The world during the renaissance was not a friendly place. While the arts were thriving, bigotry and anti-Semitism was as well. Even Martin Luther issued several rules against Jews when they stubbornly refused to accept his new religion (Telushkin 204). In 1492 Queen Isabella of Spain decided she was not one to go against this main stream anti-semitism and decided to exile all of the Jews from Spain. A few of the more powerful Jews in Spain, though, tried to make her see the folly in her way. One of these men was Isaac ben Judah Abravanel (Halsall). Isaac Abravanel was a Jewish scholar, a financier, and skilled diplomat who tried very hard to help his fellow Jews in their time of need (Lipman).
In 1437 a bouncing baby boy named Isaac Abravanel was born in Lisbon, Portugal (Lipman). Little did he know the future which lay ahead of him. His childhood was probably made up of studying and practicing his religion along with the study of secular subjects. As an adult he continued the study of these subjects and became perhaps one of the best Jewish philosophers of the Renaissance. He did lots of work with Maimonides' A Guide to the Perplexed. His commentaries on the Prophets compared the monarchies in Samuel to the monarchies of his lifetime. These commentaries give people of today a good look into the society of the fifteenth century. Abravanel also predicted that the Messiah was coming in the near future and denied Christian claims that Jesus was the Messiah, which was a risky belief to be open about at that time (Lipman).
While Abravanel was a very gifted theologian, he is most remembered as the politician and diplomat. Abravanel first got into politics in Portugal as the personal agent and treasurer of King Alfonso V. He soon become wealthy and very influential among both Jews and Christians. When King Alfonso V held 250 Jews ransom Abravanel used his influence to raise the money needed to free them. Then, in 1481, a new king came on board, King John II, and with him a new wave of anti-Semitism. This new King may have also been slightly paranoid because he quickly blamed a Duke of conspiring with Ferdenade and Isabella of Spain. Unfortunately for the Duke the King also decided death of an appropriate punishment. In 1483, Abravanel almost met the same fate as our friend, the Duke, but luckily he was able to escape to Spain (Lipman).
Being forced into exile was extremely hurtful to Abravanel and he vowed to dedicate his life to Jewish studies. Never again would he be seen in politics! After all the Inquisition was at its peak and it was illegal for a Jew to hold a high office in court. But then in 1484 Abravanel was offered the position of collector of royal revenues. Even though Abravanel had vowed to stay out of politics, he took the job. He felt that it would put him in a better position to help the Jews. The new job also made him very wealthy, though. There is even a record of a loan he made to Isabella of 1,500,000 maravedis (Lipman 2).
Then right after making this loan to Isabella, she issued the edict of expulsion or baptism for all Jews (Mekendrick 123). For the Jews of Spain, life would never be the same. Forever on then, the day of the 19th of the Omer 5252, would be etched in their minds as the day that changed their lives forever. They had until the 8th of Ab, three months later, to leave (Halsall). Where would they go? Who would want them? What of their hard earned possessions and jobs? This was their country. Weren't they Spaniards too? Spain had already subjected them to so much: ghettos, badges identifying them as Jews, limited legal and social rights, unfair taxation (Jacob)….Wasn't all that enough? Was there anyone who could help? Abravanel thought maybe he could help with that last question. He and Rabbi Don Abraham Seneor had been appointed the representatives of the Jews (Halsall). (It is important to note that Abravanel and Abraham Seneor had not been appointed representatives of the Jews by the Jews. Had the Jews been allowed to pick their own representatives that probably would not have picked Abraham Seneor because he was considered some what of a heretic by a very good rabbi, Rabbi Isaac of Leon. Rabbi Isaac even went as far as to call Abraham Seneor "Sone Or" which is a Hebrew pun on "Seneor" that means "Hater of Light". The Rabbi turned out to be right about Abraham Seneor because on June 15, 1492 Abraham Senior and his whole family converted to Christianity (Halsall). Abravanel would go to talk to the King and Queen on behalf of Spanish Jewry. He hoped he could use his influence to sway their minds. Unfortunately though, Abravanel was not nearly as powerful in Spain as he had been in Portugal. In Portugal he had been able to make decisions but in Spain his power was severely checked (Lipman). Still he made a very good and very bold speech before the King and Queen.
