The writer, university professor and member of the Royal Spanish Academy, Paloma Díaz-Masvisited this Monday Cordovahand in hand with Andalusian Center of Lettersto offer a talk at the Andalusian Film Archivein which he made a complete tour of the historical presence of the Jews in Spain, from the 3rd century AD to the present. Author of the book Brief history of the Jews in Spainwhich was published in September and is now in its third edition, is considered one of the main specialists in this subject.
As he explained to the media, «in Spain there is great interest in the Jewish historical past because, although in most Spanish cities there are remains of the presence of the Jews, there is a lot of ignorance and it seems that now people want to understand that past and know the history, know what it means to be Jewish and what Judaism is. In his opinion, a lot of research has been done on Jewish culture in Spain, but “There is still much to do in terms of dissemination», something that she has tried to alleviate with the publication of her book, which offers a work that is easy to read and therefore suitable for all audiences. Its brief history, short but complete, begins with the first Jewish testimonies that occur in the Iberian Peninsula, the Jews in the Middle Ages and the expulsion in 1492, until reaching the 19th century and recent history during the Second Republic, Francoism and the Jews Spaniards today.
This book was a commissioned by the Catarata publishing house, who wanted to have a book about the Spanish Jewish past, after detecting the growing interest of readers. The format makes it possible “that it can be used both for a high school teacher and for someone who wants to have a general vision of Judaism in Spain or get to know specific people or events that occurred in their city.” For it, includes an onomastic index of people and places that makes the work easier, he explained. As for Córdoba, a city whose Jewish footprint is evident in many corners, Díaz-Mas highlighted the deep knowledge they had of Arab culture and the tradition of Jewish doctors linked to the city, with figures such as the doctor of Abderramán III, Hasday ibn Shaprut, or Maimonides, the Cordoban exiled after the Almohad invasion.
