Thinking of going on a Jewish vacation of a lifetime in Spain? One of the places you should definitely visit is the City of Toledo.

Toledo is a city in the region of Castile-La Mancha in Spain, 70 km southwest of Madrid. It lies on a cliff high above the fold of the Tajo River and is the main city of Castile-La Mancha and the province of Toledo. At present, there are over 83,000 inhabitants. A city with a rich history, Toledo is the seat of the University and Archbishopri. And the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Until the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, Toledo was one of the main centers of Sefardic Jewry on the Iberian Peninsula. 

In the territory of the present city, a number of Celto-Iberic castles and remains of city walls were discovered in the past. In 192 BCE, the Romans conquered the territory and founded the town which they named Toletum. The town prospered, mainly thanks to the extraction of iron ore. Rich patrician villas and a preserved water aquaduct were uncovered in archeologial excavations. 

With the continuous decline of the Roman Empire and its weakening influence in the 5th century, the town finally fell into the hands of conquering Visigothic tribes. Between the years 531 and 711, Toledo became the capital of the christianized Visigoth Empire and eventually became the seat of the Archbishop. 

The city was quite significant  that in the years 400-702, there were 19 ecclesial councils.  The council was presided over in 633 by Isidor of Seville. In 712 the town was conquered by the Muslim Moors. During the Córdoba Caliphate, the city of Tulatula, the Arabic name for Toledo, thrived. In 1085 the town was conquered once more, this time by Alfonso VI. Castile and the city became the home of the Kings of Castile until 1561, when King Philip II finally moved the royal seat to Madrid.

Since  Roman times, iron ore has been mined in Toledo, producing world renowned weapons. The production of the Toledo swords reached its peak in the Moorish period and in the late Middle Ages. Since the early Middle Ages, there have been various cultures and languages, blending elements of Christian, Jewish and Arabic culture. Since the 12th century it was the center of translating Arabic and ancient Greek – as well as Hebrew – authors into Latin (Gerard of Cremona and others). In 1577-1614, the painter El Greco lived and worked here. The city lost its significance and gradually declined in the late 16th century.

During the Spanish Civil War, the city became the scene of fierce fighting between the Republicans and the Franks. The Frankish insurgents eventually ended up in Alcázar, where they were held back for seventy days until the arrival of General Franco's units.

To understand the history of the Jews of Toledo, one must first learn the history of the Jews of Iberia. 

According to legend, the first Jews came to Hispania after the destruction of the first Jerusalem Temple (586 BCE). Rather than the Temple’s destruction, however, the arrival of the Jews on the territory of today's Spain was associated with business. Small groups of Jews were present in many Phoenician, Greek or Roman business settlements. Historically, however, the presence of Jews on the Iberian peninsula was only documented in the 3rd century CE from Hebrew tombstones.

Because of their business, the Jews had a different status from the original population - they were rich and independent. The distance to the Iberians was caused by a different social status and then by the envy of settled inhabitants. This was further deepened by religious differences. Following the promotion of Christianity in the Roman Empire and the Council of Nicaea (325), where Jews were proclaimed "Jesus' murderers," the Jews were subjected to restrictions wherein they could not, for example, build new synagogues.

At the beginning of the 8th century, however, the Christian rulers lost control of most of Iberia's territory as a result of the Muslim invasion of 711, and retained the government only in its northern part. The Jewish living conditions changed so fundamentally. The attitude of Muslims towards the Jews was much more tolerant than the attitude of Christians. Even the differences of opinion between Jews and Muslims were not as great as between Jews and Christians. 

In the territory of Al-Andalus aka Muslim Spain, Jewish emigrants started to return to exile, and in addition Jews from already Muslim countries started coming into Al-Andalus in great numbers, too. However, the newly arrived Jews did not interrupt their original contacts.  On the contrary, these contacts helped them to develop their businesses. The influx of Jewish inhabitants was so great that in some cities the Jews formed almost the majority of the population, and Granada was even called the "Jewish City."

But that’s not all that there is to it about the history of the Iberian Jews. Let us move on to Part 2, shall we?

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