“THE MEDIEVAL JEWISH QUARTER OF ZARAGOZA” INTRODUCTION – PRESENTATION AND OBJECTIVES Narrator: Ibn Gabirol (Shelomó ibn Gabirol) Direction and Production: Javier Bona López TECHNICAL AND LITERARY SCRIPT IBN GABIROL Shalom. Peace be upon you all. My name is Shelomó ibn Gabirol. I was a poet, philosopher, and Kabbalist. I was born in Málaga in the year 1021, but it was in the streets of Saraqusta—medieval Zaragoza—where my soul found its deepest voice; where my mind dared to contemplate the ineffable; where my spirit touched the mysteries of the universe. Today, from the exile of time, from that place where the dead can speak through stones and memories, I return to guide you on an extraordinary journey. A journey that is not only historical, but emotional. A journey to imagine, to feel, to live as our ancestors lived: as Aragonese and citizens of Zaragoza in their own right; as Jews of Sefarad; as human beings who loved, suffered, created, and dreamed. Over the course of thirty-five chapters, we will walk together through the narrow streets of the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza. We will hear the bustle of the Alcaicería, where Jewish and Christian merchants traded silks and spices. We will feel the weight of the law in the tribunal of the aljama, where rabbinical judges administered justice according to halakhah. We will marvel at the wisdom of physicians and philosophers whose works shaped medieval European thought. And, inevitably, we will encounter the pain of envy, the fracture of faith, and the tragedy of expulsion. But this is not merely the story of a neighborhood. It is the chronicle of one of the most influential intellectual, economic, and political communities of the Middle Ages. It is the story of how an aljama, considered the most important in the Crown of Aragon, left an indelible mark on universal philosophy, on science, on poetry, on Jewish mysticism. It is the story of how its sons and daughters scattered across the world, carrying with them the memory of Zaragoza, the memory of Sefarad. OBJECTIVES OF THIS SERIES First: To recover the voice of the forgotten. We will not speak only of great figures such as myself, or Abraham Abulafia the Kabbalist, or Hasdai Crescas the philosopher. We will also speak of the unnamed: the woman who lit the lamps in the synagogue; the child who learned the Torah in the House of Talmud; the artisan whose hands labored in the ritual slaughterhouse; the elder who remembered the days of glory. These are our heroes. These are the ones who deserve to be remembered. Second: To humanize history. We do not want only dates and events. We want smells. We want colors. We want sounds. We want the taste of unleavened bread during Passover. We want to feel the cold water of the mikveh on the skin. We want to hear Hebrew prayers resonating in the synagogues. We want to imagine the market on a fair day, with voices in Hebrew, Arabic, and Romance intertwined. History lives in details. History lives in the senses. Third: An act of justice. For centuries, the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza was erased from maps, destroyed, forgotten. Its buildings were demolished or transformed. Its synagogues became churches or seminaries. Its streets were renamed. Its stories were silenced. This series is an act of justice. It is a way of saying: You existed. You mattered. You were part of Aragon, part of Spain, part of the world. And your stories deserve to be told. Fourth: To connect past and present. There was a man named Isaac Navon who became President of Israel. He was born in Jerusalem, but his roots were here, in the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza. He never forgot where he came from. He never forgot his ancestors. That is the lesson we wish to convey: that memory is power; that knowing our roots makes us stronger, more complete, more human. ABOUT THIS SERIES This is the third series in our collection dedicated to the medieval Jewish quarters of Aragon. We have already explored Calatayud and Tarazona. We have heard stories of coexistence, conflict, glory, and tragedy. Now we arrive in Zaragoza—the largest, the most important, the most influential. Zaragoza was the intellectual heart of Aragonese Jewry. It was here that the arts, sciences, philosophy, and mysticism flourished. It was here that works were written that influenced Averroes, Maimonides, and the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. It was here that prophetic Kabbalah emerged from the mind of Abraham Abulafia. It was here that coexistence between Jews, Christians, and Muslims reached its height—and also experienced its greatest crises. ABOUT THE NARRATOR I am Ibn Gabirol. I lived in the 11th century, during the golden age of Sefarad. I wrote poetry that is still recited in synagogues. I wrote philosophy that is still studied in universities. But more important than that, I lived in Zaragoza. I breathed the air of its streets. I walked through its markets. I studied in its academies. I loved its people. That is why I have been chosen as your narrator. I am not