Not only did Abravanel make a powerful speech but he and Abraham Seneor also brought with a lot of money with them to pay for the Jews' right to stay in Spain. The King and Queen were about to agree to allow the Jews to stay when the Prior of Santa Cruz convinced them to hold to their edict (Halsall). It is said that the prior held up his crucifix and said unto them:
"Judas Iscariot sold his master for thirty pieces of silver. Your Highness would sell him anew for thirty thousand, here he is, take him, and barter him away (---)."
To which the Queen replied to Abravanel, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water. G-d turneth it withersoever He will…Do you believe that this comes upon you from us? The Lord hath put this thing into the heart of the king (Halsall)."
It was at this time that Abravanel gave up all hope of being allowed to stay. But by now time was running short. Possessions had to be sold at very lower prices. It was illegal for the Jews to take gold and silver with them so all money had to be exchanged for an item and since the Spaniards knew the Jews had to leave they took advantage of the Jews (---). Trades took place such as a house for an ass and a vineyard for some linen (Mekendrick 123). Once they had sold everything, they were ready to leave but to where? Who would take 250,000 Jews (Halsall)?
One hundred and twenty thousand of them went to Portugal. Here they were met with more cruelty than in Spain. First, just to get into Spain, according to compact between Don Vidal bar Benveniste del Cavalleria and the King of Spain, "they had to pay one ducat for every soul." Then, they were only allowed to stay for six months. After six months the Jews still there were taken into slavery, and their children were sent alone to the island of St. Thomas, off the coast of Africa, to "to settle it". All of the children died. The number of children sent to the island, and inevitably to their deaths, is said to be anywhere from 700 to 1400 (Halsall).
A large number of the exiled Jews went to the Mohammedan countries. But the Moors were overwhelmed by the large number of people wanting to get in and so refused them access. With no where to go the Jews died of thirst, hunger, and lack of shelter in the fields. A few were allowed access to the kingdom of Tlemcen where they were greatly helped by a prominent Jew there named Abraham (Halsall).
When other countries had learned of the Jews expulsion from Spain, ships came from Genoa to take away the Jews. Many of the Jews did not survive the journey though because the ships' crews treated them with great cruelty. The crew's cruelty went as far as to sell many of them to pirates. The few who reached Genoa were not allowed a reprieve from their torment. Upon arrival the citizens of the town beat them, robbed them, and even went as far as to take infants from their mothers (Halsall).
One rabbi of the time summed up the Spanish Jews oppression.
The Turks killed to take the gold which [the refuges] had swallowed to hide it. Some of them hunger and the plague consumed and some of them were cast naked by captains on the isles of the sea and some of them were sold for men-servants and maid-servants in Genoa and its villages and some of them were cast in the sea (Mekendrick 123).
A few of the Spanish Jews, Abravanel among them, went to the city of Naples. Here was one of the few places where they received kindness. Here the King of the country and the citizens of the towns gave them money and food. There was such a large number of Spanish Jews here that even for all of the countries generosity there was not enough to go around and many died of hunger or the plague (Halsall). Abravanel was employed by the government here where, as far as I can tell, he lived out the rest of his days.
Isaac Abravanel was a Jewish scholar, a financier, and skilled diplomat who tried very hard to help his fellow Jews in their time of need. (Lipman). Even if he did not manage to save the Jews of Spain, he did his best. In the end even such genis as his could not win against the ignorance of the masses. As it is said, "never underestimate stupid people in large numbers". I believe we can all learn a lesson from this story and apply its morals to our own lives. For our country is too a country of stupid people in small numbers. If they are not against the Jews they are against the blacks, homosexuals, or women. In the theme of Abravanel himself, let us all say to those small minded people who aren't weary of their own folly, "we shall remember you and your vile edict of expulsion forever."
Works Cited
Halsall, Paul. Jewish History Sourcebook: The Expulsion from Spain. July 1998. .
Jacob, Ovid C. The Expulsion Decree. Spring 1996.
< http://www.sirius.com/~ovid/abravanel.html>.
Lipman, E. David. Gates to Jewish Heritage. 1 August 2002. http://www.jewishgates.org/personalities/2abrav.stm.
Mekendrick, Melveena. Ferdinand and Isabella. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1968.
Telushkin, Rabbi Joseph. Jewish Literacy. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1991.