Dr. Jonathan S. Ray: The Golden Age of the Jews of Spain

About Dr. Jonathan S. Ray: The Golden Age of the Jews of Spain

Medieval Spanish Jewry, whose ranks included celebrated courtiers, doctors, poets and philosophers, represents one of the most fabled societies in the annals of the Jewish people. Yet the Spanish Inquisition and subsequent expulsion remain among the most devastating events in our history.

To shed light on those extremes, this lecture will explore the realities of daily life for medieval Jews, which was often far different, and perhaps far more familiar, than centuries of nostalgia, pride, hope and guilt would suggest.

An expert on Jewish life in medieval Spain, especially on the coexistence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim societies and the expulsion, Jonathan S. Ray holds a chair in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University and is author of three books.