Museu d’Història dels Jueus
The Jewish population of Girona flourished in the 12th century when scholars, including the great rabbi Nahmanides, made it one of Europe’s most important centers of Kabbalistic study. In keeping with European tradition, the Jewish quarter, El Call, grew up in the protective shadow of the cathedral—until the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando expelled the Jews in 1492. In 1992, as Spain reassessed the legacy of that fateful year, Girona established a nonprofit organization to recover and study the Jewish history and culture of the city. Since opening in a 15th century house in El Call in 2000, the museum has evolved into a warren of 11 thematic galleries examining many aspects of Jewish history, community, and traditions in Catalunya, including the challenging topics of persecution and the forced conversions of the Inquisition. Among the most poignant exhibits are the Hebrew-carved tombstones unearthed at Barcelona’s Jewish cemetery on Montjuïc.
The Jewish population of Girona flourished in the 12th century when scholars, including the great rabbi Nahmanides, made it one of Europe’s most important centers of Kabbalistic study. In keeping with European tradition, the Jewish quarter, El Call, grew up in the protective shadow of the cathedral—until the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando expelled the Jews in 1492. In 1992, as Spain reassessed the legacy of that fateful year, Girona established a nonprofit organization to recover and study the Jewish history and culture of the city. Since opening in a 15th century house in El Call in 2000, the museum has evolved into a warren of 11 thematic galleries examining many aspects of Jewish history, community, and traditions in Catalunya, including the challenging topics of persecution and the forced conversions of the Inquisition. Among the most poignant exhibits are the Hebrew-carved tombstones unearthed at Barcelona’s Jewish cemetery on Montjuïc.
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