Jewish Majorca

03/06/2026

What does it mean to rediscover a Jewish identity that was hidden for generations?

Join me for a special online screening of Xueta Island, followed by a live Q&A where I’ll share the story behind the film, the making of the documentary, and the remarkable journey of Mallorca’s Xueta community. Grateful for the collaboration on the project with incredible filmmakers and

When I first arrived in Mallorca in 2014, I had no idea that a hidden Jewish story would change the course of my life. That journey eventually became Xueta Island.

I’d love for you to watch the film and join the conversation.

🎬 Online Screening + Live Q&A
📅 June 11, 2026

Registration link in bio or here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/xueta-island-film-screening-qa-with-filmmaker-tickets-1989345346483

Feel free to share with anyone interested in Jewish history, identity, Spain, or stories of resilience.

02/06/2026

In Seville, I stood with Dr. David Mendelsson before a powerful monument—a city’s gesture of reconciliation with its Jewish past. The plaque, with words from Elie Wiesel, reminds us to acknowledge history with both honesty and hope. In light of recent events in Barcelona, it’s a poignant reminder that healing comes from both confronting darkness and choosing to build understanding. Let’s keep shining light and fostering connection.

01/06/2026

Happy anniversary !

31/05/2026

My engagement ring was bought in a jewelry store in Sa Pobla, Mallorca by a family that has two Chueta last names: Segura Aguiló. Chueta means they are Catholic descendants of the Jewish Conversos from Mallorca Island.

29/05/2026

What does olive oil have to do with the Chuetas of Mallorca?

A few year ago, our community had the privilege of welcoming Rabbi Yossi Wallis, author of the book Incredible!, who shared a powerful teaching connecting olive oil to the story of the Chuetas.

Rabbi Wallis believes he may be a descendant of Rafael Valls, the last Crypto Jewish leader who they called “Rabi”and who was burned alive by the Inquisition in Mallorca in 1691.

He explained that olive oil never truly mixes with other liquids. No matter how much you stir it, it eventually rises back to the top.

In many ways, the Chuetas experienced something similar.

For more than 600 years, they faced discrimination, exclusion, and social barriers. Their neighbors refused to marry them, ensuring that the community remained distinct generation after generation. Many families stopped practicing Judaism centuries ago, yet they never completely lost the memory of who they were.

And today, something remarkable is happening. Some descendants are rediscovering their Jewish roots and finding their way back to Judaism.

Like olive oil, their identity never disappeared. It simply waited for the right moment to rise once again.

A powerful reminder that history, memory, and identity can survive far longer than anyone expects.

28/05/2026

“There’s no point going to church unless there are people inside.”

This was a phrase remembered within some Xueta families of Mallorca.

For centuries after the Inquisition, many descendants of forcibly converted Jews lived complicated double lives. Some families became deeply devout Catholics. Others attended church more out of survival, visibility, and protection from discrimination than from genuine belief.

In a society where everyone was watching, being seen inside the church mattered.

And the fear lasted far longer than most people realize.

At one point, there were discussions about creating a memorial with the names of Xueta families who had suffered persecution. But many descendants themselves opposed the idea.

Not because they forgot.

Because they were afraid.

Afraid their children and grandchildren would continue suffering the same discrimination they had experienced for generations.

That’s one of the most powerful things about Mallorca’s history.

The Inquisition did not only leave physical scars.
It left emotional ones too.

27/05/2026

Behind this church in Palma lies one of the most painful turning points in Mallorca’s Jewish history.

In 1435, following years of pressure, discrimination, and violence after the devastating attacks of 1391, the remaining Jews of Mallorca were forced into a mass conversion to Christianity.

The ceremony took place at Church of Santa Eulàlia, a church that for centuries became known locally as “la iglesia de los conversos” — the Church of the Converts.

Imagine the scene for a moment…

An entire community standing at the edge of survival, identity, fear, and uncertainty.

Many of those forcibly converted families would later become known as the Xuetes of Mallorca, descendants of Jews who continued carrying the memory of their origins for centuries.

History in Mallorca is not just hidden in museums.

It’s embedded in the streets, churches, names, and memories of the island itself.

27/05/2026

What an incredible day with our clients from the States as we explored the Jewish, Converso and Chueta history of Palma’s city center and then took to the mountains where our chaperones showed off the beauty of the Tramuntana with stops in the mountain towns of Valldemossa and Deia! If interested in a full day tour of Jewish and non-Jewish Majorca reach out! We are putting the J back in MaJorca!

26/05/2026

Most people have never heard of one of Mallorca’s greatest Jewish figures.

Rabbi Simeon ben Zemah Duran was born in Mallorca and survived the devastating anti-Jewish attacks of 1391 that swept through Spain and changed Jewish history forever.

Forced to flee, he eventually reached Algiers, where he would become one of the most important rabbis of his generation.

Known as the Tashbatz, based on the title of his famous responsa, his writings continue to be studied more than six hundred years later.

Think about that journey for a moment...

From Mallorca, through persecution and exile, to becoming one of the great voices of Jewish scholarship in North Africa.

History on this island runs far deeper than most people ever imagine.

25/05/2026