Stepping out of the Barcelona airport, I already felt like I had been transported to a completely different world than the one I was living my summer in, in Warsaw, Poland. Palm trees surrounded my every move, I could smell the beach, and the city just felt indescribably more Western.
Your Jewish gap year in Spain will be full of amazing moments!
I was in Spain for a weeklong conference with Jews from around the world, but even though I had studied the Inquisition at school, and I knew that Jewish life existed everywhere, I really was not sure what to expect about being Jewish in Spain; how different would or wouldn't it be from other places I had visited?
Spain, one of the most popular tourist destinations, is sure to make it to the top of any Jewish student’s list when exploring options for spending a gap year abroad after high school or college. While there are plenty of people who will provide suggestions of where to go in Spain and what to do during your time living in Spain, I’m here to fill you in on what to know about a Jewish gap year in Spain.
What to know about Jewish gap years in Spain
1. Jewish history is literally everywhere
On a tour of Jewish Barcelona, I saw the Hebrew letters before I processed what they were. There, right in the center of a bustling city center, I saw a faded letter Chet. Then an Alef. Some letters were sideways, some were upside down, they were all in different directions; some on the wall next to me and some on the ground beneath my feet.
When Catholic Spain was unified after the marriage between monarchs Isabela de Castilla and Ferdinand de Aragon, anti-Semitism peaked and the Spanish Inquisition was introduced in 1481. Jews were forced to either convert to Catholicism or be expelled from Spain. Many chose to convert, but secretly were suspected of still practicing Judaism, and thus the term Converso became applied to them.
However, the Hebrew words I saw all around me on the walls in Barcelona come from a period of time way before the Spanish Inquisition. In 1391, Barcelona’s Jewish quarter was attacked, many of the residents killed and others converted, and this brought a tragic end to the historic Jewish neighborhood.
Yet, even with this attempt to eliminate Judaism from the city, some remnants have remained to this day for you to explore during a Jewish gap year in Spain. All throughout Barcelona, and other parts of Spain, there are tombstones from former Jewish cemeteries which were used as pavement for cities. This is just one example of the rich, Jewish history which can be found on every corner throughout Spain.
2. There will be many Sephardic Jewish rituals
There are many Jewish influences in Spain that you may not know about.
While there are Ashkenazic Jews who live in Spain (mostly immigrants from Latin America but also from other parts of Europe), many Jews living in Spain, and the history of Jewish Spain, are Sephardic Jews and Sephardic Jewish history. Sephardic Jews are Jews from (and the descendants of Jews from) the Iberian Peninsula.
The word Sephardic literally refers to Spain, from the Hebrew word for Spain, Sepharad. Historically, Sephardic Jews in Spain were more integrated into the local non-Jewish culture than Ashkenazic Jews, and therefore Sephardic Jewish culture was strongly influenced by their surrounding non-Jewish neighbors.
The beliefs of Sephardic Judaism are similar to American Orthodox Judaism, but Sephardic interpretations of Jewish law and tunes are different. Prior to 1492, Spain was one of Europe’s most vibrant Jewish communities.
Naturally, along with such a community comes synagogues, and their history has been preserved through these ancient structures. If you get the chance during your Jewish gap year in Spain, make sure to check out one of the many synagogues throughout the country for a unique experience different than the one you would have back home!
3. Plan accordingly
As American students, we grow so accustomed to checking which places are open on the weekend (Saturdays and Sundays), that when traveling to another country you might forget that days off may be different in various locations.
In Spain, most museums and other tourist spots are closed on Mondays, so make sure to double check which places are open before setting an itinerary for your time in Spain. It is never fun to plan to go to a museum and get to the door only to find it locked and dark inside.
4. You will be able to eat tapas even if you don’t eat meat
There’s a wonderful world of tapas waiting for you during a Jewish gap year in Spain.
During my summer living in Europe, I tried to eat local cuisine in each city I visited. But when you are a vegetarian and meat is a heavy base of many European foods, it can prove to be a daunting task.
For many Jewish students doing a gap year in Spain, food becomes a concern when, in order to keep Kosher, students might choose to only eat vegetarian out. In Spain, a popular style of eating is called tapas, which are small portions of any kind of Spanish cuisine, often combined to make a full meal. Tapas are commonly eaten before lunch or dinner as a way to stay energized, since meals are so late in Spain — dinner is usually eaten between 9:00 p.m. and midnight.
