Room VI — Nasrid arch

The present day

In Spain, the Jewish population is estimated at some seventy thousand individuals, though not all of them are Sephardim. Despite being a small community, it is diverse and active. In Seville, the Jewish community, though a minority, has an Orthodox association.

This association is a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, which strengthens its connection with the rest of the Jewish community in the country. The Jewish Community of Seville plays a crucial role in the religious and cultural life of its members, keeping their traditions and practices alive.

Its presence in the city is a testimony to the resilience and continuity of Jewish identity in a setting where, over the centuries, the community has faced numerous challenges.

Sephardic surnames

Over the centuries, Sephardic Jews and their descendants used an enormous variety of names and surnames of Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French, Italian and other origins. The Moisés de León Centre for Documentation and Studies has compiled, from documentary sources, bibliography and academic research, information on more than 71,000 names, surnames, variants and compound forms connected with Sephardic history.

Finding a surname in this database, however, does not prove that a person has Sephardic ancestry. Many of these surnames were shared by different sectors of the population and, after the conversions to Christianity, numerous conversos adopted or used Christian surnames that were later passed down to their descendants. A surname match should therefore be understood only as a historical clue that calls for genealogical and documentary research — never as proof of Sephardic origin.

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Engraved title page of the Bible in Spanish printed in Amsterdam in 1646, with the figures of Moses and Aaron — Name
Ladino Bible (copy).
Dimensions
30 × 21 cm (copy).
Description
Engraved title page of the edition of the Bible in the Spanish language published by the Sephardim in Amsterdam in 1646, shown at a temporary exhibition of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
Dating
1646.
Provenance
Private collection in Madrid.
Photograph
Yale Macías.

Ladino at risk of extinction

Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish, is a language rooted in the old Castilian spoken in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. After the expulsion of 1492, the Sephardic community carried this language to different parts of the world, such as Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and the Balkans. Over the centuries, Ladino evolved as it mingled with the local languages, taking in vocabulary and expressions from Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian, among others.

This linguistic fusion has produced a rich and unique variant of Spanish that reflects the history of the Sephardic diaspora. Ladino, however, has been fading over time, as the younger generations of Sephardim adapted to the languages of their countries of residence and stopped passing Ladino on to their descendants. Today, efforts are under way to preserve and revitalise this language, a precious cultural legacy.

Double page of an Italian edition of the Song of Songs with Hebrew text and a Ladino translation in Hebrew characters — Name
Edition of the Song of Songs (copy).
Dimensions
30 × 21 cm (copy, each page).
Description
Interior of an Italian edition of the Song of Songs with the text in Hebrew and the Ladino translation of the Hebrew original and of its Aramaic version. Shown at a temporary exhibition of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
Dating
1769.
Provenance
Private collection in Madrid.
Photograph
Yale Macías.

Engraving with biblical motifs: Moses and Aaron between columns, with the menorah and scenes in medallions — Name
Biblical engraving (copy).
Dimensions
30 × 21 cm (copy).
Description
Engraving with biblical motifs from the edition of the Bible in Hebrew and Ladino published in Vienna. Shown at a temporary exhibition of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
Dating
1813–1816.
Provenance
Private collection in Madrid.
Photograph
Yale Macías.

Map of Spain of the Red de Juderías–Caminos de Sefarad network: Stars of David mark the member cities, with Seville on the list

Institutional relations

In 1986, Spain and Israel officially established diplomatic relations, opening a new stage in their institutional ties. Four years later, in 1990, the Sephardic communities around the world received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, in recognition of having preserved for centuries their cultural, linguistic and historical heritage of Hispanic origin.

In 1992, coinciding with the fifth centenary of the expulsion of the Jews from the Hispanic kingdoms, the Sefarad 92 programme was carried out, accompanied by numerous cultural and academic initiatives.

In 2015, Spain passed Law 12/2015, which created an extraordinary procedure allowing Sephardim of Spanish origin to apply for Spanish nationality by proving their Sephardic origin and a special connection with Spain, without needing to reside in the country beforehand. The law also allowed them to keep their previous nationality.

The deadline for filing new applications through this extraordinary channel closed on 1 October 2019. During 2020 and 2021 the review of the files already submitted intensified and the documentary requirements were applied more strictly, which led to a marked increase in refusals. This shift mainly affected how Sephardic ancestry was verified, the documentation provided and the connection with Spain.

At present, no new applications are accepted under the extraordinary procedure of Law 12/2015. The Civil Code, however, keeps a specific channel for Sephardim: they may apply for Spanish nationality after two years of legal residence in Spain, continuous and immediately prior to the application, as against the ten years required as a general rule.

At the local level Seville, which had belonged to the Red de Juderías de España–Caminos de Sefarad network between 2012 and 2016, began its readmission process in 2025. After passing the technical evaluation, its admission was approved in December 2025, and since 1 January 2026 Seville is once again a full member of the network, strengthening its commitment to the research, preservation and dissemination of its Jewish and Sephardic heritage.

Read: Seville returns to the Red de Juderías de España