Anusim

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Anusim (Hebrew, forced ones) is a term describing unwilling converts from Judaism to another religion. Instances of forced conversion occur throughout Christian history, including the baptism of the Jewish community of Clermont-Ferrand, France in 570 AD, the compulsory conversions throughout the Rhineland in the tenth century, and the Conversos or Marranos (New Christians) of Spain and Portugal. When such events occurred, the Jewish converts often tried to retain their heritage by secretly teaching their ancestral beliefs and practices to their children. Forced conversion also occurred in Islamic countries, where there were similar attempts to retain Jewish identity.