The Jews were kicked out of Spain in 1492 unless they were prepared to convert to Catholicism. Since that time few Jews have lived in Spain. Naturally many synagogues were left behind. Sadly, most of these synagogues were "converted" to churches. Many of those one-time synagogues are still to be found in Toledo although previously "converted" churches and no longer used as such. Now comes news [The Times on Line] that one of the historic synagogues in Toledo, still used as a Catholic church, is to be returned to the Jewish community in an exchange-deal struck with the Vatican
There is no gain-saying that Robert Fisk, fiercely independent and feisty to boot, is the veteran journalist and author covering the Middle East. Who doesn't he know or hasn't he met over the years in reporting from Beirut - where he lives? In his latest op-ed piece for The Independent he lays out his predictions for the Middle East for 2013. Read the piece in full, here - well worthwhile - but an extract... "Never make predictions in the Middle East. My crystal ball broke long ago. But predicting the region has an honourable pedigree. “An Arab movement, newly-risen, is looming in the distance,” a French traveller to the Gulf and Baghdad wrote in 1883, “and a race hitherto downtrodden will presently claim its due place in the destinies of Islam.” A year earlier, a British diplomat in Jeddah confided that “it is within my knowledge... that the idea of freedom does at present agitate some minds even in Mecca...” So let’s say this for 2013: the “Arab Awakening” (the t...
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