The Jews of Iberia: A Short History

by Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez

The history of Jews in Spain and Portugal spans more than thousand years. By most measures, it is even longer than the large-scale settlement of Jews in the land of Israel which was interrupted several times in Jewish history. Legends ascribe the arrival of the earliest settlers to the days of the biblical prophet Obadiah, but archeologically speaking, the first record of Jews is much later. This book includes an overview of Jewish life in the Iberian Peninsula from its early days through the Expulsion. It includes a special focus on the rise of the Conversos, Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity.

Genres: History, Judaism, Nonfiction

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2016

Reviews

[TT]

This is basically a chronicle of Jewish settlement in Iberia peninsular that spans across more than a thousand years. The predicament of Jewish people on Iberia peninsular, and the violence that inflicted on them were heart-wrenching. There seems to be endless prosecutions, baseless antisemitic accusation about their culture and believe by the Christians during that time, that it made Christians looked so savage and barbaric. It reminds me of our current society, especially in this post-truth era, how baseless fake news and conspiracies spread on internet. Collectively, we as a society, have not moved very far away from such savage and barbaric mentality.

[Jesse]

A great short book that gives you a good overview of the Jews of Iberia and their history. As a Converso this was amazing for me to read to learn more about my history that Spain and Portugal tried so hard to erase.

[Jerry Jares]

This is a well-researched, clear explanation of the treatment of Jews in Spain and Portugal through the centuries. No wonder the Jews decided they needed a homeland of their own. This is sobering reading. Looking at the other two major religions, Islam was less problematic than Christianity because Islam accepted that Jews were "of the book." It seemed that no matter where the Jews moved, some wanted to eradicate them. This is a sad commentary on the state of religions through the centuries.

[David Jordan]

Very concise

Well written, and very well sourced. The persecution of the Jewish people is the darkest and by far the most evil of events in human history.