In this article, we are joined by Daniela Levy, one of the most respected voices in Brazil when it comes to the history of the Inquisition. 

Daniela Levy – Profile and Career

Daniela Levy is a historian active since 2000, having pursued her academic training under the guidance of Professor Anita Novinsky, with whom she worked until Novinsky’s passing. She holds a PhD in Social History from the University of São Paulo and currently serves as Vice President of CRIAN – Centro de Referência sobre Inquisição Anita Novinsky/SP.

Education and Research

Master’s and PhD in Social History from USP, with research focused on the Inquisition and its impact on Iberian and Brazilian society.

Published her master’s thesis on the Jews who left Recife for New York (De Recife a Manhattan: Jews in the Formation of New York, Ed. Planeta/CEPE), a work widely consulted, especially in Brazil’s Northeast.

Co-author of The Jews Who Built Brazil (Ed. Planeta), the result of a ten-year project in partnership with Eneida Ribeiro and Lina Gorenstein.

Organizer of The Inglorious Struggle of Father Antônio Vieira and author of numerous book chapters and articles on the Inquisition, New Christians, and antisemitism, published both in Brazil and abroad (United States and Israel).

Curatorial and Public Engagement

Daniela Levy has distinguished herself as a curator of exhibitions on the Inquisition and Jewish history in Brazil. Her work includes:

Exhibitions in partnership with the Recife Synagogue, the first synagogue-museum in the Americas.

An exhibition on the Inquisition at the Jewish Museum of São Paulo.

As a lecturer, she focuses on the discriminatory nature of the Inquisition and its lasting impact, particularly on how Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) mentalities were transferred to Brazil, shaping practices of exclusion and prejudice.

Levy is currently leading the creation of a new research center based on the library of Professor Anita Novinsky. The collection brings together documents gathered from archives in Europe, the United States, and Israel, with the goal of making the center accessible and active for scholars interested in the history of the Inquisition and Jewish presence.

Daniela Levy has established herself as a leading authority on the Inquisition, New Christians,........

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