Spanish Village That Dropped ‘Kill Jews’ Name Hit By Anti-Semitic Graffiti Attack

By The Guardian
Posted on 12/08/21 | News Source: The Guardian

The mayor of a Spanish village whose former name was an ugly reminder of the country’s medieval persecution of its Jewish population has vowed to carry on with plans for a Sephardic memory centre despite an antisemitic graffiti attack this week.

Seven years ago, the 52 eligible residents of Castrillo Matajudíos – Camp Kill Jews in English, voted in a referendum to change the village’s name back to Castrillo Mota de Judíos, which means Jews’ Hill Camp. The name change was formally approved by the regional government of Castilla y León in June 2015.

Documents show the village’s original name was Jews’ Hill Camp and that the Kill Jews name dates from 1627 – 135 years after the edict that ordered Spain’s Jews to convert to Catholicism or be expelled.

Despite the authorities’ efforts to make amends for the past, the village has once again fallen victim to antisemitism. On Monday morning, the mayor, Lorenzo Rodríguez, tweeted pictures of the graffiti, which included phrases such as “Juden Raus [Jews out]”, “Long live the Catholic Monarchs”, “The mayor’s sold out to the killer Jew”, and references to the grand inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada. The walls of the town hall had been defaced, as had those of the Sephardic memory centre – which is currently under construction – and a sign leading into the village.

Rodríguez said he had reported the graffiti to the Guardia Civil, adding the “cowardly, disgusting, violent and intolerant” attack would not stop the village from opening its Jewish memory centre next year as planned.