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by Randi Brenowitz
Randi Brenowitz of Palo Alto, CA, was one of 25 participants on Melton's inaugural "Sefarad: In Search of Things Past" seminar to Spain and Israel, held 15-29 May, 2011. Here, she shares excerpts of the blog she posted on Facebook. This is Randi's fourth Melton Israel Seminar.
15 May - Sefarad: Then and Now
Since it was a lovely day, we decided on a walk through the city to Plaza Mayor which is a huge square teeming with cafes, small stalls, mariachi bands, and incredible street performance artists. Today was even more of a spectacle as it is the Festival of San Isidro (which is probably why the monastery was not open to the public) so many people were dressed in traditional garb and were prancing around the plaza. We had lunch at an outdoor café while we oogled the sites.
We then returned to the hotel where the Melton seminar, Sefarad: Then and Now, was to begin. As always, we were given a wonderful book filled with readings and source material. What was the first thing I saw??? A reprint of a drawing of the Plaza Mayor – the site of the auto-da-fe (the burning of the Jews) during the Inquisition. Somehow the place didn’t seem quite as charming.
After an introduction to the themes of the seminar, we went out via subway to see some of Madrid. Only a Melton seminar would have the nerve to take 24 people on the very crowded subway…and only a group of Melton students would be able to stick together on such a journey. We started at a place referred to as “0 km” as it is the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula which is why it was chosen in 1600 to be the capital of a united Spain. We then walked to – you guessed it – the Plaza Mayor where we were challenged to both put it in context, but also to see it for what it is today. Then a walk through what had been the Jewish quarter and is home to the modern synagogue and kosher restaurant where we had dinner and a brief talk from a member of the Jewish community. What a complicated community it is!
16 May - Segovia and Avila
Our first stop in the Kingdom of Castile was Segovia (sego = victory; via = city in Celtic). There are still 15km of a Roman aqueduct amazingly still in tact. We wondered around the city see the architecture, the old marketplace, the cobblestone streets and the red tile roofs that look so kitsch in California, but are appropriate here.
Our first real stop in Segovia was the Corpus Christi Church which was originally a synagogue and you can still see the Stars of David in some of the grillwork. In the 12 and 13 centuries, life was good for the Jews in Segovia and in 1412 when edicts and legislation came into effect limiting professions and residences of Jews, they were not enforced in Segovia. It was not until the 1480s that these laws were enforced and Jewish quarter was created. It was at that time that many of the Jews began converting or leaving.
We discussed the tensions and coalitions between the royalty, the church, the burgers, and the Jews. This was truly a complicated mess. We then walked through what had been the Jewish quarter to the courtyard of the home of Avram Seneor who was a leader of the community and quite a wealthy man who decided to convert and become Coronel. In contrast was Don Yitzchak Abravanel, also a major figure in the community, whose grandfather had converted and then converted back. When the expulsion order came, he chose to leave. While in the courtyard we studied the 16th century chronicle of the expulsion written by Rabbi Avraham ben Shlomo referring to Seneor and the 1493 commentary on the same events by Abravanel himself. What a contrast and what a set of complex decisions had to be made. Of course, in the end, neither of them was safe, but they had no way of knowing that at the time. We conjectured what might have been going through their minds as they made these monumental decisions.
Then we did a rare thing for a Melton seminar – we had 50 whole minutes of free time! If you can eat your boxed lunch while strolling the shopping streets, you can have enough time to help your friends pick out something and maybe even find something for yourself and still get back to the bus in time. While strolling around, we saw several stork nests and one momma stork feeding her babies. Storks are common in this part of the country and what a beautiful sight they are.
After lunch we were off to Avila, a walled city (2516 meters of intact walls) where it is now believed the Zohar was written by Moshe de Leon. For all of us who have for years “known” that the Zohar was written in Tzfat, this new scholarship was quite a revelation. An interesting tidbit is that this town was also home to Teresa – a mystical Catholic saint. We walked thought what had been the Jewish quarter and then overlooking the plain that de Leon had walked through while selling his wares, we studied several pieces of the Zohar. If you are interested in study, it doesn’t get any better than this. It was a gorgeous sunny day and my study partners were thoughtful and articulate – what a blessing!
