Travel Inspiration - Jewish Heritage in Spain

This was going to be a book review, but Jewish Roots in Spain by Koldo Chamorro is more of a pictorial than anything else. And the pictures in this book speak of the amazing Jewish heritage in Spain (or Sepharad, as they call Spain in Modern Hebrew).

Spain's history up to 1492 is a study in tolerance and peaceful coexistence of three different ethnic/religious groups: Muslims, Jews (Sephardim), and Christians. While various cities had either Muslim or Christian rulers, all three groups thrived under an almost paradisiacal harmony. The Jewish community in Spain was an important player in the country's politics and finances, regardless of its regional leaders. Sadly, Ferdinand and Isabella wanted a Catholic Spain and forced the Jewish community into a long exile.

They left behind a rich cultural heritage, visible today in the Jewish quarters (or Juderias) of cities like Toledo, Seville, Tarazona, Besalu, Cordoba, Segovia, Hervas, Tudela, Olite, Calatayud, Chelva, Montblanc, Albaracin, Xativa, Sagunto, Girona, Caceres, Daroca, Barcelona, Peniscola.
Do not miss Cordoba's Synagogue, Toledo's Sinagoga del Transito and Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca, as well as Toledo's Sephardic Museum. An interesting piece of trivia: Toledo's famed house of El Greco was actually built and owned by Samuel Levi, treasurer to King Pedro I.

A vacation package following the Jewish Heritage theme is the 8-nighter Spanish Sepharad train package which takes you through Madrid, Cordoba, Girona, and Barcelona or the car and train package Jewish Heritage that adds Toledo to the previously mentioned route.

For a better understanding of Spain's Jewish community contribution to the World Heritage, let us not forget the great intellectual figures of yester-Sepharad: Yehuda Ha-Levi, Shlomo ibn Gabirol - poet born in Malaga, Samuel ibn Negrella, Abraham ibn Ezra, Dunash ibn Labrat, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, Isaac Abravenel, Nahmanides, Samuel Halevi, Abraham Zacut, and Maimonides.

So you've never been to Spain...

...where do you start?

Spain is overwhelmingly rich in historic sites, having preserved quite well buildings/ruins/sites going as far back as the Romans and even before them.

Having said that, you will find everywhere a good mix of well maintained Roman, Jewish, Moorish, and Christian sites. It is purely amazing and you will need probably years to visit everything Spain has got to offer.

A good way to go about this is to divide and conquer - focus on the big cities, for example - Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, etc. Or take the Roman's Route for example. Or go for the Way of Saint James - which is a good way to revisit famed Christian sites and pilgrimage attractions. Visit the birth place of conquistadores in Trujillo. Or the castles spread all around the country.

It also depends on how much time you have. If you have less than a week and you have never been to Spain, focus on the big cities, and travel by fast train. If you have 10-14 days, it is worth picking a theme and renting a car to see everything at your own pace (see below my suggestions).

A good way to start is by reading the guides offered by http://www.frommers.com, http://www.lonelyplanet.com, etc. They are usually rather good at giving you a snapshot of everything Spain has to offer, although the amount of information can be a bit overwhelming.

Also try http://www.spain.info - the official Spain tourism website.

For prepackaged suggestions, go to the Spain page and look for the following themed-packages (they all get you to drive, which I think it's a better option if you have the luxury of time):

Northern Spain and the Green Coast;
Magic Triangle
The Way of Saint James;
Dreamy Andalucia;

Or for quick train packages - try any of the following combinations: Madrid - Seville - Cordoba - Granada - Barcelona, etc.


My personal experience: a 10 day trip including Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Merida, Trujillo, Caceres, Salamanca, Medina del Campo, Coca, Segovia, La Granja de San Ildefonso, Avila, and Toledo - which included a good mix of Roman, Moorish, Jewish, and Christian heritage. We also visited many castles and many past and present cultural centers (such as Salamanca). Trujillo was certainly impressive and we took the obligatory shot with Pizzaro.