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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| unknown | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Southern Italy | |
| Languages | |
| Unknown, probablySicilian, otherItalian dialects, and/orItalkian | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism andCrypto-Judaism until the 16th century | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Theneofiti (English:Neophytes) were a group ofItaliananusim, also known ascrypto-Jews, living inSouthern Italy.
Theneofiti were descendants ofJews who wereforced to convert toRoman Catholicism in 1493. They continued to secretly practice certain elements of Judaism, as did many of their descendants.
In the 1490s, theSpanish Inquisition ruthlessly hunted theneofiti and many were tortured and executed, especially in Sicily.[1]
Today, some descendants ofneofiti inCalabria andApulia have converted back to Judaism and revived their former Jewish congregations.[citation needed]