Author Archives: Andree Aelion Brooks

A special Award

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

A SPECIAL MENTION Our writer and scholar of Dona Gracia’s life ( “The Woman who Defied Kings”) Andrée Aelion Brooks just won a major Jewish journalism prize. She was awarded First Place in the feature writing category of the Rockower … Continue reading →

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The Nasi Family in Italy

Posted on September 15, 2011 by

I was recently asked whether there were any other Nasi families in Italy? Only a few have surfaced, including two sisters in the late 16th century who married two of the Bassano brothers – musicians in Venice who were later … Continue reading →

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An Afternoon in Madrid

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

I just got back from a visit to the Prado Museum in Madrid where, among its fantastic paintings, I found myself entering a room where it seemed that on the walls all around me were old friends from my Doña Gracia research days. … Continue reading →

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Did Doña Gracia Keep Kosher?

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

What kind of food did Dona Gracia eat? This is a question that I have been asked countless times. Certainly there is evidence that she probably kept kosher as much as possible. We have reports from at least one servant … Continue reading →

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The Search for Doña Gracia

Posted on August 17, 2011 by

I had a chance earlier this week to give a talk about Doña Gracia Nasi at the International Jewish Genealogical conference in Washington, DC, centering on the way I did research for my biography on her (The Woman who Defied … Continue reading →

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