Juderia de Toledo (Jewish Quarter), Toledo

The Jewish quarter of Toledo, known as Juderia de Toledo, was the historic neighborhood where the Jewish community lived during the Middle Ages. Although they were not required to live within the quarter, it became the most populous and prosperous Jewish community of the Kingdom of Castile in the 12th and 13th centuries. For centuries, Jews coexisted relatively peacefully with Muslims and Christians in what was known as the city of the three cultures.

The Jewish quarter was home to various amenities, including markets, prayer spaces, public baths, bread ovens, palaces, and a wall. Near the Tagus River, visitors can find the Barrio del Degolladero, where beef cattle were ritually slaughtered according to Jewish tradition.

The richest Jewish families lived in the Barrio de Hamazelt, and the most famous Jew of Toledo, Samuel ha-Levi, resided in a street known today as San Juan de Dios. He served as the treasurer of King Peter of Castile and ordered the construction of the Synagogue of el Tránsito, which is now a museum. The mezuzah, a small box containing passages from Deuteronomy, was affixed to the door-post of each Jewish home to protect it, according to Jewish tradition.

Two Jewish places of worship have been preserved as museums today: Santa María la Blanca (formerly the Synagogue of Ibn Shushan) and El Tránsito. Every Friday before sunset, a rabbi sounded the shofar, a goat's horn, three times to announce the arrival of the Sabbath, a weekly holiday for the Jews, who rested while the rest of the city continued with its usual activities.

Each synagogue has an underground bath called a mikveh, where Jewish women would ritually purify themselves after menstruation and childbirth. The mikveh was also used to immerse non-kosher cooking vessels purchased by Jews before they could be used. The Jewish quarter of Toledo offers a glimpse into the rich history and culture of this community during the Middle Ages.