History of the Jews in the Balearic Islands History of the Jews in the Balearic Islands The history of the Jews in the Balearic Islands goes back more than a thousand years. Jews have lived in the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, belonging to Spain. These are situated to the east of Valencia, the three principal of which are named Majorca (Spanish, Mallorca), Minorca (Menorca), and Eivissa or Ibiza. The group first formed the Kingdom of Majorca; later it became a Spanish province under the domination of Aragon. According to the chroniclers, there were Jewish inhabitants in the Balearic Isles as early as the 2nd century. In the
History of the Jews in the Balearic Islands 5th century, at the instigation of Bishop Severus, a persecution of the Jews took place in Mahon (Magona), the capital of Minorca. As a result, a number of Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. In consequence of the persecutions of the Almohades in Spain (1146), the number of Jews on the islands increased, and in Palma, the capital of Majorca, a large synagogue and two smaller ones were erected. The Jews engaged in trade and agriculture; and estates, both hereditary (rahals) and leasehold (alguerias),