Seville, Spain
Seville is the capital
city of the Province of the same name. It lies along the left bank of
the Guadalquivir River in Southwest Andalusia in the land region
known as the Guadalquivir Basin. The Basin is a dry but extremely
fertile region in the hottest part of the country. Its average yearly
temperature is 18 degrees centigrade. Population of Seville is
approximately 700,000 people with a minimal Jewish presence.
The
mythical origins of Seville date back to the Phoenicians, who, it is
said, established an ancient city with the aide of Hercules. Recorded
history begins with the Carthaginians in 256 BCE who occupied the
city, but encountered strong resistance from the natives. In the last
decade of the 3rd century the Carthaginians burned the city to the
ground. When the Romans (206
B.C.E.) marched into the Guadalquivir valley, they rebuilt the city
as a rest and recuperation site for their legions. As in other parts
of Spain, the Visigoths (400-710) brought Christianity to Seville and
the series of Church Councils played an increasingly important role
in the region's culture. During the Arab occupation (711), Seville
emerged as the second most important city, after Cordoba, in the
Ummayad Caliphate. When Cordoba fell to the Berbers in 1031,
Seville's stature increased. Under the rule of Al Mutamid, the city
maintained a wealthy, picturesque and vibrant society.Al Mutamid,
however, made the tragic mistake of inviting the African Almoravides
into Andalusia to assist in defending Seville against the Christians
from the north. The fanatic Muslim sect eventually expelled the king
and took power. During the Reconquest, Seville fell to the Castilian
navy (1248) and many Muslims fled, leaving the city to be repopulated
by Castilians. Seville became the first site for an Inquisition Tribunal in 1481, and it is where Columbus landed upon his return
from the new world.
An ancient tradition places Jews in Seville at the
time of the destruction of the first
Temple (586 BCE). In fact, several influential Jewish families of
Seville (Abrabanel included) claim to be descendants of King David. Amazingly, there is
even some speculation that Jews settled in this region as far back as
the 11th century B.C.E. The source of this belief rests on the
identification of Seville with the distant port of Tarshish which is
mentioned in the Bible. "For the king had a Tarshish fleet on
the sea, along with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years, the
Tarshish fleet came in, bearing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and
peacocks."(I Kings 10:22)
The presence of Jews in Seville at the time of the Visigoths is more
easily verified. Anti-Jewish polemics by Isidore, the archbishop of
Seville, are part of the historical record. Another historical source
describes a Jewish guard, assembled by the Moors in 712, and charged
with defending the city.
During the Ummayad
Caliphate, Seville prospered and the Jews who lived there were
engaged in commerce, medicine and the dyeing industry. The Juderia
was in the western part of the city, in what is now the parishes of
Santa Magdalena and San Lorenzo. Later, after the Berber invasion
(1013), Seville served as a refuge for Jews who were fleeing
persecution. Under the Almoravides, the Jewish community in Seville
prospered, but as in other parts of Andalusia, the Almohade conquest
brought death and destruction. When Seville was reconquered by the
Christians (1248), the Jews welcomed them with open arms. They
presented Ferdinand III with a key to the city, which has been
preserved in the cathedral treasury. For a period of time, the Jewish
community was revived. Though they were taxed heavily, they received
real estate, and good land for farming. Those who participated in
annual fairs and were granted freedom to trade and exemption from
taxes. At one point, tax registers indicate that the Jewish community
of Seville paid 115, 333 maravedis and 5 solidos; a staggering sum
for a community of about 200 families. Gradually, as the reconquest
succeeded, and the Christians no longer needed money, or help from
the Jews, live became increasingly more difficult. An important
turning point came with the anti-Jewish activities of archdeacon
Martinez, who was the confessor to the child king's mother. Though he
was repeatedly ordered to stop his diatribes, Martinez succeeded in
arousing passionate hatred among the masses. In 1391, disaster struck
in Seville. The entire Jewish community was nearly destroyed and the
synagogues were converted to churches. The once vibrant community
never recovered and along with the other Jews of Andalusia, they were
exiled in 1483.
Sources: This material was
originally published in
Sparks! -
an e-zine for Jewish families. |