Community in Spain - World Jewish Congress

History

The Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula, known in Hebrew as the Sepharad, dates back to the Roman period. During the early fifth century, the Visigoths captured the Iberian Peninsula from Roman control. They later converted to Christianity and, in 613 CE, the Jews there were ordered to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. Though many Jews chose to leave rather than convert, many of them still practiced Judaism in secret, a tradition that survived for centuries in Spain. In the eighth century, the Berber Muslims called the Moors, conquered the peninsula. Under Muslim rule, Jews and Christians were granted the status of dhimmi, that is, protected non-Muslims accorded special status. Although the Jews did not enjoy full equality, this period, often called the “Golden Age of Spain,” saw Jews garner significant influence, especially in philosophy, medicine, business, and government. Figures of note included the physician, philosopher, and Talmudist Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides), and Muslim military leader Samuel ibn Naghrillah.

In 1479, the union of the two principal Spanish dynasties, through the marriage of Isabella de Castilla to Fernando de Aragon, started the process by which Spain was not only unified but also “purified” through the religious Reconquista. Part of this effort was led by The Spanish Inquisition, established in 1481, which tortured and burned numerous converts who were accused of secretly practicing the faith of their fathers. After the Moors were finally driven out of Granada in 1492, the monarchs moved to complete their reconquest through the expulsion of Spanish Jewry. By the end of July 1492, with the Alhambra Decree, between 200,000 and 250,000 Jews were compelled to convert to Catholicism. Another 40,000-100,000 were forced into exile. Years of persecution had taught Jews that they could be baptized and still practice Judaism in secret. If discovered still practicing Judaism, these Conversos, or New Christians – popularly called Marranos (pigs) by the non-Jewish population – were jailed and burned at the stake. Many Conversos escaped to Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and even to Latin America, where many of them could again practice Judaism openly. The Abolition of the Inquisition was proclaimed in 1834.

In 1868, with the creation of a new constitutional monarchy that allowed for the practice of faiths other than Catholicism, Jews were finally permitted to return to Spain. From 1868 until 1968, Jews could live in Spain as individuals, but could not practice Judaism as a community. A relatively small number of Jews settled in Spain during the 19th century, and they opened synagogues in Barcelona and Madrid in the first decades of the 20th century. Under the Francisco Franco regime, Jewish communities in Madrid and Barcelona kept a low profile. The “Alhambra Decree” was formally rescinded in 1968, 476 years after Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ordered the Jews expelled from Spain.

In 1992, King Juan Carlos, in a symbolic gesture, repealed the expulsion order; in 2015, the Spanish Parliament voted to offer citizenship to descendants of Sephardi Jews. In August 2017, the Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) announced plans to establish a new institute in Israel aimed at preserving and promoting Ladino, a Sephardic Jewish language derived from Old Spanish that is spoken today mainly in Israel and Turkey.

A law aiming to correct the “historical mistake” of the expulsion, murder, and forced conversion of Jews to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition was passed by the Spanish parliament in 2015. The law allows descendants of the Sephardic Jewish community from Spain to apply for citizenship after being vetted by the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities (FCJE) and meeting other criteria such as demonstrating a “special connection” to Spain and a knowledge of its language and culture. As of March 2018, 6,432 Jews obtained Spanish citizenship through this process; the law was originally due to expire in 2018 but was extended to October 2019.

Antisemitism remains an issue of concern to Spanish Jews, with a recent analysis by the Spanish Observatory on Antisemitism finding that 53% of Spaniards believe in traditional antisemitic stereotypes.

The Years of the Holocaust

Spanish neutrality in World War II allowed 25,600 Jews to use Spain as a getaway, with Franco allowing Jews to use the country as an escape route. Spanish diplomats extended their protection to Eastern European Jews, especially in Hungary, because many Jews claimed Spanish ancestry. Spain also granted citizenship to Sephardic Jews in Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. There is still open debate about Spain's wartime attitude towards refugees. Franco's regime, despite its aversion to Zionism and "Judeo-Freemasonry,” did not appear to have shared the extreme anti-Semitic ideology promoted by the Nazis. About 25,000 to 35,000 refugees, most of them Jews, went from Spain to Portugal. However, the clear majority of the Jews who took refuge in Spain later left for other countries because they were only offered transit, rather than residency visas. Following the defeat of Germany in 1945, the Spanish government tried to destroy all evidence of its cooperation with the Nazis; in that same year, Barcelona became a refugee center, aided by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

