Museo Judío David Melul

About the museum

The museum occupies a manor house from the mid or late 15th century, in the monumental complex around the church of Santa María la Mayor, just behind what was the palace of the Dukes of Béjar. The town council acquired the three-storey building in 2003 thanks to the financial contribution of David Melul, a businessman who had studied textiles in Béjar and whose name the museum bears. The building was refurbished for museum use, and the museum opened its doors in 2004.

The route follows a chronological order. The ground floor covers the history of Jews in Spain and in Béjar and brings together items such as the Fuero de Béjar (town charter), which regulated coexistence between Christians, Muslims and Jews; the gravestone of Doña Fadueña (12th–14th centuries); and ritual objects such as menorahs, megillot, tefillin and tallitot, as well as everyday medieval documents. This section ends with an audiovisual on the 1492 decree of expulsion.

The first floor is devoted to the conversos after the expulsion. A model of 15th-century Béjar shows the areas where a Jewish presence is documented, and the museum displays inquisitorial documents, a 17th-century Megillah of Esther and materials on Francés de Zúñiga, jester to Charles V. The second floor explains the Sephardic world, with maps of the routes of exile, audiovisual material on Judeo-Spanish, and testimonies from families with surnames such as Béjar, Behar and Bejarano.

Highlights

• Fuero de Béjar (town charter)
• Gravestone of Doña Fadueña (12th–14th centuries)
• Model of 15th-century Béjar with the Jewish areas
• Ritual objects: menorahs, megillot, tefillin and tallitot
• 17th-century Megillah of Esther
• Audiovisual on the 1492 decree of expulsion

Permanent exhibition

• Colección permanente: judíos, conversos y sefardíes – Three floors on the history of Jews in Spain and in Béjar, the converso world after 1492 and the routes of Sephardic exile.

Founded

2004

Operated by

Ayuntamiento de Béjar

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Wednesdays: free admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The municipal tourism portal lists the museum as accessible; the museum does not publish details of access or lift arrangements. The building has three floors.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

In the historic centre, next to the church of Santa María la Mayor and behind the former ducal palace.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small shop in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The building has a conference room and a room for researchers.

Plan your visit