B. Ingber | The Truth Under Our Nose

The Jewish Sephardic community of Escalona in Castile, central Spain, dates back to the Muslim period. It remained in place after the Christian conquest of the town in 1083 under Alfonso VI. In 1130 Alfonso VII granted the town a fuero that placed Jews on equal footing with Christians and Moors in most matters. A Jew could not serve as judge in a lawsuit involving a Christian. The same charter set a fine of 300 sueldos for the murder of a Jew. Jews owned vineyards and other real estate throughout the life of the settlement. The community appears to have been small. It was not listed separately in the 1290 tax distribution among Castilian Jewish communities. It was destroyed during the widespread persecutions of 1391, with many killed and others forced to convert. It was reestablished in the fifteenth century and remained modest in size. In 1453 real estate in the town was granted to R. Salamon, physician to Countess Juana Pimentel, in recognition of his services. Municipal archives show that a Jewish quarter existed between 1477 and 1489. There was a Jewish slaughterhouse. After the segregation measures of 1483 the local mosque was placed inside the Jewish quarter. Don Isaac Abarbanel had business interests in Escalona. The community continued until the general expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. A traditional explanation of the town’s name links Escalona to Ashkalon in the Land of Israel, a connection noted by several early modern Spanish writers. This is the documented history of the Jews of Escalona from the medieval sources and the standard encyclopedic accounts. Learn more about Jewish History. Hit the follow button.

A Yemenite Jewish family in Silwan (Shiloah Village), Jerusalem, 1890. Colorized. Original in comments.

What are Yemenite Jews? Yemenite Jews, also known as Temanim, are descendants of one of the oldest Jewish communities outside Israel. Their presence in Yemen goes back more than two thousand years. Traditions link them to the period after the First Temple or earlier trade with King Solomon. By the fourth century, the Himyarite kingdom in southern Arabia was ruled by Jewish or Judaized kings. They lived as a restricted minority under Muslim rule, paying the jizya and facing measures such as the Orphans Decree that took Jewish orphans and raised them as Muslims. Isolation helped them preserve ancient practices. They still read the Torah with the Aramaic Targum in synagogue. The person called up traditionally reads the portion himself. Their Hebrew pronunciation, poetry (especially that of Rabbi Shalom Shabazi), silver jewelry, long sidelocks, and Shabbat foods like kubaneh and jachnun remained distinct. Small numbers began leaving for the Land of Israel in the late 1800s. After Israel’s founding and a deadly pogrom in Aden, nearly the entire community left. In 1949–1950, Operation Magic Carpet (On Wings of Eagles) airlifted almost 50,000 Yemenite Jews from Aden to Israel after many walked for weeks to reach the port. It was one of the largest airlifts in Jewish history. Today, about 435,000 Jews of Yemenite descent live in Israel. Their food, music, and customs are part of Israeli life. Only a handful remain in Yemen. The community’s story is one of long isolation, stubborn continuity of ancient Jewish practice, and return home. Interested in learning more about Jewish History? Hit the follow button.