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Thursday, May 12, 2011

Rabbis recall 1691 burning of Jews in Spanish Inquisition RSS Facebook May 12, 2011

A delegation of Orthodox rabbis traveled to the Spanish island of Majorca to offer prayers for 37 Jews killed under the auspices of the Inquisition in 1691, including three burned alive in the "bonfire of the Jews." Francesc Antich, regional president of the Balearic Islands, called the incident "our worst sin."

Some chuetas--descendant of converts from Judaism to Catholicism--recalled that the island's older families discriminated against them well into the 1960s. "Majorca is very specific because it is the only part of Spain where there is a community that is directly descended from Jews, which has remained distinct since others would not marry them, up until two generations ago," said Diego de Ojeda, director of Casa Sefarad-Israel.

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