For Sussy, this history is more than a fascinating chapter of the past—it is part of her own family legacy. She traces her ancestry to prominent early Anusim settlers, including Alberto del Canto, Juan Navarro, Baltazar Castaño de Sosa, and Diego de Montemayor, who were instrumental in the founding and settlement of Saltillo and Monterrey.

 

While living in Saltillo, Michael and Sussy became increasingly captivated by the extraordinary story of the B’nai Anusim—descendants of Jews who, under the pressures of persecution and forced conversion, concealed their Jewish identity while carrying fragments of their ancestral heritage across generations. As they explored this history, they discovered the significant role that families of Anusim heritage played in the exploration, founding, and settlement of northern Mexico and what would later become the southwestern United States. They recognized that behind the names recorded in colonial documents were generations of families whose stories of faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and survival deserved to be recovered and remembered.

 

From this realization, a vision was born: to establish an institute dedicated to researching, preserving, and recounting the remarkable journey of the B’nai Anusim. Their mission is not simply to uncover the past, but to reconnect generations with a legacy that continues to shape identities, families, and communities today. Because history is more than a record of the past. It is the story of who we are, where we came from, and the legacy we leave for generations to come.