Shalom; I belong to a jewish forum (in Spanish originally, but now participants are writing in English, Hebrew, Brazilian, etc..like a babel tower...)named Shalom and we are rallying against the shamelessly destruction of the Spanish jew's heritage... If you kindly post this two letters (one a claim to the world, the other a request to the Bishop of Seville to intercede for this cause) we would really appreciate this. Also if you can spread them, it will make the situation to become better known in our jewish community and also the gentile ones. This is best way we know to make this unfair situation to be repaired. Thanks for your help!!! Shana Tova Umetuka; toda raba!!!
(if you would like to contact us do it to my e-mail in English or the Rav's one in hebrew or spanish, in the text)
Letter 1:
Shalom from Israel to all the representatives and civil employees of different Jewish communities and to the members of the Jewish lists and forums, as much of Hispanic speech as of other languages. For approximately a year I have been consulted on a fact of peculiar characteristics, and requested my advice and advising as a rabbi. I will detail to the best the matter with the documents that I have on my possession. It is well known that in Spain, there have been Jewish communities from remote times, inclusively before a Spanish kingdom existed. Where a Jewish community settled down, of course as it is custom of our community, estates for different uses were bought and one of them is of course the purchase of a land to be used like a cemetery. From the times of Abraham always there has been a Jewish custom of buying the land destined to deposit the remains of our loved ones, this I want to leave well in clear, then never is made a cemetery without buying lands properly, and this I clarify it because there is people who can not know our custom of acquisition of the land. Therefore all Jewish cemetery anywhere, in all the cases, was bought of permanent way and the estate belongs to the Jewish community and the human remains that there are in them cannot be touched, nor be removed since it is private property. About 9 years ago, approximately, in Seville authorities, archaeologically began to remove and to study a Jewish cemetery of century XII, it does not fit doubt that is a Jewish cemetery, by the form and disposition; even highly qualified personnel expressed it. I expressed to the people who consulted me on the subject, that they did not have to remove the bones of the place, but already they had done so. I said to them that the remains had to return to rest in earth, and they did not do it. I also said to them that they did not have to leave the bones exposed at public sight and this either was not done.
I have not pronounced myself by a year of time with the hope to appeal to their sanity, but nothing of all it was done, in the first place I must say that here, an evident case of property robbery exists, since the people and relatives of the buried ones there, paid for the place where they were put to rest. I stress, from times of Abraham, our patriarch, we have always followed with this custom because we must assure an estate destined to Jewish cemetery, always, always the lands were bought. Moreover, does not exist permission to expose the remains of Jews, either from the Judaism or from the Jewish community, and in this case the bony remains of our ancestors were removed off their place where they rested and today they are put in cardboard boxes without honors and shamelessly. I appeal to the Jewish community worldwide to mobilize itself on this matter, and I will give all the elements that I have to my disposition, translate this to other languages, because here it is an evident theft of a Jewish estate and a total lack of respect to our ancestors who rested in their own earth. Everything what is not exposing at sight is being transferred because they do not fit anymore in the cellar where they were. I do not want to think skeptically "that they have been lost", if it were thus, another solution would be considered: a parliamentary interpellation that it can make any Spanish citizen. So I also appeal to the people of Spain that can do something for this situation. If the remains do not rest with honors and in the ground nothing good will occur to all those implied in this serious squandering and bad action. Given the date of the cemetery it is with total security that in the place great sefarades Jewish personalities were put to rest there. And all the remains of our ancestors are is in the Archaeological Museum of Seville at this moment.
The address of this museum is:
Pavilion of Beautiful Arts.
Seat of America
41013 SEVILLE
SPAIN
Web page:
www.junta
andalucia.es/cultura/areas/institucional/directorio/musarqse/musarqse.htm
Address in Spanish (probably this is the one to write
on the envelope):
Pabelln de Bellas Artes.
Plaza de Amrica
41013 SEVILLA
Spain
The Head of the Museum is Fernando Fernandez Gomez ( the one to send the letters), and soon I am going to give names of some other implied political civil employees in the matter. I send some photos of the excavations, but I also have other material to classified first, before releasing it to the public. This is of extreme urgency and responsibility; it is also necessary to appoint a commission to work on the matter.
Finally I hope that the Highest one blesses you all. Remember that to give worthy rest to our greater ancestors is one of the Mitzvot (positive rules) so, it is requested to spread this to all list and Jewish forums by mail.
Thanks for your help and attention
Sincerely,
Berl Kalman Schtudiner
Rabbi & Shojet
Israel
e-mail:schtudin@israsrv.net.il
With the collaboration of
the participants of
Shalom Zionist Forum
Visit us at: http://www.melodysoft.com/cgi-bin/foro.cgi?ID=fotoshalom
Letter 2:
B.H (with the consent of the Highest one)
With my greater consideration and respect I go to you, eminence the Bishop of Seville, in order to transmit my preoccupation to you on the subject of the bony remains of unearthed Jewish people of century XII with archaeological interests, and, afterwards, were not given back to its place where they were put to rest. As it is of public knowledge, Jewish communities always acquired all the estates used for cemeteries from the times of Abraham by purchasing them. Everything what is not exposed in the Archeological Museum of Seville, is being transferred because they do not fit in the cellar where they were. I do not want to think badly and suppose that the remains "have been lost"Given the date in which the cemetery was established (XII), it is sure that the bones of great Sephardim Jews personalities were buried in there...
Everything is at the moment in the Archaeological Museum of Seville:
ADDRESS:
Archaeological Museum of Seville
Pabelln de Bellas Artes.
Plaza de Amrica
41013 SEVILLA.
The Director of the Museum is Fernando Fernandez Gomez. I put into your knowledge this information, so I would appreciate if you do us the favor of having a word with Mr. Gomez in order to give a deserved rest to our ancestors who dwelled there and were so shamelessly exhibited in public, or thrown with no compassion into boxes in a corner of a cellar. Simply, I request that they are returned to their respective tombs, because as her eminence knows, it is our custom that they must rest in the land. I appeal to your reasonable mercy and tolerance, and all I request a simple act of repair and kindness towards our predecessors.
I take advantage of the opportunity to greet you and hope you many blessings.
Sincerely
Berl Kalman Schtudiner
Rabbi, Shojet
(Thanks to the Shalom forum, I leave this letter in different places as a test of good will)
arzobispado@diocesisdesevilla.org,
interjudaica@gruposyahoo.com.ar