The Key from Spain

Debbie Levy
Which family treasure to you carry with you?
A Scattered Culture. 
Flory Jagoda's family traced its routes to Spain, where for centuries Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish descent) lived in harmony with other cultures. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, they immagrated to lands around the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. Sephardic Jews built new communities wherever they settled-places like present-day Turkey, the Netherlands,Morocco, and Argentina- but they always remembered "the golden age" of Spanish life long ago. Many hoped, in the words of Flory's Nona (Ladino for "grandmother"), to "return to Spain, find the house, open the door-and be home once again!" Flory's family eventually journeyed to the Bosnian mountain village of Vlasenica, where they lived peacefully with the local Muslim and Christian communities. Unfortunately, this period of coexistence did not last forever. Nonetheless, the Sephardic dream of coexistence and the historical connection to Spain are still cherished to this day.
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