The European Day of Jewish Culture is celebrated throughout Europe on the first Sunday of September. In recent years, guided tours, concerts and other cultural activities have been organized to commemorate this date also in Mallorca, during the months of September and October.
In the absence of subsidized routes, we invite you to participate in the route organized by TOMIR on October 12 in the afternoon through the Jewish neighborhoods of Palma. This route will be in Catalan, as some of our followers requested it. We will also offer it in Spanish or other languages at a later date if there is interest.
https://ticketib.com/events/ruta-pel-calls-de-ciutat-de-mallorques
Among all the thematic routes offered by the historic center of Palma, the one that is perhaps the most unknown, both in terms of content and the area in which it takes place, is that of the Jewish quarter of the city.
The history of the Jewish community of Mallorca is simply fascinating and it was a great loss on all levels, cultural, economic and social, that this community officially disappeared. Some managed to leave the island and find a better life, in total freedom, in other countries, others remained as converts, integrating with the rest of society.
There was, however, a group of people, who although in public acted as Christians, privately and secretly continued to Judaize, because they did not want to renounce their origins and beliefs despite the fear of the Inquisition. This group was called xuetes. Its history is so unique that it surprises anyone who discovers its existence. The Xuetes have gone from being discriminated against by the rest of society, to proudly carrying their surnames and speaking openly about their origins, one of the positive aspects of tourism and globalization that have also reached Mallorca.
Although we have no physical or architectural remains of what were the Jewish quarters of the city, since there was a Call Major and a Call Menor, there is a lot of literature on the subject, both historical and novelized.
Perhaps one of the best known and most quoted of the people who lived in the Call Major of Palma was Jafudà Cresques, master cartographer, author together with his father, Cresques Abraham, of the so-called Catalan Atlas, made in 1375 at the request of the King of Aragon.
Changing the subject completely and moving on to gastronomy, it is worth mentioning the famous Mallorcan ensaïmada, of which some authors affirm that it could have a Jewish origin, having changed the original ingredients to Christianize it. We could also mention empanadas, the first tupper in history, or crespells.
It is very important to live in the present, but we must not forget the history and the traces left by so many communities of diverse cultures that also lived in Mallorca.
That is why we believe that the route through the Call Jueu is one of the most interesting to do in Palma.