17 May - Toledo: Jerusalem of Spain
We said goodbye to Madrid until we return for Shabbat.
In the 10th century the rabbinic academies moved from Babylon to Cordoba and then in the 13th century, they moved from Cordoba to Toledo. Our first stop was a church that Alfonso VI had built in 1085 when he captured the area. It was clearly a church, but had tremendous Moorish influence. It is now a museum to the Visigoth culture.
We then walked through the Juderia and came to Santa Maria la Blanca – with in the 14th century was a synagogue, changed to a church in the 15th century, to a storage depot in the 18th century, and became a national monument in the 19th century. There was some wonderful art on display of biblical (mostly Shir haShirim) scenes all with Hebrew writing done by Father Abraham de la Cruz – more about him later.
A short walk brought us to El Transito – another synagogue (built by Abulafia in 1357) turned into a church, but now restored to its original look (based on drawings and documents) and turned into a national monument. While we were there, two groups of Spanish HS students were on a field trip there. I wish I had known enough Spanish to hear what their teachers were telling them. It was a huge building which only would have been so if there had been a big community to support it. There was an extraordinary Moorish style ark build out of stone. We were able to read some of the original Hebrew inscriptions. At least my Hebrew is good enough for that.
What is now the courtyard had been the cemetery and several headstones had been recovered when they excavated. We sat there for a while studying the poetry of Avraham Ibn Ezra (1093-1167) and a piece written by Yehuda alHarizi (1165-1225) who traveled and described all of the Jewish communities he visited. As always, studying about the place while in the place is a touching experience.
After lunch and some brief time on our own, we went for a visit with Father Avraham de la Cruz (the artists mentioned above). He was born a Jew in France during the war and is now the founder of the Maria Estreda order which is dedicated to being a bridge between the church and Israel. He said the goal of his order is to be a sign of love and consolation to Israel on a mystical level. He has studied Kaballah and all in the order are fluent in Hebrew. He told us his story and then answered our questions. He was quite warm and welcoming… and I believe truly sincere in his desires for his order. I am still processing this and am not yet sure how/what I feel about it so it is impossible to find words to put here that describe it for me. Of course one of the things I love about traveling with Melton is that there is always something that sparks that feeling/struggle in me and my companions and we spent much of the bus ride to the next stop trying to process it in small, informal groups.
Speaking of bus rides…this area is called La Mancha – yes, that La Mancha!!! So there are tons of kitsch little statues of Don Quixote and Sancho in every souvenir shop. While we were driving, however, we went by a hill with windmills on the top (apparently there are 3 such hills in La Mancha) and it became obvious where Cervantes got his inspiration.
We arrived at the hotel in time to get our bags, drop them in our rooms, and leave again for dinner at Café Mazal (yes, really) where we were treated to a wonderful dinner served by an efficient and friendly staff followed by a short musical program performed by two members of the community (25 Jews or possibly Jewish families are now in Toledo). They used a large, hand held drum and a string instrument from Turkey called bazlama which was a beautiful instrument that made equally beautiful sounds.
18 May - Cordoba: City of Moorish rulers; city of Jewish learning
We set out on foot to the La Mezquito – Cathedral. This Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the world and the artwork and architecture is simply incredible. Then, when the area was “re-conquered,” the Christians put a cathedral right in the center of the mosque. It is a gorgeous cathedral, but totally out of place in the middle of the mosque –what were they thinking??? OOPS – I guess we know what they were thinking. We were without a guide as from -10 it is open to the public for free since there is a mass given at 9:30 and worshippers need to get in. The free part wasn’t our issue, but rather that tour busses and groups with guides are not allowed in at that time, so it is so much quieter and more accessible. Of course, in true Melton style, we were given a color coded sheet marking the original mosque built by Abd al Rahman I, the extension build by Adb al Rahman II, the second extension build by al Hakam II and the third extension (I told you this place was big) built by al Mansur. The cathedral was pretty obvious.
