ARGENTINA

A journey along the past and the present of the Jewish Community in Argentina, today the biggest community in the Spanish speaking world.

We will learn how deeply connected is its reality with the social and economic processes in Argentina, a country whose elite dreamed of making of Argentina a little Europe and of Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America. We shall learn what makes the history of Jews in Argentina (tango, gauchos, nazis, cooperativism, psychoanalysis), so different from the immigration processes in other countries. In first place why a rural scenery was chosen and not an urban one as in other big capitals of the world receiving Jewish immigration.

At the same time we shall experience the rich, passionate and eclectic Argentine culture and visit sites such as AMIA, The Israeli Embassy Square, the Libertad Synagogue, the Jewish Museum and the Jewish neighbourhood of Once.

SPAIN

The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today. For over 1300 years, Sepharad was the home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. That all came to a thundering conclusion in the XV th century with the creation of the Spanish Inquisition in 1478 and the final expulsion in 1492.

Their absence prevailed for hundreds of years until they began to trickle back to the Iberian peninsula in the XIXth century. Today the Jewish community is still a small size, but growing in stature.

PORTUGAL

We will speak about the expulsion of 1496 in Portugal and its consequences: from the Inquisition to Cryptojudaism. Cryptojudaism is a touching phenomenon, not unique to Portugal, in which people were able to maintain Jewish traditions, beliefs and prayer secretly during centuries. Men like Samuel Schwartz and Barros Bastos helped bring this community out to the light and I will share part of their findings and writings.

Important Sephardic families from Tangier and Gibraltar, their role in banking, commerce and forming the CIL – Lisbon Israeli Community.
Reaching the 20th century, we must explain the role of Portugal as gateway out the threat of Europe, the regulations against Jewish people crossing the border and the action of brave men like Aristides de Sousa Mendes.

Hence arriving to current days: from Portuguese Passports to Jewish Museums, what is there today in Portugal? We will also briefly show you the heritage left (after the Inquisition and the historic earthquake of 1755), from Jewish quarters in small villages close to the border, to the Synagogue of Lisbon; from the renovated Hebrew Museum of Belmonte to the traditions that have stayed in our culture.

GIBRALTAR

The Jewish presence in Gibraltar dates back to the 14th century when it was still part of the Nashrid kingdom of Granada. After the decree of expulsion was signed in 1492, many Jews fled to North Africa. When the British captured Gibraltar in 1704, Jewish merchants from Tetouan in Morocco were encouraged to come to Gibraltar with provisions.

Today, there are around 800 Jews in Gibraltar, constituting 2% of the population.
The sense of Jewish identity in the community remains strong to this day and Jewish education has become a strong suit.

ROME

The Jewish Community of Rome’s history of resilience, culinary traditions, different minhag (musical-liturgical traditions), Jewish-Roman dialect, and continuous presence in the same place, make us the most ancient citizens of Rome and unique contributors to the fabric of the Eternal City.

We have been witnesses of the grandeur of the Roman Empire, and to its fall, the beginning of Christianity, the Barbarians, the Inquisition, The Popes, the ghettos, and the final Emancipation. We went through World War Two and the Shoah and still we thrive today.

SARAJEVO

Sarajevo was one of the most important centres of Sephardic Jewish culture in the Balkans and after Thessaloniki in Greece it was the place of the second largest Jewish community here. The first Jews arrived to Bosnia from Spain and Portugal and as thousands of Jews fled from the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition,they were welcomed by the Ottoman domains. Unfortunately the community was completely destroyed during the Second World War but still it has a very importan role in the identity of the city since there are many important monuments and without them Sarajevo wouldn’t be what it is today. 

We will visit the oldest synagogue from the XVI century, the Ashkenazi synagogue, the only active one for both Sephardim and Ashkenazim. Also we will visit the second largest Jewish Cementry of Europe and the Memorial Centre which although damaged during the war 1992-95 it still tells story of what happened to almost one fourth of the population in Sarajevo during the nazi and “ustasha” occupation.

PARIS

The history of the Jews of France is a very interesting story that actually begins in the remote past, but most specifically in the early 20th century with the Eastern European pogroms and in the mid 1950’s,with the migration of Jews from North Africa into France.

Jews and Judaism under the Empire (Napoleon) are under a new specific law which finally recognizes Judaism as a proper cult which is centralized to the nation.

It is very important as that would be the trigger of an important wave of migration from Eastern Europe to France at the birth of the century since Human Rights were prevailing then.

If we look at Paris now as the place, they mostly migrated in the center of the city in a district called Saint Paul.

Come with me to this district and I’ll show some reminiscences of those times which still exist.

On the same token, there was a huge surge of Sepharadimin in France and more specifically in Paris in the mids 50’s with the independence of what used to be French Protectorates of France, 3 countries who saw their Jewish population fleeing.

2 waves: those choosing to make their Aliyah to Israel and those choosing France simply because French was their native tongues, and it was thus easier…

Let me take you to one of their landing districts in Paris where roughly 200 to 300 000 jews attempted to get organized to get new homes and jobs, Belleville.

If we look at Paris now as the place, they mostly migrated in the center of the city in a district called Saint Paul.

Come with me to this district and I’ll show some reminiscences of those times which still exist.