Demography

The Institute for Jewish Policy Research estimates that there were 12,900 Spanish Jews as of 2024. The major cities that Jewish life centers around are Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga, with additional communities in Alicante, Cadiz, the Canary Islands, Oviedo, Marbella, Majorca, Torremolinos, Valencia, and Seville. In Spanish North Africa, Jews reside in Ceuta and Melilla. The Jewish community of modern Spain is composed of Jews who arrived from Morocco and the Balkans following the war. Jewish immigrants have recently moved from Latin America, especially Argentina and Venezuela.

Community Life

The representatives of the Jewish Community of Spain congregated at the 1936 inaugural WJC Plenary in Geneva. In 1964, the Federación de la Comunidades Judías de España, (Federation of the Jewish Communities of Spain, or FCJE) affiliated with the WJC.

The division in autonomous regions and communities of Spain is also reflected in the life of the Jewish community. Even as the FCJE unites Orthodox communities from different parts of the country and represents Jewish interests to the government, many local communities have their relationships with the local governments. Much of the Jewish population is concentrated in Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga, linked to FCJE, although there are also independent Conservative and Chabad communities.

Religious and Cultural Life

The recent arrival of Jewish families from Latin America, where Reform and Progressive Judaism are popular, has contributed to changing religious traditions amongst Spanish Jews. Examples of these changes are the opening of the Baruch Spinoza Foundation in Barcelona and the establishment of the magazine Raices (Roots) in Madrid. In Barcelona, the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities pray in separate synagogues in the same building on the high holidays.

In July 2017, the Leo Baeck College, the main Rabbinical Seminar for Reform and Masorti Jews, ordained the first ever Spain-born Progressive Rabbi. The 'ZAKHOR' Center of Studies for the Protection and Transmission of Jewish Heritage is located in Barcelona.

In the absence of laws restricting hate propagation or Holocaust denial, Spain serves as a publishing and distribution center for neo-Nazis and other extreme-right individuals. Indeed, Spain serves as a refuge for several Nazi war criminals and neo-Nazis convicted elsewhere of promoting racial hatred or historical revisionism.

Jewish Education

Jewish day schools exist in Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga and several Spanish communities run Sunday schools and Talmud Torahs.

Youth

Spain boasts Sunday schools, summer camps and branches of the Maccabi sports movement and the Union of Jewish Students.

Kosher Food

Kosher food is available in Spain and groups such as WIZO and B'nai B'rith are also active. The FCJE’s Consejo Rabínico Superior de España - Superior Rabbinical Council of Spain (CRSE) – oversees the supervision of Kashrut and the organization of the rabbinate.

jewish media

The FCJE runs Radio Sefarad and TV Shalom. The cultural magazine Raíces (Roots) is published in Madrid.

Information for Visitors

The primary sites of Jewish interest are those linked to the “Golden Age” in the region of Andalusia; most of these have long since been used as churches. Toledo features the Museo Sephardi (situated in the El Transito synagogue), the nearby Church of Santa Maria La Blanca (an ancient synagogue), and the former Jewish Quarter. Additionally, the Synagogue of Maimonides can be visited in Córdoba.

Former Jewish areas, also known as the Juderías, can be seen in Avila, Barcelona, Besalu, Caceres, Calahorra, Córdoba, Estella, Gerona, Hervas, Jaén, León, Monforte de Lemos, Montblanc, Oviedo, Palma de Majorca, Plasencia, Rivadavia, Segovia, Tarazona, Tarragona, Tortosa, and Tudela.

Relations with Israel

Israel and Spain did not establish diplomatic ties until 1986, when Spain recognized the State of Israel. Prior the recognition, the Spanish Jewish community, through a number of socio-cultural friendship associations, served as an unofficial bridge between the two countries.

Israel Embassy
c/Velasquez 150-7
E-28002 Madrid
Telephone: +34 917 82 9500
Fax: +34 1 564 5974

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