My Dad's Paternal Family As a Mix of Anusim and B'nei Anusim, &c. (aka, A Summary For Those Whom Did Not Already Know)

My own family is a mix of Anusim and B'nei Anusim. Some of us are, admittedly, Jewish Christians, and we have become more sensitive to the way that we talk about our faith, etc.—at least I have, since my finding out about my heritage gave me some insight into where to draw lines, explained quite a bit of why, e.g., my family's Christmases and Easter were almost entirely secular in nature, and religious only in a going-through-the-motions way; &c.—c.q., trust me when I say that "The Night Before Christmas" was way more emphasized than the New Testament account of Jesus (if that was even talked about at all except for the going-through-the-motions wafer ceremony at dinner. As I found out later, the Catholic stuff was "tradition" and not at all out of any religious belief.).

Some of us, though, are in denial about our heritage 　. My dad, who'd even been somewhat open to (if he didn't already about our heritage) accepting (or begrudgingly admitting) our heritage (as his dad implicitly did in his final days after years of denial), eventually became hostile to the fact that he we are Jewish. He called it "Jewish crap", too 　.

As for my paternal granddad's paternal grandmother, e.g., she was furious when (as I heard and came to understand) my great-granddad married my great-grandmother, who was a very-committed Jewish Catholic and bat-Anusim. She did not believe in marriage for love, since she came from a family where shidduch was the minhag; and she was unthrilled that her son was marrying a Jesus-believing Jew. After all, she didn't become an Anusit during the pogroms, endure being cut off from her family, and have to live as an Anusit in the United States for her son to marry a, in her eyes, meshumadah.

The Jesus picture was more of Great-Grandma's idea, and the secular aspects in every holiday were way more emphasized. BTW, Dad (left) eventually became one who'd be Reform Jewish were he honest with and for himself.

As with above, the Jesus picture was more of Great-Grandma's idea; and the secular aspects in every holiday were way more emphasized. BTW, I found out later that my granddad (left) used to fall asleep in the back of the church from my aunt Mary (on my great-grandmother's lap. She was also the one who was told to choose between church and Christmas dinner during Christmas because "It's tradition" or something like that. "Tradition" was definitely the word that used, though. BTW, my aunt Mary was named for her grandmothers [the paternal one of whom was not the first daughter of her parents, I should note], not the mother of Jesus; and we have Sephardic heritage.)