Spain's Jewish Heritage
The Jews Influence in Spain and Monuments on The Sephardic Routes
After making Spain their homeland for more than 1,500 years, then being exiled, Spain’s Jewish population is finally getting some well-deserved peace and respect. The Spanish Government along with The Network of Jewish Quarters in Spain has sponsored a series of Sephardic Routes, Caminos de Sefared to educate and enlighten people to the Jewish heritage of Spain.
The Network began in Girona in 1995, which is said to have the best-preserved Jewish Quarter in Europe, it says the routes are about “bringing patrimony to light: it’s about rehabilitating the physical space and memory of Spain’s Jews.”
Not all the Jewish community are happy with these routes saying that the emphasis is too much on their architectural past rather than the Jewish community today.
In the Middle Ages the Jewish community prospered and contributed to the country’s success as doctors, astronomers and even aides to the Catholic Monarchy. Until King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, defeated the last Islamic foothold in Spain, in 1492. The Jews, as well as the Moors, were ordered to convert to Catholicism or be exiled.
A massive Diaspora took place with the Jewish people leaving for more tolerant countries. Some Jewish merchants began to return to Spain from other European countries in the 19th century, and the first Modern Synagogue was built in Madrid in 1916.
Up until as recently they still lived under religious oppression, not freely able to practice their religion or talk about their heritage, until in 1968 the laws were relaxed, and the Spanish council of Jewish communities was formed.
The Jewish population today, swelled by emigration from Morocco and Latin America, is estimated to be around 40,000. A formal “welcome home” speech was given by King Juan Carlos I in Madrid 1992 on the 500th anniversary of the Inquisition.
The architectural heritage left by both the Jews and the Moors has blended to create some incredible cities with an enormous wealth of monuments. Cordoba, for example, where the Moorish Mezquita, now the city cathedral is to be found in the Jewish Quarter of the city.
The sephardic route links fifteen of Spain’s Jewish cities together from Jaen in the south to Oviedo in the north. Some cities boast fine well-preserved buildings, others such as the medieval synagogue in Avila has been transformed into a plush hotel, Hospederia La Sinagoga.
The fifteen towns and cities on the sephardic route are Avila, Barcelona, Besala, Cordoba, Caceres, Girona, Granada, Hervas, Jaen, Oviedo, Ribadavia, Segovia, Toledo, Tudela, Zaragoza.
Planned tours of the Sephardic routes and more information are available from circatours and artisansofleisure.
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