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| Spanish Inquisition Trial |
On the recent trip to Italy that Mary and I took, we visited the city of Turino (Turin) and the Church of the Shroud, where Jesus's burial linen clothes are kept. To my surprise, right next door is this building below that I took this picture of. It is one places
The Dark Side of Spain
Spain and the Netherlands announced Thursday, December 4, they are pulling out of next year's Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete.
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| The Palestinian cause flag and take center stage in the fight to wipe out Jews and Israel "from the river to the sea." |
I already knew that Spain is infamous for its antisemitism, but I wanted a more thorough understanding of the reasons why. So I asked two different AI platforms for an explanation and then rolled it all into one "Academic like" paper.
The answer is not unrelated to why the Catholic Church was at best complicit with Nazi Germany's "solution" for what was called "The Jewish Problem."
As you read this explanation, notice that the dominance of Catholicism is not only a major theme but arguably the structural backbone of antisemitism in Spain’s historical and cultural development. The troubling fact today is that antisemitism is on a dramatic rise throughout Spain, Europe, as well as the United States. (Why now? That is a question I will not be addressing is this blog post.)
Historically speaking, the overarching theme is the fusion of Catholicism with Spanish national identity, producing an enduring ideology of religious–ethnic mindset that is antisemitic and extremely hard to break. Thus the conclusion.
Antisemitism in Spain: Historical Continuities and Contemporary Transformations
Abstract:
Antisemitism in Spain presents a complex phenomenon rooted in the interplay of religious, ethnic, and national identities. This post traces the historical evolution of anti-Jewish attitudes from medieval Spain through the modern era, emphasizing the enduring cultural legacies of the Inquisition, limpieza de sangre (purity of blood), and the absence of a visible Jewish community. It further examines the reconfiguration of antisemitism in contemporary Spain, where ignorance, political polarization, and globalized discourse on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have produced new forms of hostility often invisible to social conscience. The analysis situates Spain within broader European patterns of resurgent antisemitism while exploring the unique historical depth of its anti-Jewish narrative.
Historical Foundations
The historical roots of antisemitism in Spain are inseparable from the consolidation of a national identity defined by confessional and ethnic homogeneity. The most decisive turning point occurred with the Alhambra Decree of 1492, which ordered the expulsion or forced conversion of the Jewish population under the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. This decree marked the culmination of a long process that had begun centuries earlier with gradual social exclusion and periodic violence against Jewish communities. Its consequence was not merely demographic but civilizational: Spain transformed from a multi-religious cultural center into a self-consciously Catholic nation-state.
Note: The Alhambra Decree of 1492 is the basis for the "Spanish Inquisition." The final deadline date is "Tisha b'Av" (the 9th day of the month of Av) -- an infamous date in Jewish history. Christopher Columbus's department was planned to be the same day.
Limpieza de Sangre: Blood Purity
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Enlightenment, Nationalism, and the Persistence of Myth
The Enlightenment and the liberal revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries introduced new modes of thought to Spain but did not entirely displace traditional Catholic notions of national identity. Compared to its European counterparts, Spain’s modernization was delayed and partial. Antisemitic tropes thus became embedded in the rhetoric of conservative and clerical nationalism, portraying Jews as metaphors for foreignness, modernity, or moral decay. Even as liberal movements challenged ecclesiastical dominance, they too sometimes adopted antisemitic stereotypes, associating Jews with capitalism and cosmopolitan elitism.
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| Franco and the Church Saluting Hitler |
Under Franco’s dictatorship (1939–1975), antisemitism reemerged within a framework of anti-communism and ultra-Catholic nationalism. Francoist ideology presented Spain as a bastion of traditional values against perceived external conspiracies, often implying Jewish influence behind liberalism, Marxism, or international finance. While explicit antisemitic legislation did not form part of Franco’s policy, official propaganda and popular culture perpetuated the image of the Jew as an alien figure undermining national unity.
