Trudy Gold
Dr. Lopez and Other Conversos
Summary
Dr. Roderigo Lopez served as a physician-in-chief to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 1581 until his death by execution, having been found guilty of plotting to poison her. A Portuguese converso, he is the only royal doctor in English history to have been executed, and may have inspired the character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, which was written within four years of his death. Trudy Gold discusses Lopez’s life and the life of other prominent conversos.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
Well, I think David Piemer talked a lot about that. Shakespeare was not original. It was based on an Italian story. You see, the stereotype of the Jew, you don’t need Jews in England. You see, Jews are so important to Christianity. That’s the point. Don’t forget, also, there was “The Jew of Malta”, and there was also “The Second Nun’s Tale” in “The Canterbury Tales”.
Under Elizabeth, probably kicked out. Nothing more. Elizabeth really was pragmatic. And don’t forget, people like Dona Gracia, they set up printing presses. You know, after the invention of the printing press, it was much easier to disseminate knowledge. And many of the conversos had ships. You know, when I mentioned Bristol to you, ships would’ve landed with books on it. It’s important to remember that the spread of knowledge. If you don’t have the knowledge, how do you know how to practice?