The Jews of Medieval Catalonia: Mysticism, Scholarship, and Culture
January 30-February 7, 2023
Led by Prof. Shalom Sabar and Dr. Kathy Aron-Beller
Catalonia, and particularly Barcelona and Gerona, were the seat of scholarship in the fields of Kabbalah and Rabbinics. Some of the greatest scholars of the Middle Ages were Catalan: Nahmanides, R. Jonah Gerondi, the Rashba, R. Nisim Gerondi, the Ribash and R. Hasdai Crescas. This short list indicates the centrality of Catalan Jewry in medieval Jewish culture. The seminar examines the background, the direction and the very rich literary product of a Jewish culture that has since become an integral part of Judaism.
During our trip we will walk through the narrow streets of the medieval Jewish quarters and visit sites where great scholars as well as simple Jews lived, studied and prayed, leaving behind them a legacy of paramount importance. We will understand how Catalonian Jews fitted into the wider experiences of Iberian Jews, and analyze their encounters with the Church as it continued to increase in power in the Later Middle Ages and Early Modern Period.
ITINERARY
Jan 30 Arrival to Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. Transfer to Gerona, an important
Mon Kabbalistic center with an impressive medieval center.
Orientation followed by dinner. GERONA
Jan 31 Lecture: The Defining Characteristics of Catalonian Jewry, K. Aron-Beller
Tue Lecture: The Beginnings of Jewish Presence in the Iberian Peninsula – Between
Myth and History, S. Sabar
Visit the Jewish Museum and the Nahmanides Center.
The Museum has some very important medieval tombstones from the local Jewish
cemetery in Montjuic.
Visit the call (Jewish Quarter) of Gerona, one of the best preserved in the Iberian
peninsula. It was there that the medieval Kabbalah in Catalonia emerged. Visit the
archive to see the Hebrew manuscripts discovered in the bindings of ancient registers.
Afternoon session in the Nachmanides Center. GERONA
Feb 1 Lecture: Rabbis, Mystics, and Jewish Women, K. Aron-Beller
Wed Lecture: Hebrew Manuscript Illumination in Medieval Spain – Between Islam and
Christianity, S.Sabar
Depart to the very picturesque medieval village of Besalú where we visit the mikve
and the Jewish Quarter. The medieval miqve which was discovered some years ago is
one of the best preserved in Europe. View the village across the 11 century Pont Fortificat
(fortified bridge), with its two tower-gates.
Travel to Figueras, the town where Salvador Dalí was born to visit the extraordinary
Teatre-Museu Dalí.
Continue to Castellón de Ampurias where we visit the Jewish Quarter. GERONA
Feb 2 Lecture: The Barcelona Disputation of 1263, K. Aron-Beller
Thu Lecture: Haggadah Illustration in 14th C. Catalonia: Aspects of Biblical, Religious
and Daily Life vis-a-vis the Dominant Christian Culture, S. Sabar
Depart for Barcelona, a city with a very distinct character and turbulent history, filled
with wonderful art and spectacular architecture. City sightseeing by bus.
Visit the Picasso Museum, to view Spain’s best collection of the work of its major
modern artist. BARCELONA
Feb 3 Visit the Archivo de la Corona de Aragon. This is one of the richest medieval archives
Fri and from the Jewish point of view, it is the most important archive after the Vatican.
There will be an exhibit of manuscripts and documents related to the Jews of Catalonia.
Visit the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. Shabbat services followed by Shabbat dinner. BARCELONA
Feb 4 Shabbat services in the synagogue followed by Shabbat lunch.
Sat Afternoon walking tour of Barcelona. View the modernista architecture and
especially the buildings by Antoni Gaudí.
View the Casa Batiló, one of Barcelona’s gems with its façade with bits of blue,
mauve and green tiles.
Visit La Pedrera (once known as the Casa Milà) to see the roof with its giant
chimney pots looking like multicolored medieval knights. BARCELONA
Feb 5 Lecture: Anti-Judaism and the 1391 Massacres, K. Aron-Beller
Sun Lecture: The Ketubah in Medieval Spain and its Continuation in the “Sephardi
Diaspora”, S. Sabar
Depart for Tarragona to tour the Jewish Quarter. Visit the Museu d’Historià de
Tarragona which consists of the famous Roman archeological sites.
Continue to Santa Coloma de Queralt to visit the Jewish Quarter where 30-50 Jewish
families lived and whose story has been preserved in the medieval notarial registers
from the 13th and 14th centuries. BARCELONA
Feb 6 Lecture: Expulsion, the Spanish Inquisition in Catalonia and Secret Jews, K. Aron-Beller
Mon Lecture: Between Persecution and Efflorescence: The Last Phase of Jewish Art
and Culture in 15th Century Iberia, S. Sabar
Tour the call of Barcelona, including different sites such as the sinagoga mayor,
other synagogues, the houses of some of the leading rabbis, including the house of
R. Shmuel HaSardi, a 13th century scholar. The call of Barcelona, very well
preserved, has some 13th and 14th century buildings. It was here where some of the
greatest yeshivot produced some of the finest scholars.
Visit the Museu d’Història de Barcelona located in the Gothic Quarter. The museum
offers a unique opportunity to visit the underground Roman city.
In the afternoon visit the Ethnology Museum of Barcelona.
Farewell dinner. BARCELONA
Feb 7 Transfer to the airport for departure.
Tue
PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Lecturers:
Prof. Shalom Sabar (Emeritus), Dept. of Folklore/Dept. of Art History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Dr. Kathy Aron-Beller, Lecturer in Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University
Price for land arrangements only: Euro 2895 per person in a double room
***EARLY REGISTRATION UNTIL SEP 13, 2022: Euro 2845 per person in a double room***
Single supplement (Double room for Single Occupancy): Euro 525
Price is based on minimum participants
Price for airfare from Israel (Tel Aviv- Barcelona-Tel Aviv)
USD 590 (Based on airfares in effect at time of publication and subject to change)
People joining us from abroad should meet us in the hotel in Girona or at the
Barcelona airport at the arrival of the El Al flight from Israel.
Deposit: Euro 850 with registration, of which 350 is non-refundable.
Remainder of payment is to be paid by November 22, 2022. Please register promptly as our trips fill quickly.
Cancellation fees:
Nov 15, -Dec 10, 2022.……...........................30%
Dec 11, 2022-Jan 11, 2023…...…….……….50%
Jan 12, 2023 -Departure.…..…….......…..…100%
Trip includes:
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Lectures by Prof. Shalom Sabar & Dr. Kathy Aron-Beller
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JHS Tour escort
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Local English speaking tour guide
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8 nights accommodation in 4 star hotels with daily buffet breakfasts.
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Meals according to the itinerary
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Local transport by bus
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Entrance fees according to itinerary
Not included in the price:
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Obligatory health and cancellation travel insurance (which also covers Covid)
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Tips Euro 90
Program subject to change: All rights are reserved by Jewish Historical Seminars to make
staff substitutions if necessary and/or make changes to the program and conditions as
required by force majeure, including cancellation of the trip at any time due to drastic
changes in the situation. Participants are reminded that weather conditions cannot be
predicted and cancellations or changes to visits may be unavoidable.
Each participant needs to be vaccinated against COVID.
Further information:
Contact Debbie: Tel: 972.2.534.5191, Cell: +972.54.2212503 Fax: 972.2.5700005
Email: JHSeminars@gmail.com. www.JewishHistoricalSeminars.com
The trip is run in conjunction with Ayala Travel and Tours, Jerusalem