Spain / Andalusia

Lucena

Edificio del ayuntamiento de Lucena. Photo de Alberto Cabello – Wikipedia

Famed in the eleventh century for the influence of Talmudists such as Isaac ibn Gayata, Isaac Alfasi, and Joseph ibn Migas, who founded the so-called “Lucena School”, Lucena preserves few material signs of its Jewish past. While the site of the Judería is reasonably well established, that of the synagogues is uncertain. However, two popular customs recall the Jewish heritage: the first is giving the house a general clean-up on Saturdays, and the second is white-washing houses a few days before Holy Week. These probably derive from the old tradition of cleaning at Passover.