Q: I am a college student and recently won a Fulbright fellowship to teach English in Spain. I am over the moon, as I have been wanting to return there ever since I spent a high school semester abroad in Madrid.
During that semester, I was surprised to learn how few Jews currently live in Spain. The Spanish Inquisition did its job well and one feels its remnants to this day. I was told by my program director not to walk in the streets with a kippah, and that while I was welcome to discuss my Judaism with my host family or local friends, I should be prepared to be the first Jew they had met.
Jewish life was such an important part of my experience growing up and in college, and I do not want to lose that next year. How should I be Jewish in Spain? Is it worth it to seek out a Jewish community, even if it is tiny?
A: Congratulations on your acceptance to Fulbright! Despite and because of the international uncertainty, many people are going abroad now, either to study abroad, work abroad or simply because they have dual citizenship and are afraid of changes in America.
Finding a Jewish community upon moving abroad is not so dissimilar from finding a Jewish community when moving to a new place in the United States, especially for Jews who move out of a major metropolitan area. The difference is while in the US, finding a community may be as simple as a Google search, finding one abroad often requires asking around. The first step is simply learning if there are any other Jews in your Fulbright program — last names may be a clue here, or they may not. You can also visit Jewish sites or museums. There, you will learn both local history and current communities, if you ask about the local shul. You can also ask your hometown or campus rabbi whether they know of any communities in Madrid; they might be able to make an introduction. In some countries, you need identification and an invitation to even enter the shul. In Singapore and Chile, for example, you need to submit your passport and be accompanied by a current member to even step foot on the premises of many synagogues.
However you go about finding a community, it is well worth the effort. You will connect with locals over a commonality — Judaism — rather than difference. Someone may soon invite you into their homes for dinner; you can really get a sense of how people live. You will also have the rare opportunity to befriend people of all generations. Synagogue remains one of the few age-unsegregated gathering places. Especially if you’re teaching English, you may not have other opportunities to meet elderly Spaniards.
Regardless of age, you will meet people with careers you’ve never heard of. When my friend was in Singapore, for example, he met a black pepper trader from Calcutta over Shabbat dinner. Or, when another friend went to Barcelona, she met a yoga teacher who had previously been a successful investment banker in Argentina.
When you are a stranger in a strange land, it is comforting to sing the Lord’s song. Given the recent and sharp rise of antisemitism, it is easy to feel small and besieged. But Shabbats spent with Jewish communities on the other side of the world, where people sing the same prayers you grew up singing, provide comfort. Of course, they might use different tunes. Judaism is small, but it is also big. It is the same, but different!
Joining a Jewish community in Spain will also give a view into the differences between the American Jewish community and Jewish communities around the world. We, for example, are not used to hiding our Judaism, and are only recently getting used to having security outside our synagogues. It might also give you insight into why Jews in other countries often see the need for Israel as a refuge more acutely than American Jews, who until recently felt very secure.
Especially in countries, like Spain, where there is a rich Jewish history but the community is small, you get a glimpse of what a dying community looks like and how it rebuilds. When my husband and I were in Calcutta, for example, we attended Rosh Hashona services at a large and magnificent synagogue, testimony to a past thriving community. When we were there, however, there were only six of us: I was the only woman upstairs, while my husband was one of four men downstairs. We are the ever dying people yet we remain, though often in another place.
If you come from a large Jewish community, you will get real insight into the wisdom of many Jewish laws. In a small community, you are part of the minyan, and have an obligation to show up. You must be a participant, not just a bystander. This forces you to interact with other people in the congregation and facilitates your making friends.
Maybe best of all, you will get a free dinner once a week! And oh will you learn about new foods. Far from Ashkenazi roast chicken and potatoes, Jews around the world have a huge variety of cuisines.