Jewish Community, Madrid Folk Culture, and Lope de Vega

By Emma McGonigle

This morning, we traveled by bus to visit a local Jewish community center in the northern parts of Madrid. Here, we viewed a short film covering the history of the Jewish community in Madrid from the start of the 20th century, until today. Although free practice and public displays of Judaism were not made fully legal in Spain until 1976, with the death of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, this Jewish organization celebrated 100 years of existence in 2023. Now, Madrid has a population of 19,000 Jewish citizens, with well-established schools and social programs. We also had the opportunity to view artifacts of Spanish Jewish history and learn about their significance in the religion. Finally, we were invited to view and explore the synagogue above the community center, where we learned more about traditions, particularly those of this specific community. Our guide opened a back closet (called a Torah ark) to show us their collection of Torah scrolls, including the one they are currently reading from. I was intrigued to learn the tradition surrounding the care and identification of these scrolls. As a non-Jewish student, this was my first exposure to these practices. I learned how Ashkenazi scrolls can be identified by a double-handled, twice-rolled appearance, while Sephardic scrolls have one central column around which the scroll is rolled, encased often by metal. I also was taught about the respect with which the Torah is treated. If a scroll is damaged, it has to be repaired, until which point it is not considered kosher. If the scroll is too damaged to be repaired, it can be put on historical display, but cannot be used for prayer. If the scroll is too damaged, it must be buried, in a Jewish cemetery. I find the respect for this text, and the message it relays, very beautiful, and it gave me more insight into traditions I hope to learn more about.

Next, we visited el Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares (Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions) in the Embajadores neighborhood of Madrid. This museum is housed inside a historical multi-family style living accommodations. At its peak occupancy, 120 families lived here, with 4 people often sharing 10 square meters of living space, with two bathrooms for the whole complex. In the 1990s, it was converted into a museum, which focuses mostly on the traditions of Spain through history. The first section walked you through the lifespan, featuring artifacts like old birthing chairs and baptism dresses (representing birth), all the way through funeral procession jars and baskets (representing birth). The next section explored various Spanish festivities, grouped by season. The star of the show was definitely the 15-foot puppets used in parades and events for different holidays throughout the year. Performers wear these puppets on their shoulders, dancing and walking with the procession. I found it interesting that the puppets were grouped in pairs, often male/female, or representing good/evil. These contrasting dichotomies and paired symbols seem to be a running theme in a lot of Spanish tradition, including folklore, art, music, and dance. The final section of the museum focused on different trades in Spanish tradition, including jewelry, leatherworks, agriculture, fishing, and farming.

Finally, in the afternoon, we had the pleasure of hearing from Professor Luciano Pou Sabate, who spoke with us about Lope de Vega, a popular Spanish playwright during the rule of Felipe II, III, and IV. Professor Pou Sabate helped place Vega as a revolutionary artist of his time, solely reframing the popular perception of theater, and placing love as a central theme in works of the time, replacing honor as the contemporary topic. Vega was beloved by the public and made “upper-class” concepts such as philosophy, and politics more accessible for common audiences. He wrote prolifically, and dabbled in dark comedy, comedic satire, and drama, defining many of the genres he worked in. Many of his works delved into taboo topics such as lust, as well as progressive topics like women marrying for love, instead of by force. His life was defined by his work, and vice versa, a sentiment demonstrated in one letter to his actor, where he explained that one cannot act something that they have not experienced, or felt. Professor Pou Sabate did a wonderful job giving life and contextualization to the Lope de Vega and his texts, and we were lucky to have him join us to wrap up our day.