Jewish Travel: The old quarter of Barcelona

 

By Adi Mahler

BARCELONA, Spain — This is a city rich with Jewish history dating back over 1,700 years. When exactly the first Jews arrived in Spain is hard to say. There are some legends about two sons of the Queen of Sheba (King Solomon’s wife) having founded two cities in Spain. Also, there’s a village in the far western part of Spain, in Galicia, that is called Noia, where according to tradition the grandchild of Noah was its founder.

If we try to stick to more historical facts we know that the first evidence of Jewish presence here is from around the 3rd century BCE. Later, in the year 70 CE, the Second Temple was destroyed and a large scale Diaspora began. Jews first went  to existing Jewish communities in places like Turkey and Egypt. But eventually they spread to more remote places including what is today Spain.

Under the Romans, the Jewish community in Barcelona was relatively small and not much evidence of their community has been found. But towards the 9th century, with the birth of the Catalan empire, there was a growth in the Jewish population as well as a rise in their societal importance. The Catalan empire based its economy on trade in the Mediterranean, in which the Jews played a vital role. Many Jews were skillful traders with communities all around the Mediterranean. They helped tremendously in the growth of the empire. So much so that in the 13th century, the Jewish population of Barcelona rose to 1000 families, nearly 15 percent of the total population of the city.

At this time the community was also in spiritual bloom with religious leaders like Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet, who came from Barcelona, and Nachmanides (the founder of the first Kabbalah school) who came from a neighboring city called Girona.

Yet, simultaneously, Christian sects like the Dominicans decided it was imperative to convert Jews to Christianity. They started to pressure and provoke the locals against the Jews. And their incitement won out tragically.

In 1391 (101 years before the official expulsion of the Jews) there was a pogrom against the Jews of Barcelona and most of the population was either forced to convert or die.

Jews only started to return to Barcelona about 100 years ago. These days the community is about 1,000 families strong

Today, you can visit  Barcelona’s oldest Synagogue (Sinagoga Mayor Barcelona), and stroll through narrow alleys dating from the Middle Ages to arrive at the Jewish Quarter’s unique Mikve, the famous Jewish Alchemist house, (Centro Interpetacion Del Call), and of course, whats left from the Roman Wall.

 

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Mahler is a graduate of Tel Aviv University who following service as a tour guide in Barcelona’s old synagogue joined the Barcelona Dreaming travel service.