Wherever You Go

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a sucker for the mountains. Maybe it has something to do with the feeling of being on top of the world, completely invincible and entirely badass for being able to climb all the way up there in the first place. So my love for Toledo, a small town set in the mountains an hour outside of Madrid, probably has something to do with that. Regardless, Toledo has my heart for its similarities to one of my other homes in this world: Israel. Aside from the fact that Toledo has a remarkably high Jewish population and has the only whole-standing synagogue left in Spain, it is most interestingly known for being the home of Christians and Muslims and Jews, who have all lived in the same community, together, for centuries. Can you imagine?!

Coincidentally, a few days ago I was explaining to some friends about my background in Judaism and why it is important to me. I am asked this fairly often, usually by other Jewish teenagers curious as to how and why I have stayed connected to the religion, and my answer is always the same: First, I don't really consider myself a religious Jew, but rather a cultural Jew. I don't believe in keeping kosher or that not eating for an entire day for Yom Kippur makes up for a year's worth of "sins," let alone that cutting out bread products for a week for Passover honors our ancestors' freedom from Pharaoh in Egypt. Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, perhaps I am thinking about this a little more. 

However, I do believe that doing these things connects us with Jews around the world, and here in a small town in Spain, I find this connection even more profound. As a matter of fact, there is a song I have sung since nursery school that goes, "wherever you go, there's always someone Jewish, you're never alone when you say you're a Jew." As a young Jewish teenager, it is important to me to stay connected with my heritage no matter where I am in the world, particularly in Spain, because I stand for the continuity of Judaism. 

My friends and I wandered through Toledo, searched through shops full of Star of David necklaces and Mezuzot, saw the fourteenth-century synagogue, and walked among a community of people who share our same heritage. They found some appreciation for our heritage just like I did, as we stepped over the mosaic stones of "חי," "life", as well as mosaic menorah and other hebrew words implanted in the ground.

Throughout my time here, I have practiced the language, learned the history of the country, embraced the culture, tasted new foods, beheld views, and took on the challenge of pretending to be a local. In the Jewish town of Toledo, a town which reminded me so much of my connection to Judaism, to Israel, and to Spain, I felt such an intense desire to bridge the gap between my Spanish and Jewish heritage. 

Yesterday in Toledo, my girlfriends came running up to me with excitement to show me the Star of David earrings they had just bought at the fourteenth-century synagogue, and how they bought them so that they, too, can show off their pride to be a Jew, wherever they go. In a Catholic country such as Spain, getting to explore my Sephardic roots this weekend was remarkable, but getting to share that with other Jewish teenagers was even more so.

the entire city of Toledo- very small, but so beautiful

Toledo is surrounded by water, almost to act like a mote for the city and protect it from enemies

enjoying the view

happy as can be to watch the city below us, before we even got to experience its importance to us

side streets, tiendas, cafes, and beautiful architecture fills this town

a closer look

having fun in Plaza Zocodover with the class of kids from Severa Ochoa that traveled with us for the day

it looks like a postcard, a green screen, or something completely artificial, but that's Toledo for you...

a group of my friends getting ready to see Toledo together

one of my favorites, shows Toledo and Tagus River

bridging the gap between the city and its neighbor, just like the bridge of my heritage

more of a view...

walking across the bridge to Toledo

Tagus River, protects Toledo like a mote

these small pieces of mosaic are implanted in the cobblestones of the streets all over Toledo- this one says, "Chai," which means "life"

This mosaic shows the Hebrew letters that spell out Sephardic in Spanish; they are all over the city, hidden in plain sight for those who bother to look

what a view

in the deck of the 14th century synagogue in Toledo, I got to share my Sephardic history with a friend, Adan

they call this the "keyhole," as it looks exactly like a keyhole, and it allows you to see the city through it right outside of La Plaza Zocodover

Eric and I, who I have gone to school with since nursery school. Now we have explored Spain, specifically Toledo, together. (cue Jewish mothers k'felling)

Toledo from up top

I've decided to include a few photos from Israel, just to show some similarities between Israel and Toledo...you can see how similar this view of Jerusalem is to the photos above of Toledo

Jerusalem through the boulders

a side street off of Ben Yehuda, same vibe as streets off of Plaza Zocodover in Toledo