We then met up with our local guide for the day and went on a walking tour of the city. The Alcazar was built in 1328 by Alfonso II on the site of a 9th century building. 1482-1492, Ferdinand and Isabella lived there while planning the final reconquer of Granada and I was here that they first met Columbus. We saw the stables where the first Andalusian horses were bred and the 12th century walls of the city.
We were then transferred to a member of the Jewish community for the rest of our tour…that started in the square of the Juderia at the statue of Rambam who was born here in 1135. We went to Sefardi House – a 20 year old cultural center and museum that is dedicated to the history of Sefardic Jews from all over the world. Although the whole place is wonderful, I was particularly moved by the room dedicated to the synagogue. For those of us who go to synagogue regularly and who have traveled to Jewish communities around the world, there was nothing terribly new in there…but … they have the first sefer torah in 500 years donated by the Jewish community of Marakesh, an ark built from old furniture that they found from the time of the expulsion and although it is a museum, every Friday night an egalitarian minyan meets there for Ma’ariv. I am in awe of these 25 Jews who are choosing to make their home here and rebuild a Jewish community from nothing!
We then moved to the room that houses original documents and artifacts from the Inquisition. Since Cordoba had a large population of “new Christians,” they had a strong Inquisition. So here’s a great tidbit … the derivation of the word tapas. Tapas were originally free small plates of food put on top of your drink order in taverns so that you would not get too drunk and could continue drinking. Tavern keepers started including pork on the tapas to discover crypto-Jews and report them to the Inquisitor. I’ve been loving my tapas meals so far…hope this doesn’t ruin it!
We then studied some Arab writings and poetry from 8th and 10th centuries and some poetry of Yehuda haLevi. My favorite:
When a Lone Silver Hair appeared on my head
I plucked it out with my hand, and it said:
“You’ve beaten me one on one—
But what will you do with the army to come?”
Written some time between 1075-1141…the more things change, the more they stay the same.
We then drove to Seville and checked in to our new charming hotel and had time for a shower before dinner. The Flamenco dance show (starting at 10:30 PM) was optional and I was planning on skipping it and maybe doing a few personal things and getting some much-needed extra sleep, but my traveling companions had a different plan, so off I went to the show. It turned out to be great fun…and we made it even more fun for ourselves.
19 May - Seville: The Beginning of the End
Once again, we said goodbye to our lovely hotel and were off on a city tour of Seville. Here's the tidbit of the day...Although we all get upset when we see synagogues turned into churches and mosques turned into churches and churches turned into mosques, what I learned today is that is the only way these buildings got saved. Once they were no longer holy to the people in power, they were simply destroyed, but once they were turned into holy space again, they were saved. So now I have to re-think that too!
Our tour included the Alcazar which had a lovely garden that included several peacocks and one who was clearly showing off for us. The highlight of the morning for me occurred with Tal arrived to spend two days with our trip. Tal is the charming 24 year old son of my good friends in Israel. He is in Andalusia for the year and is taking time to be with me. He is as delightful as I remembers and the visit with him has been part of the trip planning for months. While at the alcazar, we studied the text from a 13th century tomb of a nobleman which was done in 4 languages -- Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, and Castillian. Of particular note, of course, is that the family wanted all 4 languages on the tomb in the first place - how important must each of these languages been. Then there was the slight differences in each which we could see in the translations and each of them had a different year for the date of the death - Latin 1252; Arabic 550; Hebrew 5012; Castillian 1290.
Next stop was the 15th century cathedral which is the 4th largest in Christendom and quite impressive. When Columbus died he was so angry with the crown that he told his heirs that he did not want to be buried in Spain, so his remains were sent to what is now the Dominican Republic for burial. When Spain lost that territory, they moved the remains to Haiti, and when Haiti was lost, they went to Cuba. In 1902, there was no where left to go, so they built a tomb in the cathedral with four stone guards carrying a stone coffin and in that coffin are the remains of Christopher Columbus - in Spain, but not "buried" in Spain.
