Last month, the autonomous region of Murcia, located in southeastern Spain, signed an agreement with a Jewish organization to take steps to preserve the legacy of its Jewish history. The Jerusalem Post reports:
The agreement was signed . . . in the old synagogue of Lorca, unique among synagogues throughout Spain in that it was never converted into a church. Lorca is a city that served as the frontier town between Christian and Muslim Spain in Middle Ages, where Jews frequently served as intermediaries between the two communities.
Murcia had a rich and active Jewish past, with several notable Jews residing there, including [the 13th-century statesman] Moses ibn Turiel. Many of the port city’s Jews were historically involved in the maritime trade. It is speculated that these connections were ultimately important when the majority of Jews who fled overseas during the Expulsion from Spain in 1492 used the ports in the region to travel to other parts of the Mediterranean and beyond.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/rich-sephardi-legacy-of-murcia-brought-to-light-after-agreement-signed-634970