The Jewish heritage in Catalonia Ι 3 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι INDEX Index THE CATALAN CALLS 5 GIRONA, PATRONAT CALL DE GIRONA 17 BARCELONA'S CITY MUSEUM 27 PORTBOU AND WALTER BENJAMIN 33 THE CATALAN PYRENEES 37 Ι 5 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS THE PYRENEES GIRONA BARCELONA BESALÚ TORTOSA CASTELLÓ D'EMPÚRES I The Catalan Calls GIRONA BESALÚ CASTELLÓ D'EMPÚRIES BARCELONA TORTOSA Ι 7 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS Girona The Call, or Jewish quarter, of Girona is situat- Jewish religion: synagogues to pray, gather and ed in the very centre of the medieval town. The study in; a slaughterhouse to provide kosher first record of Jewish presence in the city dates meat; ritual baths (mikveh), etc. The Call, or Jewish back to 890, even though it is quite possible From the 12th to the 15th century, the main that they had settled in the area before then. quarter, of Girona part of the Jewish society of Girona was com- The “callis judaicus” is mentioned for the first posed of craftsmen, though there were also a time in a document dating from 1160, and it is situated in the few well-to-do families who held the positions had been inhabited from the 12th century to of political and economic power within the al- the end of the 14th century. The main artery very centre of the jama. In spite of an enforced absence of more was the current Força Street, which crosses the than five hundred years, the memory of the medieval town. quarter from North to South. The Call had its Jewish presence in Girona is still alive in the moment of splendour in the 13th and 14th cen- Call. Currently, the Patronat Call de Girona is in tury, during which time the Jewish population charge of the preservation, promotion and dif- was increasing and becoming an organized fusion of this heritage, which is a fundamental community, with all the necessary buildings part of our history. to comply with the precepts and traditions of PLACES OF INTEREST ACTIVITIES FURTHER INFORMATION · Bonastruc ça Porta Centre, housing the Mu- · Museum: permanent collection and tempo- · Museum of Jewish History and Nahmanides seum of Jewish History and the Nahmanides rary exhibitions Institute of Jewish Studies Institute of Jewish Studies · Guided tours C. Força, 8 – 17004 GIRONA · Força Street, Sant Llorenç Street, Cúndaro · E. E. Schalit Judaic Library Tel. +34 972 216 761 Street, Cathedral, Arab Baths, Gironella Tower · Training seminars and programme of lec- www.girona.cat/call and former Sant Domènec Convent (University) tures at the Institute [email protected] · Activities and workshops for families and children · Musical evenings in the Call · European Day of Jewish Culture · Girona Temps de Flors Ι 8 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS Besalú The oldest record that we have of the Jewish · From 1391 to 1436: The beginning of the community in Besalú dates back to 1229, al- decline of the Jewish community of Besalú. though the existence of a Jewish settlement In 1415 the closure of the Jewish quarter The history of the in the 9th century is considered to be proved. was ordered and by 1436 no more Jews re- From the 13th century on there can be made mained in Besalú. Jewish community of three chronological divisions of the history of The history of the Jewish community of Besalú the Jewish community in Besalú: Besalú is marked by is marked by the existence of many renowned · From 1300 to 1342: Besalú belonged to the doctors, such as Abraham des Castlar (personal the existence of many community of Girona doctor to Peter IV of Aragon, called “the Cere- monious”) and Bendit des Logar, both men- renowned doctors. · From 1342 to 1391: The Golden Age of the tioned in the book Eben Boan, by Kalonymos Jewish community of Besalú. Independence ben Kalonymos of Arles (1323) as two of the ten from the collective in Girona. During these leading physicians of the period. The discovery years, considerable economic activity took of the Mikveh in 1964, and of the remains of the place; relations with important Catalan Jew- synagogue bear testimony of the importance ish communities were maintained. of the Jewish heritage in Besalú. PLACES OF INTEREST ACTIVITIES FURTHER INFORMATION · Mikveh (purifying Jewish baths) · Besalú, Jewish town · Besalú Tourist Office · Remains of the Synagogue · Evening theatrical tours (summer) Plaza de la Libertad,1 · Visitor Centre of the Jewish quarter · European Day of Jewish Culture 17850 Besalú · Cultural Centre Curia Real (former home of · Medieval History Course Tel. +34 972 591 240 [email protected] the Astruc family) · Medieval Besalú · Guided tours around the Jewish Quarter (Mikveh/Synagogue/Documentary on the rebuilding of the Synagogue) Ι 11 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS Castelló d’Empúries The