After a late lunch and a quick bit of free time, we had another study session with letters from Alfonso XI to Pope Clement VI in 1342 asking for allowance for the Jews to build a synagogue; a letter from Hasdai Crescas (a Jewish leader) in the wake of the 1391 riots; and a poem by Shlomo de Piera, writing to a friend intend on leaving Spain in 1391. This gave us much food for thought for the bus ride to Granada.
Arrived in Granada, happy that this will be our last "one night stay," and then off to dinner on our own in small groups. We could not get in to the place we had selected and one of our group asked a couple on the street where they thought we ought to go. They took us by several places which wouldn't work for a variety of reasons, but the husband was clear that he was not leaving us until we were settled. We ended up at a lovely restaurant that was a bit crowded, but we took over the bar area and had a fabulous dinner (I got to try hake - the national fish) and at the end were treated to an after dinner wine that, unfortunately, went down quite easily.
20 May – Granada: Last hold of the Moors; Symbol of Expulsion
As has become our pattern, we checked out early and began a tour of the local community. This is the last of our “one night stays” and we are all eager for two nights in the same hotel. The local tour this morning was of the Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada. It was, of course, taken over and expanded on by the Christians once they took over the area. Notice a recurring theme here?
It is the best example of Moorish residences that still exist today and it is filled with fabulous art work, gardens, ceilings, windows, and arches. We actually stood in the room where Ferdinand and Isabella read the original expulsion order in 1492. Unfortunately, given the number of visitors, we were unable to stop there for a study session. As with all places like this, there is constant renovation needed. What they do here, however, is keep the area open (although roped off for safety) and they use the renovation as an exhibition of how renovations are done. It was such a clever idea and was quite interesting.
Our incredible study session in this place included a look at the Expulsion Order (WOW!), and the poetry of Moshe Ibn Ezra (1055-1138), Shmuel Hanagid (993-1056), and Shlomo ibn Gabirol (1021-1057). Many Sefardic synagogues use a poem of Gabirol’s right before the Barechu:
I see you every evening and dawn,
my face and palms turned up to you;
With a thirsty spirit for you I moan,
like a beggar come to my door.
The heavens can’t contain you,
and yet my thoughts somehow do:
haven’t I hidden your name in my heart
until my love for you crossed my lips?
Therefore I’ll praise the name of Adonai
So long as God’s breath in me lives.
We hated to leave this beautiful space on such a lovely day, but lunch and a long ride to Madrid awaited us.
We were scheduled to arrive in Madrid in time to relax a bit and get ready for Shabbat – oh well. We were asked that those of us who wanted to go to Kabbalat Shabbat be allowed to get off the bus and check in before the others. What a wonderful group of traveling companions I have. Given their willingness to wait for us, I was able to have at least 7 minutes in my room to clean up, find my Shabbat clothes, splash some cold water on my face and race downstairs. We got to the synagogue in time for L’chai Dodi and although the tune was totally unfamiliar, the words are ones we all know well and so in under a minute I was part of the Jewish community of Madrid. I lost my place several times in the service as the Spanish accent on the Hebrew and the different trope, made it very hard to follow. But it was a thrill to be there – 500 years after the expulsion – and see a vibrant and growing Jewish community.
21 May – Shabbat in Madrid
Our formal program began with a study session on the parsha hashvua – Bechukotai. We read from the Zohar commentary. You remember the Zohar from our day in Avilla as it was written there in the late 1200’s and early 1300’s. It was chilling to read and study the commentary written by those Jews we have just spent the week learning about.
We ended the day’s program by making havdallah and wishes each other a shavua tov – a good week as we travel together to Israel to follow the route of the Sefardic community.
