CHAPTER 20: ARTISANS AND GUILDS – WORK
Series: Medieval Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza
Narrator: Ibn Gabirol
Direction and Production: Javier Bona López
Description
Step into the productive heart of the medieval Jewish quarter of Zaragoza, where work was not merely a means of subsistence but a form of prayer and dignity. Ibn Gabirol guides you through the workshops of goldsmiths, weavers, shoemakers, and tailors, revealing the secrets of their crafts and the complex social structure that bound them together.
Discover how the community was organized into the “three hands” — Major, Middle, and Minor — each with its own prestige and function. Meet the master artisans who mastered legendary techniques, the apprentices who dreamed of opening their own workshops, and the mutual aid brotherhoods that supported the most vulnerable.
From the metallic chime of goldsmiths to the rhythmic pounding of looms, from the penetrating smell of tanned leather to the earthy aroma of dyes, this episode immerses you in a complete sensory experience. A journey into the working soul of a community that built its world through effort, skill, and solidarity.
If you have enjoyed this journey into the heart of our aljama, I invite you to share it. You can listen to other chapters and series on the medieval Jewish quarters of Aragon, such as those of Calatayud, Tarazona, and Híjar, on the main podcasting platforms.
Zakhor. Remember.
Shalom.
Series: Medieval Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza
Direction and Production: Javier Bona López
SOURCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
CREDITS AND SOURCES
• Narrator: Shelomó ibn Gabirol (1021 – 1058/1070)
• Direction and Production: Javier Bona López
• Documentation and Advisory: Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader (San Jorge University of Zaragoza)
MAIN BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Blasco Martínez, A. “Textile Activity in the Aljama of Zaragoza at the End of the 14th Century.”
• Motis Dolader, M.Á. The Jewish Aljama of Zaragoza in the Late Middle Ages.
1. Blasco Martínez, Asunción. “Physicians and Patients of the Three Religions (Zaragoza, 14th Century and Early 15th Century).” Aragón en la Edad Media, No. 13, 1997, pp. 153–200.
2. Motis Dolader, Miguel Ángel. The Jewish Aljama of Zaragoza in the Late Middle Ages: A Socio-professional, Institutional and Scientific Analysis.
3. Canellas López, Ángel. La Judería Zaragozana. Cuadernos de Zaragoza, No. 2, 1974.
4. Pérez, Joseph. The Jews in Spain. Marcial Pons Historia, 2005.
Series: Medieval Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza
© Direction and Production: Javier Bona López
