Mazel tov to the Red di Juderias, the Network of Jewish Quarters, in Spain, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of activity. A ceremony was held Jan. 29 to mark the occasion.
The Network was founded in 1995 when the mayors of Cáceres, Córdoba, Girona, Hervás, Ribadavia, Segovia, Toledo and Tudela, created the association as a nonprofit aimed at protecting Sephardic heritage in Spain, in the urbanistic, architectural, historical, artistic and cultural contexts.
Since then, the association has grown and now has 24 members. In addition to the original founders, the municipalities of Ávila, Barcelona, Besalu, Calahorra, Castelló d’Empúries, Estella, Jaén, León, Lucena, Monforte de Lemos, Oviedo, Palma, Plasencia, Seville, Tarazona and Tortosa have also joined.
The Red de Juderias web site states:
The research effort and study of local history has led numerous projects for rehabilitation and recovery sites and public and private spaces in the Spanish Jewish quarters and an active cultural and recreational programming around the legacy of the Spanish Jews.
The major focus of the Network is tourism — and it has been a pioneer in harnessing new technologies and promoting Jewish heritage in the mainstream.
We reported in November on the Network’s new “Routes of Sefarad” smartphone and tablet app that will allow users to navigate through the 24 old Jewish quarters the network.
And two years ago the Network, in partnership with Google, launched an impressive — and exhaustive — new web site that provides an interactive exploration of Jewish heritage throughout Spain.
The cutting-edge new site, Caminos di Sefarad, or Routes of Sepharad, involves 24 cities, 523 places, 910 chronological registers, 1.674 images, 67 supplementary texts, and 138 commented voices. There are interactive maps, timelines, clickable links, photographs, detailed site information — and more.
Other Red de Juderias initiatives include:
RASGO 2015
A complete program that brings services and tourism products of Spanish Jewry, including recommendations on what to see, where to stay, where to eat, guides and information of other activities. It also includes promotions in selected establishments, bound to the Sefarad Card, a free card that the association also wants to promote.
VINEYARDS OF SEFARAD
A tour of vineyards and famous cellars in Spain. A new opportunity to discover Kosher wine.
MEETINGS IN SEFARAD
A framework promoting the organization of conferences and other tourism meeting events in the cities of the network. These combine infrastructure with an additional set of incentives and specialized activities linked to Jewish cultural, historic and gastronomic heritage.