions birth customs education marriage and sex holidays dietary laws conversions and death and burial practices. Secrecy and Deceit provides a comprehensive account of the customs of these secret Jews. Secrecy and Deceit provides rare glimpses into a subject that is increasingly fascinating to many different audiences. --Jane S. Gerber Director Institute for Sephardic Studies CUNY Graduate Center Historians and students of comparative and popular religion will be drawing on this work for years. --Haym Soloveitchik Yeshiva University Winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Lucy B. Davidowicz History Award