- Museo Sefardí (Sinagoga del Tránsito)
- MUSEUM
- Permanent exhibition
Permanent exhibition
Through the Permanent Exhibition, the Sephardic Museum seeks to raise awareness of the history of the Jews in the Iberian Peninsula as part of the history of Spain. It seeks to reclaim from oblivion and expose the veil of silence that has hung over Jewish culture in our country, from its expulsion until the present day.
Thus, the various rooms and spaces of the Samuel ha-Leví Synagogue provide a journey from the origins of the Jewish people to their expulsion by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, as well as their customs and ways of life, which are those of a community that is still alive today.
PRAYER HALL
The Prayer Hall is the first space that greets visitors. It is the main space of the Synagogue in which the conjunction of elements from different cultures can be enjoyed.
ROOM I – TRADITIONS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THEIR ORIGINS
In this room, the origins of the Jewish people and their traditions are explained along with the importance of religion in everyday life and Jewish customs and celebrations.
ROOM II – THE ARRIVAL OF THE JEWS IN HISPANIA
This room focuses on explaining the arrival of the Jews in Spain and their lives during the Roman period through the archaeological remains that have so far been found.
ROOM III – THE JEWS IN THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS
This room tells the history of the Jews in Christian Spain from the 12th to the 15th century, the conversos [forced converts], the Inquisition, and the expulsion.
ROOM IV – THE SEPHARDIM
In Spanish, sefardí [Sephardi] is the correct term to denote the descendants of the Jews of Sepharad from their expulsion at the end of the Middle Ages to the present day.
ROOM V – WOMEN’S GALLERY
This room displays the life and festive cycle of the Jews, their history during Modern and Contemporary Spain, with ample space given to the Sephardic Jews with selected pieces and samples of their language and literature.
NORTH PATIO
A patio organised as a necropolis, in which some of the tombstones kept in the Museum are displayed. These tombstones come from various places in Spain and are made from different materials.
EAST PATIO
The results of the archaeological excavations carried out in this area are displayed in this patio, as well as a series of sculptures by D. Aronson and M. Lasry, Jewish artists of the 20th Century.