a distant historian. I am a witness. I am a son of Zaragoza who has returned to tell the story of his people. Through my words, you will hear the voices of other great sages: Abraham Abulafia, the visionary Kabbalist; Hasdai Crescas, the philosopher; Jonah ibn Janah, the physician; Ibn Paquda, the poet; Yehuda Halevi, whose poetry is unparalleled. But you will also hear the voices of the unnamed, the forgotten, those whose stories were erased but whose souls remain in the stones of Zaragoza. STRUCTURE OF THE SERIES Across thirty-five chapters, we will follow a thematic and chronological journey. We will begin with the origins: Roman Caesaraugusta, the arrival of the first Jews, the conversion of Eleazar the deacon. We will then explore the geography of the Jewish quarter—its streets, its gates, its spaces. We will come to know the Great Synagogue, the Castle of the Jews, the Alcaicería. We will live a day in the Jewish quarter, experiencing its smells, colors, and sounds. We will meet its people: rabbis, physicians, artisans, women, the poor, the wealthy. And finally, we will reach the most tragic moment: the last day of the Jewish quarter, July 31, 1492, when expulsion became reality. But this is not a story of pure tragedy. It is a story of resistance. It is a story of love. It is a story of faith. It is a story of humanity. ABOUT THE SOURCES Everything you will hear in this series is based on verifiable historical sources. We have consulted archival documents, academic studies, archaeological research. We have worked with experts such as Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader of the San Jorge University of Zaragoza. We have studied the work of Asunción Blasco Martínez, whose research on the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza is fundamental. We have examined the Jewish baths that are still preserved. We have walked the streets where our ancestors once walked. But we have also used imagination. Because history is not only facts. History is also feeling. History is also the ability to place oneself in another’s position, to imagine their life, to feel their pain, their joy, their hope. ZAKHOR – REMEMBER In Hebrew there is a word: Zakhor. It means “remember.” It is a word that appears again and again in the Torah. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” “Remember the Sabbath day.” “Remember.” Because remembering is a sacred act. Remembering is resistance. Remembering is justice. This series is an act of Zakhor. An act of remembrance. An invitation to all of you to remember: to remember that a Jewish quarter existed in Zaragoza; to remember that its people were great; to remember that their stories matter; to remember that memory is power. FINAL INVITATION I invite you to accompany me on this journey. A journey through time. A journey to imagine, to feel, to live. A journey to know our ancestors, to honor their memory, to learn from their lives. In the coming chapters, we will explore together the mysteries of the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza. We will uncover its secrets. We will hear its voices. We will feel its emotions. We will live its lives. But before we begin, remember that this series is part of a broader collection. If you are interested in the history of the medieval Jewish quarters of Aragon, you can also listen to our series on Calatayud and Tarazona. Each tells a unique story. Each reveals a different facet of medieval Jewish life in Aragon. So, without further ado, I invite you to join me. Close your eyes. Imagine. Feel. Travel with me to medieval Zaragoza, to the Jewish quarter of Saraqusta, to the land of our ancestors. Shalom. Peace be upon you all. Let our journey begin. CREDITS AND SOURCES Narrator: Ibn Gabirol (Shelomó ibn Gabirol, 1021–1058/70) Direction and Production: Javier Bona López Documentation and Advisory Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader (San Jorge University of Zaragoza) Primary Sources • Asunción Blasco Martínez, The Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza in the 14th Century, Instituto Fernando el Católico (IFC), 1988. • Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader, The Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza: Center of Economic and Social Life, Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses. • Leopoldo Torres Balbás, studies on the Jewish quarter of Zaragoza and its baths. • Cultural Heritage of Aragon, institutional records. • Guide to the Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza, Zaragoza City Council. • Archive of the Province of Teruel, historical documentation. • Teruel Museum, collections and exhibitions. Final Note “If you enjoyed this introduction, I invite you to share and spread it. You can also listen to our other series on the medieval Jewish quarters of Calatayud, Tarazona, and Híjar on the three main podcast platforms.” Zakhor. Remember. Shalom. ⸻ If you wish, I can now: • Adapt this translation for spoken narration (shorter sentences, breath cues). • Prepare a condensed platform description (Spotify / iVoox / Ap
