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Jewish Section of Seville Life in Seville Hi my name is Raphael Lopez, I am 15 years old and the oldest in my family. Let me give you a tour of my history. We live in Seville, El Call, some call it la Juderia (the Jewish Quarter). I enter the synagogue with my friends. It is Friday evening, Shabbat. I’m always so impressed with our synagogue. It is so spacious, with the high dome ceiling and the balcony above for the women. The Teva (podium) is ornately made of wood covered w

Amsterdam Gardens “Thank G-d it was you! Now we can continue on to Amsterdam together.” I said. We all went back on the ships and arrived safely in Amsterdam, to a new life of religious freedom! I was in Amsterdam with all of my family, a ship load of cinnamon, but as a jew, I had to find the Parnass (the elected leader of the community “fixer?”) So I decided to go to the Spanish synagogue. Wow! A beautiful synagogue not destroyed by the Inquisition. As I stood there alone so

Prado de San Sebastian (Seville) one of several sites of the Auto da fe . Prado de San Sebastian Seville Spain 2025 I finally arrived in Seville, Spain. It was a hot summer’s day. I waited until it had cooled off a bit. I came to find my ancestors, who practiced Judaism in secret. I enter the plaza. It has many places to walk, many cafes and a fountain in the middle. It also is near the water, making for a beautiful place. This was the plaza where they were burned at the s

This blog called “Our Special Connections”, bonds the lives of The Hidden Jews from the Inquisition to the eternality of the Torah                                  The following historical fiction is to commemorate those hidden Jews of the inquisition that did the Mitzvah of Saving a life.  As  the Torah states in Leviticus 19:16 (Vayikra 19:16): "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor" (or "Do not stand by your brother's blood"). This verse establishes a posi