CHAPTER 8: THE NEW JEWISH QUARTER – EXPANSION AND GROWTH

CHAPTER 8: THE NEW JEWISH QUARTER – EXPANSION AND GROWTH Series: Medieval Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza 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) Ibn Gabirol In 1273, King James I the Conqueror authorized the creation of a new Jewish settlement on the other side of the Coso: the New Jewish Quarter or Barrionuevo. This chapter explores the expansion of the Zaragozan Jewish community beyond the walls of the Old Jewish Quarter, an urban and social experiment that would forever change the face of the aljama. Unlike the organic labyrinth of the Old Jewish Quarter, the Barrionuevo was planned with three parallel and straight streets: the callizos of Mateo Flandro, Rufas, and Urrea. This new neighborhood became the home of the Jewish working class: tanners, shoemakers, harness makers, and small merchants seeking space and opportunities. Ibn Gabirol guides us through the bustling streets of the Barrionuevo, where the smell of tanned leather permeated the air and artisan workshops filled every corner with life. We will discover the Synagogue of the Callizos, the community services of the neighborhood, and the daily life of its inhabitants. But the openness of the Barrionuevo also brought vulnerability. Without the defenses of the Roman wall, the neighborhood suffered especially during the pogroms of 1391 and the persecutions of the fourteenth century. Despite everything, the community continued to grow until reaching 1,500 inhabitants at the beginning of the fifteenth century. The Disputation of Tortosa and the Edict of Expulsion of 1492 sealed the fate of the New Jewish Quarter. Today, in Plaza de San Miguel, no visible trace remains of that neighborhood that was a symbol of hope and expansion. But its memory lives on in the stories we refuse to forget. CREDITS AND SOURCES Narrator: Ibn Gabirol (Shelomó ibn Gabirol, 1021–1058/70) Direction and Production: Javier Bona López Research and Advisory: Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader (Universidad San Jorge de Zaragoza) Main 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. • Miguel Ángel Motis-Dolader, Ana Ruiz-Varona, Lourdes Pérez-López. Urban Morphology and Functional Hierarchy of the Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza (Spain) at the End of the Fifteenth Century. Journal of Urban History, 2023. • Ángel Canellas López. The Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza. Cuadernos de Zaragoza, No. 2, 1974. • Asunción Blasco Martínez & Susana Lozano Gracia. The Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza – Step by Step. Zaragoza City Council, 2023. • Sefarad Aragón. The Disappeared Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza. Self-published, 2010. • 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. • Zaragoza Municipal Archive (AMZ). Historical maps. Final Note: “If you enjoyed this chapter, I invite you to share it and help spread the word. 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. © Series: Medieval Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza | Production: Javier Bona López