Barcelona's Jewish history

Barcelona’s Jewish history is rich with influential figures who helped shape the city’s intellectual and spiritual legacy, especially during the medieval period.

One of the most prominent was Rabbi Shlomo ben Adret (Rashba), a 13th-century legal scholar and philosopher who led one of Europe’s most important Talmudic academies.

Another notable figure was Samuel ha-Sardí, a poet and scholar whose Hebrew inscriptions still survive in the city, offering a rare glimpse into the vibrant Jewish life that once thrived there.

Though the Jewish community faced expulsion in 1492, their contributions to medicine, philosophy, and commerce left an enduring imprint on Barcelona’s cultural fabric