Hold on. We’ll bring you up to speed before you go in.

The synagogue in Valencia de Alcántara, now a centre of Sephardic cultural identity, is located within the so-called Gothic Quarter, now part of the Network of Jewish Quarters in Spain. But one date changed everything: 1492, when the Catholic Monarchs decreed the expulsion of the Jews across all its territories. Following the edict, the diaspora began; many converted to Christianity, whilst others decided to load up their carts and seek a new life in Portuguese territory. But the tragedy was twofold: five years later, Portugal also decreed their expulsion, trapping thousands of Sephardic Jews in a cruel legal and geographical trap.

That’s it for the history lesson. Now, you’ll see the restored synagogue and insights into his everyday life that will give you food for thought. The centre uses 21st-century language to tell you about Sephardic traditions, from the Raya and that sense of togetherness that we sometimes forget.