(11 Feb 2023)
SPAIN SYNAGOGUE

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 4:01

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Utrera, Spain - 8 February 2023

1. Various of Utrear's Jewish Quarter
2. Various of the Hejal (Torah ark) discovered under a Christian altar
3. Various of the archaeological work at the synagogue
4. Various of Utrera Mayor José María Villalobos observing the site
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José María Villalobos, Mayor of Utrera:
"This phase is to certify scientifically that we are indeed in a synagogue of the 14th century, which was located in the Jewish quarter of the city of Utrera. From now on we know where we are and we know the curious history of the building. From now on we are going to continue with the archaeological project, continue in the prayer room that we have to finish the work, we want to make prospections in the exterior areas, and we want to discover a part that also has a lot of value.”

6. Close of wall detail
7. Various of works at the entrance of the old synagogue
8. Various of chief archaeologist Miguel Ángel de Dios Pérez
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Miguel Ángel de Dios Pérez, Chief Archaeologist of the Ancient Synagogue of Utrera:
"We are going to recover a property of which there are not many in the Iberian Peninsula, a synagogue of the 14th century. On the other hand, the value that it has is fundamental, it is the opportunity to recover a fundamental part of the history, not only of Utrera, but of the whole Iberian Peninsula. I am referring to having the opportunity to learn more about Sepharad (Jewish Iberian Peninsula) and to complete the information that we have today about this historical moment so important historically and socially for us."

10. Arch of a possible entrance to the synagogue seen through security mesh

LEADIN:

In Spain, a centuries-old Jewish prayer room has been found underneath a building that had until recently functioned as a bar.

The discovery is being widely celebrated by experts and local community, following the destruction of most Sephardic buildings and culture during the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century.

STORYLINE:

In the southern Spanish town of Utrera, a 14th-century synagogue is hidden within a building that was later converted into a church, then a hospital and most recently a bar.

The only hint of the Jewish temple’s existence came from a priest and historian, Rodrigo Caro, who wrote in 1604 that a hospital now stood on a site where Jews used to pray.

"This phase is to certify scientifically that we are indeed in a synagogue of the 14th century, which was located in the Jewish quarter of the city of Utrera," says José María Villalobos, Mayor of Utrera.

"From now on we know where we are and we know the curious history of the building. From now on we are going to continue with the archaeological project, continue in the prayer room that we have to finish the work, we want to make prospections in the exterior areas, and we want to discover a part that also has a lot of value.”

There are a tiny handful of medieval synagogues surviving in Spain, including in the cities of Toledo and Cordoba.

The Utrera synagogue was converted into a church in the 16th century when all traces of its Jewish past were erased.


"I am referring to having the opportunity to learn more about Sepharad (Jewish Iberian Peninsula) and to complete the information that we have today about this historical moment so important historically and socially for us."

The architect's team now hopes to identify the pulpit and a bath used for rituals.





AP video shot by Sergio Romeo
STORYLINE:

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