Description
Book SynopsisThis work, the fruit of intense research work spanning several years, examines the first serious attempt by the descendants of the Sephardim-the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492-to "return to Sepharad" more than three decades after the abolition of the Inquisition. At the beginning of the nineteenth century a trend towards historical revisionism, backed by Liberals, whose influence was pivotal at the Cortes de Cádiz (the national assembly convened to assert Spanish sovereignty, introduce reform, and establish a modern Spanish nation), combined with economic factors, culminated in the abolition of the Inquisition in 1834. This paved the way, ideologically, for the freedom of worship to be proclaimed in Spain on the heels of
La Septembrina, or
La Gloriosa, the September Revolution of 1868 in which Queen Isabel II was deposed. European Sephardic Jews, galvanized by their perception of a tolerant Spain, decided to undertake a major project to initiate negotiations with the Spanish state.
Trade Review"In doing so she has produced a detailed analysis of the attitudes and roles of the Jewish press and the Jewish community. Highly accessible, it would be an important addition for any Judaica library." - AJL ReviewsTable of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1. The Press and the Jews' Return to Spain
- 2. Guedalla's Project
- 3. Reticence in the Jewish Community
- Conclusion
- Annex: Letter from the Liberal Bayonnais of October 17, 1868
- Sources
- Bibliography
