ABSTRACT
The history of antisemitism in Spain parallels and overlaps with similar developments elsewhere, drawing upon many of the same themes and points of conflict. The demonization of the Jews and Judaism, while neither constant nor universal, had been woven into the fabric of Christian society since late antiquity and could be invoked at will. As with the earlier persecutions under Visigothic rule, those initiated by the Almohad rulers may be considered something other than antisemitism in the strict sense. Official denunciations of antisemitism and efforts to celebrate the Jew’s historical contribution to Spanish history have been contradicted by a popular embrace of antisemitic attitudes that ranks among the highest in Europe. Today, fear of an unseen Jewish threat to a just and stable world order remains prevalent in Spanish society, drawing on many of the same conspiracy theories of Jewish influence in world politics, media, and finance that can be found in other nations.
