There were also those who feigned conversion, practicing Catholicism outwardly while covertly practicing Judaism, the so-called "Marranos, " or swine.
CNN: Was Columbus secretly a Jew?
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Tens of thousands of Marranos were tortured by the Spanish Inquisition.
CNN: Was Columbus secretly a Jew?
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According to British historian Cecil Roth's "The History of the Marranos, " the anagram was a cryptic substitute for the Kaddish, a prayer recited in the synagogue by mourners after the death of a close relative.