Dear Ms. Shay, Thank you for a wonderful article. I am rabbi of a small, isolated anusim community in Calabria, Italy. I and my congregation are anusim and have created a synagogue and cultural center in operation since 2006. Thank you for bringing the Palma anusim group to light. Kol HaKavod, Rabbi Barbara Aiello

Many small congregations in the heartland of the US are also on their way to extinction. In the tiny town in the south where I grew up there were three kosher butchers and two synagogues before World War II. Now there are none of either. The two Jews who are left, both of whom are retired and intermarried, grew up in secular homes that did not keep kosher, as the nearest kosher shop was around 90 minutes' drive away. But this is American Judaism, more cultural than religious, which is the way things are. To expect a revival of fundamentalist Judaism in places like this is wishful thinking.

Orthodox is exploding Over 140,000 kids is jewish schools in New York state alone, most of those in haredi schools. True, things are getting more concentrated, with weak communities dropping out, but the strong ones are growing exponentially

Just do yourself a favor, lose the Arab pals.