Walk through the narrow alleys of Girona’s Call and you enter a city within a city — a place where silence holds secrets. In 1492, despite the passionate defense of Don Isaac Abravanel, who pleaded with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella not to expel Spain’s Jews, Girona’s Jewish community vanished almost overnight. Locked doors, buried manuscripts, and half-forgotten memories remained — alongside whispers of a mystical circle that shaped the future of Kabbalah. Centuries later, while laying tracks for a new trainline, visible remnants of that world reemerged.
Girona was once a powerhouse of mystical creation. Here, the Circle of Gerona mapped the Tree of Life, charted the stars for kings, and taught in synagogues that doubled as schools of hidden wisdom. Some traces are visible today — the Museum of Jewish History, the Nahmanides Synagogue, stone streets polished by centuries of footsteps. Others remain buried, waiting for those willing to look deeper.
This is not a guide for the ordinary tourist. It is for seekers — those who want to touch what lies beneath the stones of Catalonia.
The Circle of Gerona
In the 13th century, Girona was home to one of the most influential Kabbalistic schools in Jewish history. Known as the Circle of Gerona, it stood second in importance only to Safed in Galilee. Here, Isaac the Blind guided students such as Azriel and Ezra of Gerona, who laid down the foundations of the Tree of Life and its interwoven sefirot.
Many scholars hold that the Circle of Gerona gave the Tree of Life its enduring form and names — the version that would become dominant in the world of Kabbalah. Even the structure later used by Moshe Cordovero (the Ramak) differs from what first emerged in Girona.
More about: the Circle of Gerona
The Nahmanides Synagogue
At the heart of the Call stands the Nahmanides Synagogue. Against all odds, after more than 500 years of silence, Girona once again has a functioning synagogue, led by Rabbi Yakov.
Tradition suggests this may have been the very yeshiva where the Circle of Gerona studied. Historians debate the evidence, but the possibility alone charges the space with energy. To step inside is to feel continuity — a people returning to prayer in a place thought lost forever. Highly recommended to visit the synagogue and rabbi Yakov. The only active synagogue on the jewish peninsula active in a medieval quarter. If you’re a Jewish man, bring your tefilin and put them on …. you wont regret it.
Science and the Stars
The Jewish community of Catalonia was not only mystical, it was also scientific. Medieval Jewish scholars became masters of astronomy and astrology, often serving as royal advisors. Abraham bar Ḥiyya of Barcelona (1065–1136) and Levi ben Gershon (Gersonides) (1288–1344) shaped European science with their astronomical works.
One of the most remarkable figures was Jacob ben David Bonjorn (14th century). Working at the court of King Peter the Ceremonious of Aragon, Bonjorn compiled astronomical tables for the latitude of Perpignan (1361). These tables — essentially medieval software — allowed the calculation of eclipses, lunar phases, and conjunctions of the sun and moon. His work drew on Jewish predecessors such as Abraham bar Ḥiyya, Maimonides, and Gersonides, and was later expanded by Abraham Zacuto, whose tables guided explorers of the Age of Discovery.
In Girona’s story, we believe the study of stars drew upon the same source of expertise as the circle of gerona; cosmic mapmaking. To align heaven and earth, knowledge and mystery.
The invisible hero of Jewish Girona: Josep Tarrés
Centuries of silence might have buried Girona’s Jewish past for good, if not for the dedication of Josep Tarrés (1929–2021). A poet, cultural activist, and visionary, Tarrés helped bring Girona’s Jewish quarter back into the city’s consciousness.
The joint effort of two associations from Gerona and the artist José Tarrés has made it possible to rescue the Call of Gerona from the oblivion of centuries and prevent it from being a victim of real estate speculation.
His legacy includes:
- In the late 1970s, acquiring medieval properties in El Call and opening a cultural bar-restaurant, Isaac el Cec, inside the old synagogue complex.
- Designing, with sculptor Pia Crozet, the Star of David courtyard that anchors the Museum of Jewish History.
- Creating the intimate Jardí de l’Àngel in 1998, linking poetry, heritage, and contemplation.
- Co-initiating Girona’s Temps de Flors in 1954, today one of the city’s defining cultural events.
Without Tarrés, many of Girona’s Jewish secrets might still lie hidden beneath the city’s stones.
Girona Kabbalah Leadership Tour
Discover how the legacy of Kabbalah in Gerona continues to guide seekers and leaders toward transformation. Learn more →