Home of the Hidden Community

Mallorca, the Sephardic Island, was home to a sizable Jewish population for hundreds of years, beginning in the 5^th century. It was an important center for cartography, a trade in which Jews played a pivotal role. The famed map-maker Jafuda Cresques, who, according to tradition, drew the maps used by Christopher Columbus, was recently honored with a statue in the Jewish quarter of Palma.

You will begin your tour in the oldest Jewish quarter, which dates back to the Muslim era of Mallorca: the Call Menor, and then continue through the narrow, twisting streets to the medieval Jewish quarter. The Call Major is home to remnants of synagogues, where you can see the legacy of Jewish life in the street names such as Calle Argentera, where the goldsmiths worked. You can also visit the park where the old Jewish cemetery used to be found, and walk the streets where the descendants of Mallorcan Jewry live to this very day. In the Museum of Mallorca, one can see two gravestones, the “ploms Jueus” which are considered to be the second oldest remains of the Jewish community in the entirety of Spain. Today’s Jewish community was re-established in 1971. Come taste the flavor of the famous crespells, a Mallorcan Jewish pastry, and encounter dimensions of Mallorcan life you never before considered!