22 May - Travel Day
Today was spent on busses, in airports, and on airplanes getting us from Madrid to Tiberias. What I was hoping was allergies has turned out to be something a bit more worrisome. One never wants to get sick…and certainly not while traveling, but if you have to do that, you want to do it with Melton….where everyone makes sure you get on and off the bus first, someone carries your luggage, you get checked in first, each participant is willing to give you whatever drugs they’ve brought, and they even send dinner up to your room so you don’t have to go down to dinner. And the one thing I thought I’d have to miss (the visit to Rambam’s grave) has gotten put off to another day for other reasons.
23 May - Sick Day
We are in Tiberias and the group spent the day looking at some key moments in Sefardi history in Israel both here and Tzfat and then dinner in what is purported to be a fabulous restaurant in Tzfat. I, on the other hand, spent the day in the clinic and then back in bed.
Many thanks to Henri, Haim, Rina, and Arin who were willing to drop everything and help me out…and to Susan who brought me soup while she was out shopping.
I am grateful for everyone who helped me today…but really wishing I hadn’t needed their help.
24 May - from Tiberias to Jerusalem
Several doses of meds and 16 hours of sleep did a great job and I woke up feeling much better and decided to join the group. Our first stop was Kfar Kassem for a meeting with Sheikh Abdallah Badir who is he leader of what is called the Southern Islamic Movement who recognize Israel and want to find ways to live within Israeli society. He welcomed us with Arabic coffee and sweets and told us that he uses some of the work that was done in Andalus to get a sense of how it was when Muslims and Jews lived together peacefully. He has recently written a book on how to live a good Muslim life while living in a country that is not run by Muslims. This was not just for Israelis, but intended for all western Muslims. He is a religious leader and tries to come to his positions using the Koran. He does not just want to have opinions, but rather have positions that he can support with the Koran and can justify on a religious basis. He wrote an article in March of this year which condemned the murders in Itamar…insisting that the article be published both in Hebrew AND in Arabic. Many Muslims who publish things like this just do it in Hebrew and never have it translated into Arabic. We wondered if he feared for his life, but he said no since all of his positions were based on Koran and were legitimate reading of the Koran. We wondered if he was either naïve or not telling us the whole truth. He was quite a personality and we left his office feeling just a little glimmer of hope.
Next stop was the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv. I have been there many times and was going to skip this and rest, but I was feeling pretty good and this was going to be the Sefardic view of this neighborhood. By the end of the very interesting walk, I realized that this had been a mistake and I was starting to fade. Again, the gentleman who took us around was charming and told us of some of the Sefardic influences in the area.
Then we were off to Jerusalem and a meeting with former President Honorable Yitzchak Navon who was of Sefardic origins. He actually prepared a 3 disc documentary on the Jews of Spain which Marty had found for me prior to the trip. I felt like I already knew him before we even started. He has just turned 90 so we started with a resounding rendition of Yom Huledet Sameach and he was quite pleased. I sure hope I’m half that agile and articulate at 90 – what an amazing man. Much of what he told us had been in the DVDs I had watched, but hearing it directly from him was so much more exciting. He told us that the true Sefardis are those who are descendants of those from Spain who spoke Ladino and somehow now all “Oriental” Jews from places like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, etc. are now called Sefardi – everyone who is not Ashkenazi is defined as Sefardi. This does not make him happy although all Jews are welcome in Israel…but why not name people realistically? He talked of the Sefardim while they were in Spain – their synthesis of religion and science, their love of the Hebrew language and creation of such wonderful poetry; much of the halacha; and the Zohar. He spoke of the problems that had existed between Sefardim and Ashkenazim in Israel, but that since there had been so much intermarriage in the last 60 years, those distinctions were no longer problematic. He was sad to say that the Ethiopian problem did not seem to be going the same way and that the gap between rich and poor was ever widening and the issues between religious and secular were becoming extreme. He is concerned about the “Arab spring” as there is no stability yet and it is not clear how the relationships with Israel will come out of those revolutions. He answered all of our questions with charm and sincerity and by the end of the evening, we were all willing to vote for him for President.
25 May - Jerusalem
Clearly I overdid it yesterday and I must be careful to pace myself today.
