if it's Tuesday, it's Toledo

No, we are not in Ohio, but in Toledo, Spain, one of the most beautiful cities in this country.


I remember being in Toledo at lest 25 years ago and it is so different from that era. It's cleaner, better marked, but just as hot and just as hilly and exhausting to get around. There are many streets to meander in what was once the Jewish Quarter and we visited two former synagogues that were converted to churches after the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. First was the site of the El Transito Synagogue which had elaborately intricate wall carvings.


Note the Hebrew inscription running down the side of the decorative panel.





Following the El Transitory, we visited the Santa Maria Synagogue - and if you think the name is a contradiction, wait for the story we heard there. The synagogue became Santa Maria Church and was hosting an exhibit of paintings by Brother Avraham de la Cruz, the founder of the order of Mary Morningstar (Maria Estrella), an order he says is recognized officially by the Catholic Church.


We met Brother Avraham in the garden of Santa Maria and heard his story of growing up in a Jewish household in France during World War II and a convoluted story of his finding peace and love in Christ. The entire session was very moving, disturbing, and thought provoking. His order wears the garb of Brothers, Priests, and Sisters of the Catholic Church, but the crucifix he wears has a Magen David on it. He preaches love for all and claims he is both Catholic and Jewish. He was accompanied by his son, the only priest in this order and he told us he had a daughter who is Jewish and lives in Israel.


This was the perfect Melton experience - hearing the seemingly impossible/contradictory story of this man and trying to figure out how someone like him fits into the story of the Jews of Spain. His order now "cares for" the Santa Maria Synagogue/Church under the auspices of the Vatican - at least that is the story he told us. this infuriated many members of our Melton group. Being ever the shy type, I asked him how he could join a church that had persecuted and killed his ancestors He gave me a look of "peace" and said that his group is about love and finding common ground. I didn't buy it, but a few members of our group found him sincere and well-meaning. This led to quite a long debriefing and discussion on the bus to Cordoba later in the afternoon.

After the session with Brother Avraham we walked the narrow winding streets of Toledo enjoying the decorative tiles and carvings on buildings and the fascinating array of wooden doors. I could make a photo trip on just shooting the doors of Spanish cities.






We crossed the bridge by foot to leave Toledo and meet our bus for the drive to Cordoba.


Cordoba, in the south of Spain, was 42 degrees Celsius (about 107 degrees Fahrenheit) when we arrived, and that was in the shade. it has been hot all along - 80's and 90's every day - but now the heat was just impossible. we did a quick driving tour of the city.





and then went to dinner for a Kosher meal at the Jewish Museum.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

9/11 A Day of Remembrance

Today was the first day of the Melton Seminar and the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Endings and beginnings. Tracing death and expulsion of the Jews of Spain - an end to an era of high culture. Remembering the death of so many innocent people in the US and the end of our era of comfort and safety in America.

We began the day by sleeping in until 9:30 - not out of choice, but because I got AM and PM mixed up on the clock and the alarm never went off. After a quick breakfast we went to the museum across the street from the Prado. It was small and manageable in the short two hour time frame we had before the Seminar began. Saw works by Degas, Manet, Monet, Hopper, Gauguin, Munch and many others.

Returning to the hotel we checked in with our Melton facilitators and had the opportunity to see old friends from former
Seminars. We know more than half the participants on this Seminar and it's wonderful to renew these acquaintances.

We began with a short session at the hotel and then hopped on the Madrid metro to go to the main square of Madrid, Plaza Maior.






This was the scene of the Auto de Fe of the Inquisition in the 1500's, after the Jews had been expelled in 1492. The church was seeking to purify itself - to rid Spain of the "false Christians," those Jews who had converted, but were accused of secretly practicing Judaism. Toady it is the scene of families on outings, street entertainers, outdoor cafes, and expensive apartments. I engaged a street performer impersonating Edward Scissorhands and got to shake his bladed hands.


From there we walked through old, winding streets to reach the area that had been the original Jewish Quarter. Almost nothing remains to make it recognizable. In fact, the streets were all renamed with Catholic names after 1492 to emphasize the "purification" of the area.


The evening culminated in dinner in Madrid's only Kosher restaurant and a presentation by Derek Weiss, Director of the Madrid Jewish community. The current Jewish community of Madrid numbers about 8000 and began in the 1950's with immigrants from Morocco. How ironic that the Jews who fled spain to Morocco in 1492 returned to Spain to escape persecution in Morocco in 1956. Most of the Jews who live in and around the old Jewish quarter today are elderly. The younger members have moved to the northern suburbs of Madrid where there is a traditional Orthodox day school with about 300 students.