Post-Transition Spain and the Reemergence of Prejudice
Spain’s transition to democracy after 1975 reopened its society to religious pluralism and reestablished small Jewish communities in major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. Nevertheless, centuries of cultural erasure meant that antisemitism persisted primarily as a latent cultural inheritance rather than direct social antagonism. The majority of Spaniards had no personal contact with Jewish individuals, and the educational curriculum offered limited engagement with the history of Spanish Jewry, including the intellectual and artistic flourishing of the Jewish Golden Age under al-Andalus.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, antisemitism in Spain began to assume new forms. Anti-Zionist discourse—often articulated through debates surrounding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict—has become the dominant vector of anti-Jewish sentiment. While legitimate political criticism of Israel is widespread across Western societies, in Spain it frequently overlaps with classical antisemitic motifs: accusations of disproportionate power, moral depravity, or collective guilt. Scholars such as Esther Benbassa and David Hirsh have termed this phenomenon “antisemitism without antisemites,” reflecting a transformation of antisemitic ideology into moral or political language that conceals its historical antecedents.
Media and political discourse in Spain often reproduce these patterns. Studies by the Federación de Comunidades Judías de España (FCJE) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reveal that stereotypical depictions of Jews—as manipulative, clannish, or responsible for global injustices—persist at significant levels compared to most other European nations. Such portrayals frequently employ rhetorical or visual imagery reminiscent of medieval representations, suggesting that Spain’s antisemitism operates through deep-seated cultural archetypes rather than explicit doctrine.
Comparative European Context and Cultural Dynamics
Spain’s experience must be situated within broader European patterns of antisemitic resurgence. In much of the continent, traditional Christian anti-Judaism has receded only to be replaced by secularized or politicized antipathies that target Israel and Zionism. However, Spain’s case is distinguished by the near-total absence of Jews during the formative centuries of its national identity. Consequently, antisemitism functions more as a cultural memory than a social phenomenon, embedded in the symbolic universe of the nation’s self-understanding.
The enduring myth of Catholic purity, reinforced through the Inquisition, monarchical ideology, and Francoist propaganda, continues to influence elements of cultural identity even in a secularized society. This subconscious framework frames Jews and Judaism as external to “Spanishness,” rendering antisemitism a reflexive dimension of cultural discourse rather than an explicit ideology.
Conclusion
Antisemitism in Spain demonstrates the resilience of historical memory and the adaptability of prejudice to new ideological contexts. From the Inquisition to the modern era, anti-Jewish sentiment has served as a mechanism for defining Spanish identity through exclusion. While Spain’s recent measures—such as the 2015 law offering citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews and the adoption of a national plan against antisemitism—represent attempts at moral and historical redress, such initiatives confront a deeply ingrained cultural inheritance.
Ultimately, genuine transformation requires more than institutional reform; it demands historical consciousness and educational reengagement with the Jewish dimension of Spanish civilization. Recognizing the Jewish contribution to Spain’s intellectual and cultural heritage is essential not only for combating prejudice but for reconstructing a plural and truthful conception of Spanish national identity. In confronting its antisemitic legacies, Spain also confronts the shadowed contours of its own history—a necessary step toward a more inclusive moral and civic future.
A Warning
Across Europe, antisemitism has reemerged as a broader cultural and political trend, transcending national boundaries. Old religious and ethnic prejudices have resurfaced in new forms—nationalist rhetoric, populist movements, and politicized discourse surrounding Israel. This pattern reflects Europe’s unresolved historical inheritance, where anti-Jewish stereotypes continually adapt to contemporary anxieties. Spain’s experience, therefore, is not an exception but part of a larger European resurgence of antisemitic thought embedded in the continent’s cultural memory.
If Europe, and the USA, fails to confront this resurgence decisively, it risks reliving the darkest chapters of its own past. The genie of antisemitism, once freed from the restraints of memory and conscience, spreads rapidly through culture and politics alike—reminding us that the past, when unexamined, has a dangerous habit of returning.
To the Islamists who are leading the charge, in the hopes of establishing a new "Caliphate," let me remind you of how that story ended with the Ottoman Empire!
Afterthought:
The concept of a supernatural (angels, demons, heaven, hell, God, Satin) and prophecy is contrary to how much of the world thinks. In Some sense what the world is dealing with is a battle between medieval thinking and modernity.
Epilogue:
