The largest assortment of books on Sephardic tradition in Spain is in an residence in Madrid | EUROtoday

Thousands of books, rigorously organized and catalogued, fill lengthy cabinets within the hallways and rooms of the central Madrid residence that I purchased 4 years in the past. Itzjak Benabrahan to deal with the gathering gathered through the years by his household and which, he claims, is the most important in Spain of Sephardic tradition.

In considered one of these rooms filled with books, Benabrahan clarifies that “there are other good Jewish-themed libraries, but we have specialized in Sephardic culture and all the books that are here They speak of the Jews who lived or who are descendants of those who resided in Spain and Portugal before the expulsion decreed by the Catholic Monarchs”.

The assortment that this scholar “born in the mid-20th century in Sefarad” proudly exhibits to EFE, in accordance with his biography, known as Esther Rubio, in homage to his spouse, and has 3,000 books, facsimile reproductions, anasthetics and likewise originals. , introduced along with care and dedication over the past 32 years by him and the members of his household who based the Moiss de León Documentation and Studies Center.

Three thousand facsimile reproductions, anasthetic and authentic

As he extracts essentially the most beneficial specimens from the wood containers the place they’re rigorously saved, Benabrahan acknowledges that it’s shocking {that a} assortment like this It is in a residential constructing, surrounded by neighbors and vacationer flatsas a substitute of in a typical library.

But “with regard to Sephardic culture, nothing is as it should be,” he clarifies, “because, although the history of the Jews is a fundamental part of the history of Spain, it is almost never talked about in schools, universities, or media”.

To treatment this deficiency, the Moiss de León Documentation and Studies Center He has been amassing books and knowledge for 3 many years and disseminating it in talks and conferences.

Among essentially the most notable books within the assortment are the precious facsimiles of the Bibles of Alba, Kennicott, Lisbon, Cervera, Polglota Complutense and Manuscript G-II-8.

Illustrations with gold and silver leaf and shiny pigments

The Bibles with essentially the most lovely illustrations, with gold and silver leaf and good pigments, are these made by Sephardic translators and illustrators of the 14th and fifteenth centuries to dazzle consumers or Christian associates, whereas these used for Jewish worship haven’t any photos, simply lovely letters, simply as Jewish custom instructions.

Also nearly distinctive, as a result of restricted circulation and the care taken within the editions, are the gathering of books for the Hebrew Passover, such because the Haggadah of Poblet, Prato, Sarajevo, Barcelona, ​​Rylands and Kaufmann, in addition to The Brother Haggadah.

Completing the gathering is a fragile facsimile of the Songs of Santa María and cautious reproductions of varied authorized texts and edicts, such because the painful doc with which he made public the expulsion of the Jews from Spain on March 31, 1492.

The Moiss de Len Center is getting ready an exhibition

“All of this has never been seen together in an exhibition,” laments Benabrahan. “The originals have been shown to the public, but separately, because They are too valuable and delicate to collect them all in one place.“.

Showing in a single exhibition essentially the most fascinating specimens from the Moiss de León Documentation and Studies Center could be “a good way to spread Sephardic culturewhich is Spanish culture, although it has been prohibited for centuries”.

For this cause, Benabrahan has initiated contacts with a number of establishments to arrange an exhibition that permits all of the information contained in these publications to briefly go away the residence within the heart of Madrid the place their homeowners care for them.

Until that day arrives, we should be content material with the knowledge obtainable within the digital library of the Moiss de León Documentation and Studies Center, which has no extra and a minimum of 28,800 references.