Spanish Town Holds First Seder Since Inquisition; Spain Now Pleads for Jews It Forced Out in 1492

A town in northern Spain is preparing to hold its first Passover seder since the area's Jews were forced to flee the country during the Spanish Inquisition of 1492, the Forward (Jewish) website reports today (March 11, 2013).

The festive dinner will take place in the old center of the town of Ribadavia on March 25 and is being organized by the municipality's tourism department in partnership with the Center for Medieval Studies, a Ribadavia-based association which researches the history of Iberian Jews prior to their expulsion during the Spanish Inquisition that began in 1492.

Historian Abraham Haim -- the center's honorary president -- will be conducting the religious ceremonies at the seder, according to a report by La Voz de Galicia, a local newspaper. Anyone is invited to attend, but a seat costs about $40, the newspaper said.

Last month -- in an unusual effort to boost its poor economy -- Spain offered immediate citizenship to descendants of some 200,000 Jews who were forced out of the country in the 15th century, because of their non-Catholic faith.