Lesson 6
Rising from the Ashes: The Renewal of European Jewry

The expulsion of Spain dealt a devastating blow to Sephardic Jewry, comparable to what the Holocaust would later mean for Ashkenazic Jewry. Eventually, the exiles found new homes in Turkey, Holland, Greece, and the Holy Land. During the aftermath of the expulsion, Jews found new strength within their tradition for making sense of the suffering and loss they had endured. The mystics in Safed taught Kabbalah, and introduced many spiritual practices emphasizing hope for redemption that endure to this day. The forerunner of the modern yeshivah, or house of study, was born. In spite of the irreplaceable losses they had sustained, the Jewish people emerged from the medieval era to experience a renaissance of Jewish life.