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The history of the Jews in the current-day Spanish territory stretches back to Biblical times according to Jewish tradition, but the settlement of organised Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula possibly traces back to the times after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
- Early History
- Muslim Rule
- Early Christian Rule
- The Reign of Pedro I
- Conditions Worsen
- Inquisition & Expulsion
- Modern Community
- Spain-Israel Relations
- Contacts
While the area of modern-day Spain (formerly a collection of kingdoms that included Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia) was still controlled by the Holy Roman Empire, the Catholic Churchconvened at the Council of Elvira, where they issued 80 canonic decisions, many of which were intended to ostracize the Jews from the general Spanish community. Canon 4...
In the 8th century, the Berber Muslims (Moors) swiftly conquered nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula. Under Muslim rule, Spain flourished, and Jews and Christians were granted the protected status of dhimmi. Though this still did not afford them equal rights with Muslims, during this “Golden Age” of Spain, Jews rose to great prominence in society, ...
The early years of Christian rule over parts of Spain seemed quite promising for the Spanish Jews. Alfonso VI, the conqueror of Toledo(1085), was tolerant and benevolent in his attitude toward them, for which he won the praise of Pope Alexander II. Soon after coming to power, Alfonso VI offered the Jews full equality with Christians and even the ri...
During the reign of Pedro I (1350-1369), the quality of Jewish life in Spain began to improve, and the King became a well-known friend to the Jews. From the commencement of his reign, Pedro so surrounded himself with Jews that his enemies spoke derisively of his royal court as “a Jewish court.” In 1357, Samuel Levi financed the construction of the ...
When Henry de Trastamara ascended the throne as Henry II (1369), the Jews of Spain witnessed the dawn of a new era of suffering and persecution. Prolonged warfare devastated the land, and the people became accustomed to lawlessness. The Jews were reduced to extreme poverty and later expelled. In addition, Henry II decreed that Jews: Despite his ave...
By the mid-15th century, hatred toward the Neo-Christians exceeded that toward the professed Jews. Later, in 1413, at the behest of Pope Benedict XIII, King Ferdinand I of Aragon called for another religious disputation similar to that held two centuries earlier. Yet, unlike the disputation in which Nachmanides successfully defended the Jews of Spa...
After hundreds of years abroad, Jews were finally permitted to return to Spain after the abolition of the Inquisition in 1834 and the creation of a new constitutional monarchy that allowed for the practice of faiths other than Catholicism in 1868, though the edict of expulsion was not repealed until 1968. (From 1868 until 1968, Jews were allowed to...
Even with the gradual ease of tensions between the Spanish government and the Jews of Spain, Francoist Spain chose not to establish diplomatic relations with the new state of Israel. Israel, in turn, opposed the admission of Spain into the United Nations as a friend of Nazi Germany. Despite not engaging in diplomatic relations with Israel, Spain ma...
Orthodox Beth El synagogue in Marbella: Urbanizacion El Real, KM 184, Jazmines Str. 21 Telephone: +34-952-859395 Fax: +34-952-765783 E-mail: cimarbella@yahoo.ed The Beth Minzi synagogue in Torremolinos: Calle Skal la Roca 13 29629 Telephone: +34-95-383952 Fax: +34-95-2370444 The e-mail of the local Rabbi, Rabbi Shaul Khalili, is: sykhalili@telefoni...
history of the Jews in Spain. By Fiona Flores Watson. Ceramic tile showing the Menorah lamp. It is said that the first Jews arrived in Seville in the sixth century BC, and were from David's family. They spoke Ladino, a Judeo form of Spanish.
The history of the Jews in the current-day Spanish territory stretches back to Biblical times according to Jewish tradition, but the settlement of organised Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula possibly traces back to the times after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
Aug 30, 2007 · At the start of the 19th century, German, French, Moroccan and Gibraltarian Jews began visiting Spain on business and staying for protracted periods. This resulted in a royal decree in 1802,...
Nov 12, 2019 · Spain announces it will expel all Jews. In 1492, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille issue the Alhambra Decree, mandating that all Jews be expelled from the country. This...
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the few centuries following the forced expulsion of unconverted Jews from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1497.
