Claire Wilson
A MUSEUM dedicated to the culture of Sephardic Jews has opened in Granada.
It give an insight into the daily lives of the Jewish exiles and their descendants in Andalucia.
“The Palace of the Forgotten,” is housed inside the Santa Ines palace located in Albaicin – a neighbourhood in the city’s old centre where many Jews used to live before 1492, when they were forced to convert to Christianity or flee.
Historians’ estimates of the size of the Jewish population of Andalucia at the time ranged from 5,000 to 20,000, according to the late historian Haim Beinart of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Today, only a handful of Jews live in Andalucia.
The museum contains Judaica artefacts, archaeological findings such as ceramic utensils, furniture, artworks and other valuables recovered from Jewish homes. The artefacts were donated to the museum by the Crespo Lopez family.
The museum will feature the restoration of a mikvah ritual bath from before the 15th century, which is among the few well-preserved mikvahs from that period ever excavated in Spain, according to a statement by the municipality.
In recent years, Spanish and Portuguese municipalities have invested millions in preserving their Sephardic heritage. This includes the inauguration and elaboration of a network of Jewish sites, financing for Jewish study centers and the opening of several museums.
Tourism bosses have described these efforts as having the potential to draw visitors from Israel and North America, while politicians and activists often describe these actions as owing to an emotional attachment and moral debt.
Earlier this month, Spain’s ruling party submitted a bill which would make Jewish descendants of Sephardic Jews who were forced into exile eligible for Spanish citizenship.
Is the Government going to offer citizenship to Muslems as well ?
Due to the unhealthy literal translation of the bible, the Jews have been victimised by Christians for 1700 years. Infact, had it not been for the anti-semitism during and after the war, the Jews would never have needed a home in Palestine. Another disgraceful chapter in the dark forces of the Roman Catholic Church; to be responsible for the conflict in Palestine. Will the Vatican ever excommunicate Adolf Hitler?
“Infact, had it not been for the anti-semitism during and after the war, the Jews would never have needed a home in Palestine”
Judaism and the people who can claim to be members of that religion, were the residents of Israel for centuries before the Romans renamed it Palestine.
Jews do not need any authority to regain a land that has been theirs for thousands of years.
This is especially true for Sephardic Jews, who are those who we are anticipating offering Spanish nationality, and who came our way in the diaspora.
Ashkenazi Jews are more difficult to verify as Jewish due to their diaspora throughout the Baltic and Russo states.
John,
you forgot to mention that both Arabs and Hebrews are Semites. The Palestinians/Arab Semites have always lived in the land known as Israel – what a shame that brothers have to kill brothers.
Rob it was the Greeks who ‘created’ Christianity. It was they who gave a Greek name to a Hebrew boy which of course could never have happened in the real world. In fact Christianity is a renag of Greek mythology.
The Roman Catholic system was put together by Constantine the first ‘Papa/Caesar in an attempt to hold together the crumbling Roman Empire – he remained a good Pagan until the day he died = why R/Cs think they are Christian in any way is a complete mystery to me.
The first “Hebrews” settled in Granada in 80AD. They were the main population at the time of the islamic invasion in 711, and remained a large proportion of the populetion until the reconquest. Around 1240 there was an influx of refugees from the Christian north, fleeing the renewed persecution. By the time of the reconquest there were two distinct jewish groups in Granada the old Jews living in the Realejo and the New Jews living in the upper Albaicin. They marked their areas of the city by using Cal limewash giving the area the characteristic white houses, while the muslims used a pink wash. After the reconquest The Jewish population was either converted or expelled. Thse who left carried their deeds and house key in a traditional marquetry box. You can still see these in many Sephardi families all over the world. All that remains of this 1500 year presence is a wash house in the Realejo and a few street names. Many of the houses in the upper albaicin still bear hebrew caligraphy and even The nail by the door for the scroll
Pedro,
excellent post – historical facts not opinions.