Five hundred years after Spain forced its Jewish population to leave or convert, the country is searching for its Jewish heritage.

The revived interest in the era when Spain had a lively Jewish culture is partly motivated by the prospect of tourist dollars, The New York Times reports. Toledo, with two Shuls still intact, has become a magnet for visitors from the USA & Eretz Yisroel.

In fact, critics say that some towns are trying to draw tourists to Jewish quarters with no old buildings and synagogues that were gutted in 1492.

“History is being exploited,” said Javier Castano of the Higher Council for Scientific Research in Madrid. “People are trying to reproduce what has occurred in Toledo. Everyone wants their medieval synagogue.”

But there is also a genuine interest in recovering a major part of Spanish history, the Times reported. Castano said at least once a week someone calls him to find out if their family name suggests Jewish descent. 

Spain’s Jewish population, now about 50,000 is growing. Many of the new arrivals are coming from North Africa and are descendents of the Jews driven out of Spain in 1492.

WT