Five centuries on, Spain and Israel seek new "golden age" (Feature)

By Sinikka Tarvainen Feb 23, 2011, 0:50 GMT

Madrid - The expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 launched an era of 'sadness' and cast a 'dark shadow,' Israeli President Shimon Peres said Tuesday in the country Jews once knew as Sefarad.

More than five centuries after that fateful year, Peres was meeting with King Juan Carlos after inaugurating the Casa Sefarad- Israel cultural centre in Madrid, in a new move to heal relations that remain marked by the expulsion.

The cultural centre might contribute to opening a 'new golden age' between Christians, Jews and Muslims, who once lived peacefully together in Sefarad, Peres said.

The Israeli president's official visit to Spain marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which did not establish formal ties until nearly four decades after the founding of the Jewish state.

Spain needed to pay special attention to its Jewish heritage, King Juan Carlos said, stressing the country's commitments to rooting out anti-Semitism and promoting knowledge of Jewish culture.

Prior to the expulsion, which has been described as one of the most traumatic events in Jewish history, Spain had one of the most flourishing Jewish communities in the world.

Jews formed a professional middle class of merchants and craftsmen, were scholars and scientists, and advised Muslim caliphs and Christian kings alike.

But in March 1492, 15 centuries of Jewish presence in Spain came to an abrupt end.

The Muslims who had ruled parts of Spain had been defeated, the country now had a Christian identity, and Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella gave Spain's up to 600,000 Jews three months to pack their bags or convert to Christianity.

The expelled Jews dispersed around the world but did not forget Sefarad, preserving Spanish names, customs, songs and a Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino.

Spain kept a distance from Israel during the 1939-75 dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which maintained close relations with Arab countries.

However, in the 1940s, Spanish diplomats helped to save tens of thousands of Jews from the German Nazis despite Franco's repressive Catholicism and pro-Nazi sympathies.

Diplomatic relations were established on January 17, 1986, shortly after Spain had joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union.

The relations helped Spain shed a backward, somewhat anti-Semitic image and to seek a diplomatic role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.

King Juan Carlos apologized in 1992 for the expulsion of the Jews, but descendants of the expelled Jews have demanded stronger gestures, such as being granted Spanish nationality.

However, bilateral relations have improved 'notably' as Madrid has sought a 'balanced' role in the Middle East in recent years, Spanish government sources said.

A certain anti-Israeli attitude nevertheless lingers in Spain, writes Diego de Ojeda, director of the Casa Sefarad-Israel cultural centre.

It shows in pro-Palestinian protests against cultural events, such as a concert featuring Israeli singer Noa or the participation of Israeli gays in a Madrid gay parade, which had nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he wrote in the daily El Pais.

It was time to stop 'treating Israel like the world champion in human-rights violations,' de Ojeda said.

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