Episode 75: Genie Milgrom, Author of Pyre to Fire

B”H

How hard is it to get governments like Spain, Portugal, Mexico to agree to digitize their Inquisition records? Records that retell a history that has been buried in vaults and unspoken about for hundreds of years? Why do it? And why would any Jewish woman in her right mind, take on the task to try to negotiate with these countries to get this done? You’re listening to Jewish Latin Princess, I’m Yael Trusch, Your Host. 

Today I’m back with Genie Milgrom. Genie was with me back in Episode 12 one of my most downloaded episodes, so if you new to podcast and you haven’t heard that one, it’s definitely a must and it will also give you a lot of context for our conversation today.

Today’s interview is let’s say part 2 of that episode. Today Genie updates us on the progress she’s made since she was last here, with regards to getting inquisition records restored and digitized. She talks about DNA testing, how it works, and why it is important to do it if you’re on the search for your family’s history. Genie was awarded the prestigious Medal of the Four Sephardic Synagogues from Jerusalem earlier this summer and has a new book out Pyre to Fire, a historical novel. 

It traces the lives of two women, one in Spain living as a Jew in hiding, and one a Cuban American Roman Catholic in Miami. It may be historical fiction but it’s really 85% reality, the reality of Genie’s family history and her own. And soon her new cookbook will be out. What’s in the cookbook? Adaptations of the recipes that her grandmothers passed down throughout the generations, replete with the rich, but unspoken about family history.  

Always fascinating and inspiring, here’s Genie Milgrom. And please do yourself a favor, if you haven’t heard Episode 12, make sure you download it, because you will understand much of what we talk about today as Genie shared with us then how she was able to trace her unbroken maternal Jewish lineage back to 1405 to pre inquisition Spain and Portugal. Here’s the lovely Genie Milgrom.

You can purchase Genie’s new novel Pyre to Fire here  and in Spanish here.

You can order all of Genie’s books here.

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