Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience
The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today. For more than a thousand years, Sepharad (the Hebrew word for Spain) was home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. Summarily expelled in 1492 and forced into exile, their tragedy of expulsion marked the end of one critical phase of their history and the beginning of another. Indeed, in defiance of all logic and expectation, the expulsion of the Jews from...
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The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today. For more than a thousand years, Sepharad (the Hebrew word for Spain) was home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. Summarily expelled in 1492 and forced into exile, their tragedy of expulsion marked the end of one critical phase of their history and the beginning of another. Indeed, in defiance of all logic and expectation, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain became an occasion for renewed creativity. Nor have five hundred years of wandering extinguished the identity of the Sephardic Jews, or diminished the proud memory of the dazzling civilization which they created on Spanish soil.This book is intended to serve as an introduction and scholarly guide to that history.
PrefaceIntroduction: An Enigma of 14921Volatile Origins: The Early History of Jewish Life in Spain12The Birth of Sepharad: From the Muslim Conquest to the Caliphate of Cordoba273The Golden Era: The Emergence of Sephardic Civilization594The Reconquista: Jews and the New Realities of Christian Spain915Path to Expulsion: The Decline and Destruction of Spanish Jewry1156Return to the Islamic World: The Sephardic Diaspora in Muslim Lands1457The Westward Journey: Europe and the New World1778Encounter with Modernity: Ottoman Decline and the Ascendance of the West2139Revival and Return: Sephardic Jews in the Post-War Era253Appendix 1: The Edict of Expulsion285Appendix 2: Immigration Tables291Appendix 3: Maps293Notes299A Note on Further Reading309Index319
