Jewish Heritage Trip to Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar Blog

Our Sunday was split between general awareness of Spain and Jewish historical awareness of Spain.

In the morning, we left Gibraltar for a two-hour ride in the mountains to a town called Ronda. For most of our trip, we had been spoiled by warm gorgeous weather. Now near the mountain tops, we were exposed to cool air and strong winds. Many of us grabbed for sweaters and jackets that we had on the bus.

The highlight of Ronda is that it is home to the oldest bullfighting stadium in all of Spain. We toured the facility which contains a museum as well. When asked afterward about Jewish law and bullfighting, I researched a ruling by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef in Israel, who rules that participation and spectating are both forbidden as a violation of the law of "Tzaar Baalei Chayim - the obligation to minimize pain and cruelty to animals." How ironic that at some weddings, the groom and bride are entertained when one guest plays the role of Matador with a dinner napkin, and the other plays the role of Toro.

We learned how the Jews of Ronda were forced to convert or leave, as was the case in so many communities. We stood at a spot where many Jews literally jumped for their lives. 

Our other site was the city of Seville. There we visited the Fort of Alcazar, once a stunning royal palace. After a short walking distance, we found ourselves in the old Jewish Quarter from the Middle Ages. We learned how quickly a Jewish community of some 4000 people living well from the 1200s onward found its tragic end in 1391. Once a Mosque and later a Church, we stood on the site facing the entry to what had been a synagogue from 1252-1391. There, we davened Mincha and recited Kaddish, while local passersby had no idea of what we were doing.

The conclusion of our time in Spain. Tomorrow we head to Portugal.

Rabbi Morrison standing in front of what was a medieval synagogue in Seville