The first chapter of Jane S. Gerber’s "The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience" traces the origins of Jewish life in Spain from biblical times to the Visigothic period, exploring migration during the Roman diaspora and early interactions between Christians and Jews, including anti-Jewish legislation from the Council of Elvira. The second chapter focuses on the Golden Age of the Jews in Spain under Muslim rule in the 10th and 11th centuries, highlighting their cultural and economic prosperity in cities like Córdoba and Granada. The third chapter emphasizes the rich cultural life and intellectual influence in Sephardic civilization during this period, with figures such as Judah Halevi and the flourishing of Hebrew poetry. Finally, the fourth chapter examines how the Reconquista transformed Jewish life in Spain, presenting challenges and opportunities under the tensions of the Inquisition and the expulsion of 1492, marking the end of an era of cultural coexistence on the Iberian Peninsula.

Keywords: Judaism, Sephardic, Jewish life, Spain, Iberian Peninsula, Christians, Muslims, Córdoba, Granada, Hebrew, poetry, Golden Age, Reconquista, Inquisition, expulsion, coexistence.

Bibliography:
Gerber, Jane S. The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience. Free Press, 1992.

00:00 Origins
11:08 Birth
21:10 Golden Age
28:52 Reconquista