Sephardic Jewry: From the Reconquista to the Expulsion and Its Aftermath

For a time, the Jewish community in Spain was the center of the Jewish world, making important communal and intellectual achievements. But after Christians recaptured control of Spain and Ferdinand and Isabella ascended the throne, it all came to a tragic end. In this lecture, Rabbi Schacter discusses Jewish life in Spain before the expulsion, why the expulsion happened, and how it impacted Jews in Spain and across the Mediterranean basin.