The Umayyad (Arab-Muslim) dynasty was ousted from power by the new Abbassid dynasty (founders of Baghdad) in the middle of the eighth century and all of its members were killed except for one prince who fled west to Spain. This prince went on to establish a Cordoba-based Caliphate which would be a beacon of tolerance for several hundred years. This tolerance, as it often does, attracted many Jews, and led to a flowering of Jewish (and non-Jewish) culture, which today we call the Golden Age of Spain. While there are arguments about the precise dates things certainly started improving for the Jews of Spain around the time the Umayyad prince arrived, peaked around 900-1000, and gradually declined until finally ending completely with the Spanish Inquisition and eventual expulsion of all Jews from Spain in 1492.
To begin our class I explained that the arrival of Am Yisrael is often linked to periods of economic prosperity across many regions and eras. The reasons for this are manifold and complicated, but I'll mention a few. First of all, it's clear that the sort of tolerance that attracts Am Yisrael is, of itself, good for the economy. For example, there's evidence that the cities with the best economies in the US often have high concentrations of gay people. This is not to say that homosexuals are especially productive workers (I've never examined the question), but that the sort of city that is open to different lifestyles is often open to the sort of innovation that drives economic growth.
Another reason that a Jewish presence historically correlates with economic growth is our international connections, and especially our international law. Part of this is the simple matter of language. Non-Jewish traders in Cordoba and Paris (for example) are going to have a harder time communicating than two Jews. Not only that (which is hardly an insurmountable problem), but two Jews will also have a common international law. The existence of and wide adherence to Jewish law (halacha) created the necessary trust that allowed for trade. Also, at this point Am Yisrael had already been based around the close analysis of a book for many centuries, meaning a far greater percentage of Jews were literate, another advantage in commercial activity.
In class I tried to explain this Golden Age and its decline through looking at four of the most important Jews of the time: Hasdai ibn Shaprut (~915-970), Shmuel HaNagid (~993-1056), Yehuda HaLevy (~1075-1141) and Moshe ben Maimon (~1135-1204). Ibn Shaprut, the first character we met, was physician to the Caliph (Jews often practiced professions that could be taken with us on the run, such as doctor or jeweler), and minister of foreign affairs. He helped settle disputes between various Spanish factions as well as managing the Caliphate's correspondence with the Byzantine Empire (which included some...encouragement...for the Byzantines to treat their Jews respectfully). He also famously corresponded with the Khazars, a group of Central European Jews. Ibn Shaprut deserves the lion's share of the credit for turning Spain into an important Jewish center; he founded a number of yeshivas and imported the holy books they required from the major Jewish centers in Babylon. His own personal contribution to Jewish learning was the creation of the first Hebrew dictionary (which makes excellent sense given the surrounding Islamic culture, explained below).
Shmuel HaNagid got his start as a shop owner near the palace. One of the Caliph's staff members used Shmuel HaNagid to conduct the Caliph's correspondence (note the importance of literacy), and from this beginning he rose to be the Caliph's head adviser and general. He's certainly one of the only Jews in history to lead a Muslim army, which says an awful lot about how tolerant Spain was at this time. He also was an avid poet, writing this poem about wine (again, showing the liberalness of the surrounding society).
Unfortunately, he's also an excellent example of the slow deterioration of Spain, as his son was killed in the Grenada Massacre of 1066.
My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west--
How can I find savour in food? How shall it be sweet to me?
How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet
Zion lieth beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains?
A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good things of Spain --
Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust of the desolate sanctuary.
To begin our class I explained that the arrival of Am Yisrael is often linked to periods of economic prosperity across many regions and eras. The reasons for this are manifold and complicated, but I'll mention a few. First of all, it's clear that the sort of tolerance that attracts Am Yisrael is, of itself, good for the economy. For example, there's evidence that the cities with the best economies in the US often have high concentrations of gay people. This is not to say that homosexuals are especially productive workers (I've never examined the question), but that the sort of city that is open to different lifestyles is often open to the sort of innovation that drives economic growth.
Another reason that a Jewish presence historically correlates with economic growth is our international connections, and especially our international law. Part of this is the simple matter of language. Non-Jewish traders in Cordoba and Paris (for example) are going to have a harder time communicating than two Jews. Not only that (which is hardly an insurmountable problem), but two Jews will also have a common international law. The existence of and wide adherence to Jewish law (halacha) created the necessary trust that allowed for trade. Also, at this point Am Yisrael had already been based around the close analysis of a book for many centuries, meaning a far greater percentage of Jews were literate, another advantage in commercial activity.