Our first stop was Mt. Scopus – Hebrew University where we were met by Professor Sarah Stroumsa who is the Rector of the University and an expert of Maimonides. She gave a teaching on Maimonides In His World…which assumes that the world matters. Maimonides, you might remember, was born in Cordoba in 1138. After a brief summary of his life and times, we took a piece of Maimonides text and not only did we do that learning, we learned how to actually read Maimonides…some of the clues and hidden meanings. It was amazing. She taught us that Maimonides thought God as the ultimate educator and Abraham as the ultimate monotheist with Moses as the interpreter and arranger of Abraham’s insight so it could be accessible to the whole people and that the mitzvoth were intended to keep us on the straight, but not so narrow, path. We also learned of a group of scholars that Prof. Stroumski is involved with that includes Arabs, Jews, and Christians from around the world who are trying to study the text of each culture of this time in the context of the society without trying to ascribe any current political meaning to them. It is hard work, but they are all deeply committed to it. I haven’t looked yet, but their website is www.intellectualencounters.org. She left us with the words of one of their Arab members who says that Scholarship is about building bridges and not about building walls. Another little glimmer of hope.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the 4 Sefardic synagogues in the Old City and then free time (read shopping). Although I have not been to the Sefardic synagogues, I have been to the Old City a zillion times and it was another gorgeous, hot day in Jerusalem. Since this evening’s activity sounded really fascinating, I decided that a nap at the hotel was a better bet for me.
Our last stop was to Haim’s house where we broke into a spontaneous rendition of “On the Street Where You Live.” One of our members videoed it and I will post the url if he sends it to me. Haim seemed truly touched. And singing was a perfect way to start our evening with Yair Harel, the Director of www.piyut.org.il. Any of you interested in Jewish music MUST spend time on this site. He, along with several others, is collecting piyutim (Jewish sacred poems/songs) from all over the world. He said that the founders of Israel wanted to forget about anything that happened in the Diaspora and create an Israeli culture. Although that was important, this new 3rd generation are looking for the voices of their ancestors. Many of the piyutim are the same, but the tunes are different. Given our theme, he taught us 2 piyutim from the Sefarad. We are not singers, but he had us singing out strong in multiple parts and keeping rhythm with our clapping. My throat is a little sore, but my spirit has been lifted!
26 May - Jerusalem of Sefardim: Beyond the Walls
We walked through three neighborhoods that are now certainly considered part of Jerusalem but were outside the original walls. Many of us had to be these neighborhoods before, but again, we looked at them from the Sefdardi tradition. It is amazing what new things you can see when you are looking for them. Prior to our stop in the market, each of us drew a name and we were to buy a gift for that person in the market, but not to spend more that ILS10 ($2.88) although I think several of us broke the rule.
We then had a short break as many people are leaving tonight and had to collect luggage, change, etc. Our last formal session was with Rabbi Michael Melhior who is a former Minister, a former MK and the former Chief Rabbi of Norway. He now heads up an organization called Mosaica that is trying to build bridges between Muslim clerics, rabbis, and priests. His work is new so what the results will be remains to be seen.
We had a brief summary session and then off to Darna, an authentic Moroccan/ Berber restaurant and one of my favorites in Jerusalem. Before deserts, we gave out our gifts and blessings for each other. Florence made a lovely presentation wishing me good health and suggesting that I become Mayor of Jerusalem given how often I am here. She then gave me a wonderful hamsa key chain with the traveler’s prayer on the back. Any of you who have ever been in my office at the JCC know that I have a wonderful collection of hamsim and this will be a most special addition. Then we had to say our good byes and the only thing that kept us from going on all night is that many had flights to catch…and El Al, United, and Continental don’t care much about our process.
Since we had all been on several seminars, our group didn’t need to first few days to get used to the process – we were just on the trip from the opening moment. This makes it feel like we’ve been together for so much longer than 12 days. I was sad to be at the end, but am looking forward to a relaxing two days before going home.
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