Letter writer inspired by historical article

Editor: In your It happened on this day in history item on March 2, I noted the short and crisp note that “on this day, 80,000 Jews were exiled from Spain”

Some background is needed : the Muslims from North Africa had been in control of Spain for 900 years.

There was a close relationship and a long mutual respect of Jews and Muslims ( “people of the Book”) and Jews lived freely and were welcome in Spain.

In the years leading up to 1492 , the new Roman Catholic kingdom in the north of Spain, led by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, were growing strong and hostile toward the Muslims. By 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella , had attacked and had gained control of virtually all of the many small Muslim mini-countries and cities within Spain, which after 900 years had become disorganized, weaker, and disunited.

The Catholic kingdom in a few years leading up to 1492, conquered all of Spain, sequentially, and the last Muslim state to fall, was the city of Grenada which I had visited with my family in 1988.

This Grenada Muslim army surrendered without a fight in order to protect the city.

There is a famous painting of the peaceful surrender of Grenada, which is on the wall of the Catholic cathedral in Grenada where the northern king and queen are buried and their caskets are prominently displayed.

The beautiful palace and castle known today as the Alhambra was spared by the Catholic king and queen because of its beauty.

When the sultan of Turkey heard of the exile of the Jews, according to what I read and researched some years ago, he sent a navy to Spain to gather up Jewish families and provide Istanbul as a place to live. The Jews built many Jewish synogagues in that city, which still are there today, along with a Jewish community and a Jewish cemetery.

The lack of respect by Roman Catholics of Jews in the late 15th century was truly shameful and the Muslims showed great respect for many Jewish communities.

John O Powell, Kelowna