primitive Jewish quarter started to develop The community had its own cemetery, situated at the beginning of the 13th century in the Puig near Rec del Molí. The nine Hebrew gravestones de l’Eramala area, around the first synagogue. which are kept at the Museu d’Història Cúria- The community had its In 1238 the Count of Empúries granted a priv- Presó come from this necropolis. ilege to the Jewish community, and a new pe- own cemetery, situated The first baptisms of Jews are documented at riod of prosperity began for them, which was the end of the 14th century, but the largest-scale crucial for their expansion and growth towards near Rec del Molí. and most numerous conversions took place in the area of Puig Mercadal, then the center of 1417, when almost 200 Jews were baptized. commerce and handicrafts of the village, as well as the place of residence of the Counts. Despite all that, in 1442 the Jewish community tried to reorganize itself, and recovered the old A new synagogue was built there in 1284, synagogue of Puig de l’Eramala, since the new which was expanded and restored in 1321. The one had been sold and turned into a guest building, turned into a private home, still exists house in 1420. today. PLACES OF INTEREST ACTIVITIES FURTHER INFORMATION · Museu d’Història Medieval Cúria-Presó (Mu- · European Day of Jewish Culture · Tourist Office of Castelló d’Empúries. seum of Medieval History Court-Prision) · Festival Terra de Trobadors (Medieval festival) Tel. +34 972 156 233 · Basílica de Santa Maria. Museum of the · Ruta de l’Art (art exhibition) [email protected] Parish · Guided tours in the old Jewish quarter www.castelloempuriabrava.com · Medieval Walls. Gallarda Gate · Local Archive of Castelló d’Empúries · Urban framework of the old Jewish quarter. [email protected] · Ecomuseu Farinera (museum) · Aiguamolls de l’Empordà (Natural Park Swamps of the Empordà) Ι 12 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS Barcelona There is documentary evidence of the pres- ulation. However, the attack on the communi- ence of Jews in Barcelona prior to the existence ty in August 1391 greatly reduced the Jewish of a Jewish quarter in the city, although it is population in the city to a point from which The earliest record uncertain whether a Jewish community had it never recovered. Its final expulsion was or- been formed at that time. The earliest record dered by royal decree in 1492. All that has been of a Jewish district in of a Jewish district in Barcelona is from the 11th preserved of this mediaeval district is the lay- century and makes mention of a street with out of the streets, which have been signposted Barcelona is from the the words “solebat ire ad callem judaicum”. so that visitors can explore them in quiet con- th Call means ‘narrow street’ or ‘alley’ and came templation. Some of the buildings have been 11 century. to refer to the whole network of streets where restored, such as the one in which the Call In- Jews lived. Meanwhile, the Jewish community terpretation Centre is now housed. Here, infor- was referred to as the Aljama. At its peak, the mation is provided on the history of the district Jewish population reached 3,500, which at the during the period when it was inhabited by the time represented 10% of the city’s entire pop- Jewish community. PLACES OF INTEREST ACTIVITIES FURTHER INFORMATION · Call Interpretation Centre (Centre d’Inter- · Activities at the Call Interpretation Centre · Call Interpretation Centre pretació del Call) · Permanent Exhibition on Mediaeval Barcelona. Plaza Manel Ribé s/n · The Domus Romana (Roman house) and the MUHBA 08002 Barcelona. silos of the Call · Barcelona Jewish Film Festival Tel. +34 933 042 680 · Plaça Sant Lu (square containing Jewish · European Day of Jewish Culture [email protected] gravestones with inscriptions) · Guided tours of the Call (Old Jewish Quarter) · City History Museum of Barcelona Ι 15 THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN CATALONIA Ι THE CATALAN CALLS Tortosa Tortosa is the capital of the county of Baix Ebre. Jewish community, which is how the so-called It is a strongly walled city with clear traces of a call vell (old Jewish quarter) came to be created. wealthy past, both during the Roman period This is the earliest record of the existence of a The castle of La Suda and in mediaeval times, when the city was un- quarter exclusively occupied by Jews in Torto- der Arab rule. The castle of La Suda is a dominant sa. However, there is documentary evidence of is a dominant feature feature of the city and offers a wonderful pan- their presence dating back to the 6th century in oramic view. Meanwhile, the old quarter con- the form of the famous trilingual tombstone, of the city and offers a tains a series of remains from different periods which is on display at the permanent exhibition and cultures.