In class I tried to explain this Golden Age and its decline through looking at four of the most important Jews of the time: Hasdai ibn Shaprut (~915-970), Shmuel HaNagid (~993-1056), Yehuda HaLevy (~1075-1141) and Moshe ben Maimon (~1135-1204). Ibn Shaprut, the first character we met, was physician to the Caliph (Jews often practiced professions that could be taken with us on the run, such as doctor or jeweler), and minister of foreign affairs. He helped settle disputes between various Spanish factions as well as managing the Caliphate's correspondence with the Byzantine Empire (which included some...encouragement...for the Byzantines to treat their Jews respectfully). He also famously corresponded with the Khazars, a group of Central European Jews. Ibn Shaprut deserves the lion's share of the credit for turning Spain into an important Jewish center; he founded a number of yeshivas and imported the holy books they required from the major Jewish centers in Babylon. His own personal contribution to Jewish learning was the creation of the first Hebrew dictionary (which makes excellent sense given the surrounding Islamic culture, explained below).
Shmuel HaNagid got his start as a shop owner near the palace. One of the Caliph's staff members used Shmuel HaNagid to conduct the Caliph's correspondence (note the importance of literacy), and from this beginning he rose to be the Caliph's head adviser and general. He's certainly one of the only Jews in history to lead a Muslim army, which says an awful lot about how tolerant Spain was at this time. He also was an avid poet, writing this poem about wine (again, showing the liberalness of the surrounding society).
Rouge in appearance
and pleasant to drink,
mixed in Spain
and prized in Bombay
weak in its pitcher but rising to the head it
rules in heads that sway.
Even the mourner whose tears
fall with his heart’s blood,
disperses his grief in retreat with wine,
As though friends—passing the cup from hand to hand—
were rolling dice, for a diamond.
Translated by Peter Cole
Unfortunately, he's also an excellent example of the slow deterioration of Spain, as his son was killed in the Grenada Massacre of 1066.
Yehuda HaLevy is remembered primarily for his poetry, especially this one:
How can I find savour in food? How shall it be sweet to me?
How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet
Zion lieth beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains?
A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good things of Spain --
Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust of the desolate sanctuary.
Even today these words are a powerful reminder of Am Yisrael's attachment to Eretz Yisrael. For example, the modern American Jewish musician Dan Nichols uses them as the inspiration for his song "My Heart is in the East"
This focus on words (like we see in ibn Shapurt's dictionary) and poetry is significantly due to the surrounding Muslim environment. Muslims take the prohibition against idols very seriously, and so it's virtually unheard of for traditional Muslims to engage in painting, sculpture or other visual arts (although even those things happen occasionally). Therefore, Muslim culture produced extraordinary poetry and calligraphy, such as this page from the Quran from 12th century Spain.
With all this talk about poetry I decided to challenge the students to write some poems of their own. Of course, one of the most amazing things about Jewish poetry throughout the ages is that its often a mishmash of languages. In the case of the Golden Age of Spain it was often Ladino (a mixture of old Spanish and Hebrew) or Judeo-Arabic (a mixture of Arabic and Hebrew). To try and get the feel of what this is like the students wrote their poetry with English words in Hebrew characters (ok, so maybe it's not EXACTLY how the famous poets did it, but it was certainly entertaining). Check out the results (warning, some of the subject matter is intelligible only to teenagers).
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| Lyrics from an Eminem song |
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| An Ode to Puppy Feet |
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| One student's take on a classic. The first two words of the last line are a name. |
Our final representative from Muslim Spain is also our most famous: Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (also known as Rambam and Maimonides). The Rambam was born in Spain in 1138, but when he was ten deteriorating political conditions forced his family to flee to Egypt, where he spent the rest of his life. In Egypt Maimonides became a prominent physician, serving, among others, Salahadin, who would eventually defeat the Crusaders retake Jerusalem. He was also a noted philosopher, using Aristotelian logic to prove the rationality of Judaism. But he is perhaps best known for his Jewish scholarship, which is still studied to this day. Among his most famous writings are his Thirteen Principles of Faith and his Mishne Torah (which is a concise, clear summary of all of halacha).
Although Maimonides family fled in the 12th century, many other Jews stayed, and there was still a thriving Jewish community for a couple hundred more years. The end of the Jewish community in Spain only happened in 1492, when the Alehambra Decree forced all Jews to either leave or convert. Many Jews decided to stay and become Conversos (also called Marranos among other names), Jews who outwardly pretended to be Christian. This undercover Judaism led to the Inquisition, in which suspected Jews were tortured until they admitted their Judaism. Here's one light-hearted look at what the Inquisition was like:
One of the most interesting aspects of the Golden Age of Spain is how closely it mimics the modern American Jewish experience. Like Golden Age Spain Jews are accepted in virtually all walks of life. Like Golden Age Spain we've risen to positions of prominence in virtually every field. Given the similarities, it seems reasonable to ask ourselves whether American Jews should be worried about the same outcome. My gut reaction (and I imagine the reaction of most American Jews) is to say that it could never happen in America, but my guess is that if you asked the Jews of Golden Age Spain they would have said the same thing.
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