Jews In Spain

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Although it may not be evident today, Spanish Jews once comprised one of the greatest and most thriving communities of Jews in the world. It is thought that the presence of Jews in Spain can be traced back to over 2,000 years ago. When the Romans invaded the area then called Palestine and tore down the walls of the second holy temple in Jerusalem, they brought many of the Jews in Jerusalem back to the Mediterranean with them, including Spain . After the Muslim Moors took over Spain in 700 CE, there was a large influx of Jews that migrated to Spain because they were given more rights under Muslim kingdoms than under Christian ones. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Jewish culture was flourishing in Spain during an era of what is now called …show more content…
In 1085, Alfonso VI conquered Toledo and this sparked their prosperity in this small city in Catile La Mancha. Because the Jews helped the king conquer the city, he granted them equal rights to the Christians and they began “accruing their social and political representativeness and becoming the most important Jewish community in the Crown of Castile in the 12th century… this gave way to a series of Jews holding important office in the court of Castile” (World Jewish Heritage). Here we can see that in the 11th century, the Jews were beginning to make a strong political presence in Spain. They were gaining a voice and place in society by helping Alfonso VI conquer the city and gaining his respect, which eventually allowed them to hold important positions in the court of Castile. This political presence became even stronger when the Reign of King Pedro I began in 1350. Not only did King Pedro accept the Jews as a part of society, but he befriended them and surrounded himself with them. King Pedro I had such an affinity for the Jewish people at this time that his enemies began to refer to his royal court as “a Jewish Court.” Under King Pedro I’s reign, they also began to cultivate a prominent physical presence throughout Spain. In 1357, Samuel Levi, the best known Jew in all of Toledo and the treasurer of the king Peter of Castile, “financed the construction of the Sinagoga del Transito, which served as the center of Todelo's Jewish life. It is also believed that during this time kosher slaughterhouses and butchershops sprang up along the main streets of Toledo,” (Jewish Wikipedia). Here, it is evident that Jews were not only active in the community politically, as King Pedro’s entire court was referred to as “the Jewish Court” and Samuel Levi was the
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