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Jews in Muslim Countries Jews in Muslim Countries 7th Century ● 622 CE – Beginning of the Islamic Era. Muhammad and his followers move from Mecca, where he was born, to Medina. ● Muhammed and his successors began conquering land and creating Islamic rule. 8th Century ● By 711 CE, all of the great centres of Jewish life (Jerusalem, Babylonia, parts of Spain) were under Islamic rule. ● 717–720 CE – Pact of Umar signed, outlining the relationship between Muslims and followers of other religions (i.e., Christians and Jews). ○ Judaism was recognized as a monotheistic religion, just as Islam was. ○ Dhimmis (people of protected status) were safe from persecution and proselytization (forced conversion). ○ Jews were tolerated but seen as second class. 8th century - 15th century The Golden Age of Spain - During this period, Spain was under Muslim rule. This was a period of economic strength and cultural development for Jews. Arabic became the primary language and Judaic-Arabic, Arabic vocabulary written in Hebrew letters, developed among the Jewish community. Jews in Muslim countries valued both secular and religious eductation. Examples of Jewish personalities during the Golden Age of Spain ● Hasdai ibn Shaprut - c. 915 - 970 CE, Spain Jewish scholar, physician, and diplomat ● Shmuel HaNagid 993-1056 CE, Spain Jewish scholar, political, and military leader ● Dunash ben Labrat 920 - 990 CE, Poet ● Rabbi Yehuda Halevi - 1075 - 1141 CE Lived in Spain, travelled to Jerusalem where he died. Physician, poet, and philosopher. Wrote a philosophical work called The Kuzari. ● Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam) - 1135 - 1204 CE Lived in Spain, Morocco, Egypt and buried in Tiberias, Israel. Jewish scholar, philosopher, and physician. Rambam’s writings include the Mishneh Torah and The Guide for the Perplexed. End of the Golden Age of Spain ● During the 12th century, Christian armies began defeating the Muslims in Spain and northern Africa, ending the Golden Age of Spain ● 1492 CE Jews are expelled from Spain, on order of Spain’s Catholic rulers. The National Library of Israel, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB [email protected] 39105 Jerusalem, Israel http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLIS/en/Education/Pages/default.aspx February 15, 1175, Fez, Morocco Dear Diary, Now that Shabbat is over, I can write about our interesting day. In the morning, I went with my family to the synagogue. I like our synagogue a lot, but it is small and a little rundown because the Muslims, who are in charge of our city, don’t allow non-Muslim places of worship, like synagogues and churches, to be bigger or more beautiful than their mosques. As if! I just wish that we could fix ours up a bit. But this isn’t the only rule that the Muslims have made to make it clear to us Jews that we are not on their level. And sometimes not being on their level is even literal! We can’t ride donkeys because then we would be higher up than Muslims who are walking on the street! We also have to wear special Jewish clothing so that everyone knows who we are. They call us dhimmis, which means that we are protected. Protected from what? Protected from people who might want to kill us or steal from us. But this doesn’t make us equal – it just lets us practice our religion freely, as long as their religion looks more important that ours! After going to synagogue, we took a walk to visit the house where Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam) lived during the few years that he was in Morocco. Rambam is such a great Torah scholar, and my family liked having him living in our community and learning from him. During our visit, I learned that Rambam left his home city of Cordoba in Spain because the Almohads, a crazy group of Muslim fanatics, conquered the city and gave the Jews the choice of converting to Islam, being killed, or leaving. Some people pretended to convert but remained Jews in secret. Rambam and his family chose to leave, and he ended up moving here, to Fez, and living here for a while until he moved to Egypt. I really enjoyed visiting his house because I am a big Rambam fan. He is a Jewish scholar and leader who is also highly respected in the Muslim world for his knowledge of science and medicine. We are so proud of him! In Morocco there are lots of Jews to be proud of. Another person who I really respect is Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi, who is one of my ancestors. I’m even named Yitzchak after him, like many of my relatives over the years. Rabbi Alfasi was a great Talmud scholar and posek (a person who decides issues of Jewish law), and he wrote some really important books. My father isn’t a great scholar, but I still really respect him. He is a goldsmith, like many Jews in Morocco. He makes the most beautiful jewelry. Lots of Jews are goldsmiths because the Muslims don’t think it’s a good profession and so they leave it to us. It’s a good thing that they love my father’s jewelry! Thinking of all of these great people makes me wonder what I’ll do when I grow up. I’m not sure if I want to be a goldsmith like my father, a Torah scholar like Rabbi Alfasi, or a doctor like Rambam. I’m just glad that I live in a place that allows me to live as a Jew. The National Library of Israel, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB [email protected] 39105 Jerusalem, Israel http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLIS/en/Education/Pages/default.aspx Manuscript of Mishneh Torah, 12th Century (from the collection of the National Library of Israel) This manuscript was handwritten by the original author, Maimonides (Rambam). The Mishneh Torah is a fourteen-book set which outlines all of Jewish law. Rambam’s intention was to write a book that would state the laws without all of the discussions that are found in the Talmud. He believed that if a person had a Tanach (Bible) and the Mishneh Torah, they would not need to study any other books. Maimonides was born in Spain and moved to Morocco and then Egypt. He is buried in Tiberias in Israel. The National Library of Israel, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB [email protected] 39105 Jerusalem, Israel http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLIS/en/Education/Pages/default.aspx A Jew and a Muslim Playing Chess in 13th Century, Wikipedia This is an illustration of a Jew, on the left, and a Muslim, on the right, playing chess. The Jew is depicted wearing a pointed hat – the required dress for Jews. The Muslim is wearing a turban, which was the typical head covering for Muslims. The two are playing a game of chess together, thus showing that Jews and Muslims interacted with each other in social situations. The National Library of Israel, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB [email protected] 39105 Jerusalem, Israel http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLIS/en/Education/Pages/default.aspx Dome of the Rock (from the collection of the National Library of Israel) This photograph was taken in Jerusalem in 1857. The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine that was completed in 692 CE and built on top of the Temple mount. The building was built over a rock that is important in both Judaism and Islam. According to Islam, Muhammed, the founder of Islam, went up to heaven from this rock. According to Jewish tradition, the rock is the place where Abraham bound his son, Isaac, when God commanded his sacrifice. Later, both Temples were built and then destroyed here. The Dome of the Rock was built on top of the holiest site in Judaism and was designed to be bigger and more beautiful than the surrounding buildings, which included the Temple ruins and large Christian churches. This area in Jerusalem, which includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, is Islam’s third holiest site. The National Library of Israel, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB [email protected] 39105 Jerusalem, Israel http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLIS/en/Education/Pages/default.aspx .
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