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A Walk among Ghosts in Barcelona's Old Catalan Synagogue By
Arnie Greenberg It is the oldest synagogue in Spain...and in Europe. The fact that it has been resurrected is in itself a miracle when you think of how many years it was used for things other than religious services or celebrations. It is extremely tiny and on a narrow alley in a warren of tiny interwoven streets that betray its age. Here in the ancient center of Barcelona on C/ Marlet, 5 what is left of a Jewish Catalonian house of worship.
(The synagogue is all that is left of a Jewish Catalonian house of worship) Barcelona is the only city in Catalonia that has an active Jewish congregation and almost every day the tiny house of worship is visited by groups of foreigners on a walking tour through the old Gothic District. These tours are operated by the government by scholars and not by Jews.
(A
tour guide explains the history of the synagogue) The site dates back to the reign of Emperor Caracalla around the 12th century.In the 13th century 15% of Barcelona's population were Jewish. That community witnessed a bloody day in 1391 when the quarter or Call was attacked.
(The entrance to the old synagogue is on Marlet Street) The street name was changed and the building and all the community possessions passed into the hands of the king. Today one enters a long single room on Marlet Street.
(Where the 15th-century dying vats were once used to color fabrics) At one side is a menorah and chairs and on the other is the section that has been dug up to reveal the 15th century dying vats used for fabrics in the years that followed. But there is something moving in this subterranean room as we enter the tiny door with bowed heads to honor the memory of a devastated community. The orientation of the Roman Walls is to Israel and now, centuries later, the rebirth of this sacred space allows the presence of visitors to keep the tradition alive. WHEN YOU VISIT... Associacio
Call de Barcelona
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