No es muy sorprendiente que queda en la capital antigua de España, Toledo. Aunque se fundó alrededor de 1180, y hicieron obras en 1260 para convertirla en la sinagoga central, solo era lugar de culto judío por 211 de los 839 que ha existido. El templo hebreo era uno de diez en la ciudad antes de los 1400s. Ahora quedan sólo dos de ellos. Santa María de la Blanca se llama la estructura en los mapas oficiales de Toledo, es un sitio de patrimonio humano de lo cual es dueña la Iglesia Católica. El nombre judío para el edificio es la sinagoga Ibn Shushan. Era el centro de fé hebreo español y es uno de los más antiguos en Europa.
Las fortunas del pueblo hebreo tenía muchos alitbajos en la pensinsula ibérica. Bajo los católicas, la experiencia de los judíos en Toledo era festín o hambruna. En 1350, coronaron a Pedro y su medio hermano Enrique disputaba su reino. Como Pedro tenía relaciones amistosas con el pueblo judío, su medio hermano tomó la perspectiva opuesta. Enrique y sus tropas atacaron a pueblo hebreo de Toledo en 1355, matando a 1200 hombres, mujeres y niños. En otras ciudades, bajó las poblaciones hebreas a cero. Más tarde, Enrique conquistó y desencabezó a Pedro. Enrique II castigó a los judíos de su reino por el apoyo que dieron a su hermano.
En 1391, un sacerdote llamado Ferrand Martínez hizo un sermon inflamatorio en Toledo que incitó un masacre de los judíos y la destrucción de su barrio. Era parte del pogromo de 1391. Martínez hizo un ronda de España, haciendo sermones de este tipo. Esta violencia era 100 años antes de la expulsión de los judíos de España que mencioné en un ensayo anterior.
Vincent Ferrer (que ahora se conoce como San Vicente) tiene una parte en la historia de
Vincent Ferrer (who became St. Vincent) may have a part in the history of the repurposing of the temple, but his connection is downplayed in current Catholic histories because his zeal in converting Jews is now realized to seem antisemitic. The temple was converted into a Catholic church and renamed Santa María la Blanca between 1405 and 1411. In 1550, it became a convent for repentant street walkers until around 1600. Then it was abandoned for a century, followed by serving as the barracks for the Toledo military. After that it was a warehouse, if one article is to be believed of bullfighting swords, until the mid-1800s when it became a national monument.
The building has not served as a Catholic church for over 400 years, but it remains in the possession of the archdiocese of Toledo, Spain. Franco put the monument under the care of the church in 1936. Currently, it is a museum, the third most visited attraction in the city after the Cathedral and the small church that houses a famous El Greco painting. Entrance fees to Santa María la Blanca earn an average of 750,000 Euros per year.
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain petitioned in 2013 for restitution of the landmark building. Sephardic Jews who have repatriated to Spain want to reclaim the beautiful synagogue. Unfortunately, under Spanish law, those who request the return of property must be the descendants of the Jewish families who founded or attended the synagogue before 1391. Since the supplicants are not genetically related, the Church is not required to comply. Considering the history of massacres and violence against Jews, especially those in Toledo in the late 1300s, a hereditary tie would be a challenging stipulation to meet.
Sephardic Jews have been offered Spanish citizenship, if they apply between 2015 and October 2019. That seems a small olive branch considering what Jewish families lost when they forcibly left the Iberian peninsula. Now several years have passed since the petition, how’s that request for the synagogue going? Not too well. So far the answer is no. However, some small sea change has occurred, because the Archbishop of Toledo and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain co-organized a worship service and conducted it in Spanish and Hebrew in the former synagogue in the beginning of December 2018. That collaboration may signal a new era of diplomacy between the Catholic Church and Spanish Jews.
Gracias for reading Fake Flamenco. Olé! -Rebecca
[Dear Readers, I perused about 30 articles about this subject in English and Spanish before condensing the information into these 700 words. Many of the accounts conflicted as to the historical dates and numbers of people involved. After all, the reputation of a saint is on the line, in the case of St. Vincent. The facts above are my best investigative summary of the internet sources available. Newspapers like The Guardian carried more weight than Wikipedia articles. -Rebecca]
Fake Flamenco 