Spanish synagogue archaeological search continues
The search is focused on a 14th century building in the small city of Utrera in Seville, in the south-west of the country, but clues as to its past are proving hard to come by.
One year after archaeological work began to find the remains of Spain’s second largest synagogue, researchers and excavators have said they are still not sure if it is there.
The search is focused on a 14th century building in the small city of Utrera in Seville, in the south-west of the country, but clues as to its past are proving hard to come by.
“We still have no idea if the synagogue is there or not and what state it is in,” said Miguel Ángel de Dios, one of the archaeologists working on the Utrera project, speaking to JTA.
“If we find it, we believe a mikveh, or ritual bath, should be located outside the prayer room, as well as some sort of building for the women’s gallery.
“It may not have been preserved, but we can certainly seek for traces of some kind of distinction between men and women.”
Professor Jorge Eiroa, an historian at the University of Murcia, said: “When a synagogue is converted into a church, any Jewish vestiges are promptly removed. If we’re lucky, the Torah ark is transformed into a small altar, as in the case of Córdoba.”
Over the years, the building – which sits in the heart of the city’s Jewish quarter – has served as a hospital, a Catholic chapel, an orphanage, a school and, more recently, as a restaurant and cocktail bar.
After a period of abandonment, the city council bought it in 2018 and began the dig in February 2021, after historians pointed to a city priest’s 1604 reference to the site having been a synagogue.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