What’s in tapas is different depending on who you ask and where you go in Spain. However, traditionally, there is a ton of meat in tapas. On my first night in Barcelona I was walking through the maze-like streets of the city looking for a place to eat any type of food for dinner.
Unintentionally, I came across a place called Teresa Carles Cuina Vegetariana — it was not a restaurant just with some vegetarian options, but rather, it was a tapas restaurant that was fully vegetarian!
So, do not fret. You will be able to try vegetarian tapas in Spain and take part in the culinary fun (and you can even look a place up ahead of time, although roaming is quite the adventure!).
5. Jewish life exists all over Spain
Today there are about 50,000 Jews living in Spain. The largest Jewish communities in Spain are located in Barcelona and Madrid; however, smaller Jewish communities can also be found in the cities of Alicante, Valencia, Melilla, Granada, Malaga, Cadiz, Murcia, and Tenerife, amongst others.
There are Jewish day schools in Barcelona, Madrid, and Melilla, Jewish youth groups, a weekly cultural TV show called Shalom, and a radio station called Radio Sefarad, and although no Jews live in Girona today, Girona maintains one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in the world. KAHAL Your Jewish Home Abroad can help you connect with Jewish communities all over Spain.
6. Siestas are real
There’s never much going on in the streets during siesta!
Nap time in the middle of the day ended after Kindergarten. We are years past that time in our lives, right? Well, in Spain, that might not be the case. Siesta, the dead period in the late afternoon when everything shuts down in Spain, is taken quite seriously in this country.
Usually, siesta takes two forms: one for shops and businesses, and one for restaurants and bars. Shops and businesses close between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and restaurants and bars close from around 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.
Mid-afternoon, Spain is quite hot. Traditionally, one of the reasons siesta was adopted was to shelter workers in the fields from heat. Feeling refreshed after siesta, they would then be able to return to work in the evening and work longer than if they had not rested.
Today, while siesta still exists in various forms, it’s evolving, and larger cities no longer have as constant of a siesta. But if you come across a city during your time abroad that lets you rest mid-day...would you really complain?
7. Ladino is NOT the Spanish Yiddish
During your time in Jewish Spain on your gap year, you may hear about yet another Jewish language. Also known as Judaeo-Spanish, Ladino was the daily, used-at-home language of Jews of Spanish origin.
Ladino combines 16th century Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish and some other romance languages. Although very nearly extinct as a spoken language today, in 2018 Spain recognized Ladino as a Spanish tongue which officially allowed the country to add Ladino words to its online historical dictionary for Spanish speakers.
While Yiddish was the language for all Ashkenazi Jews, a lot of Sephardim are not actually of Spanish origin, and therefore Ladino was never a language in their background.
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Your Jewish gap year in Spain will be a brilliant decision
Above all, be sure to enjoy every moment of your Jewish gap year in Spain.
When tourists think of Europe, Spain does come up as a prevalent vacation spot. But when Jewish tourists think of Europe, images of Eastern Central Europe often come to mind. While Eastern Central Europe has plenty to offer, Spain has a whole Jewish history of its own that is rather unique. Especially if you are an Ashkenazic Jew, spending a gap year in Spain will certainly provide you with a more global perspective on the story of the Jewish people.
Spending quality time abroad in Spain will not be a decision you regret. There is so much to learn, discover, and experience Jewishly, not to mention everything else the country has to offer, that you won’t know where to start! The best part is that the country has such a rich and varied culture that your gap year abroad won’t need to be spent just in one city — you will have the chance to travel and explore all the different Spanish cities!
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KAHAL Your Jewish Home Abroad is a non-profit organization which connects Jewish students studying abroad to Jewish opportunities, resources, and connections abroad. KAHAL aims to create meaningful Jewish experiences for study abroad students, allowing them to interact with local Jewish communities and deepen their Jewish identities. Wherever students travel, KAHAL arranges chances to attend Shabbat dinners, meet Jewish students, attend holiday meals, volunteer and advocate, and provides grant funding and travel assistance.
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