You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 54.163.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪Blablubbs‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 17:28, 10 March 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 18:27, 12 November 2023
- Expiry of block: 18:27, 12 November 2028
Your current IP address is 54.163.179.242. The blocked range is 54.163.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|Iberian Moorish and Jewish communities))
((for|the South African political party|Al Jama-ah))
((Multiple issues|
((More citations needed|date=February 2008))
((Citation style|date=July 2016))
))

'''''Aljama''''' (((IPA-es|alˈxama|lang)), ((IPA-pt|alˈʒɐmɐ|lang)), ((IPA-ca|əʎˈʒamə|lang))) is a term of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] origin used in old official documents in [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]] to designate the self-governing communities of [[Moors]] and [[Jew]]s living under [[Christians|Christian]] rule in the [[Iberian Peninsula]]. In some present-day Spanish cities, the name is still applied to the quarters where such communities lived, though they are many centuries gone.

The Jewish communities of Spain, owing to their social isolation and to the religious and political regulations imposed upon them, had always formed groups apart from the rest of the population. The authority exercised by their own [[rabbi]]s and the system of [[tax]]-collection by the heads of the congregations for the administration of communal affairs, placed them almost completely without the jurisdiction of the government of the country; and, as a result, they soon came to be dealt with by the officials not as subjects amenable to the general law of the land, but as collective bodies with special privileges and special duties.

Thus, the [[Visigoth]]ic kings imposed a tax not upon each individual Jew or upon the heads of families, but upon the community as a whole, allowing the communal authorities to fix the individual rate of taxation. But both under the Visigoths and under the Moors there was neither regularity in the transactions of the rabbis and elders nor system in the attitude of the government toward the Jewish communities. With the reestablishment of Christian rule, however, the relation between the government and its Jewish subjects gradually became a well-defined one.

In 1219 and 1284 in [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], in 1273 in [[Barcelona]], in 1290 at [[Huete, Spain|Huete]], and on more than one occasion during those years in [[Portugal]], councils were held of Spanish officials and Jewish representatives for the purpose of establishing a just rate of taxation for Jewish communities, and of devising adequate means for tax-collection. This first official recognition by the government of the Jewish communities as separate bodies led to a still further change in the treatment of the Jewish congregations and in the legislation, both local and national, regarding them.

The [[bishop]]s of the various districts assumed immediate authority over them, and, in conjunction with Jewish representatives, formed rules which were henceforth to govern the communities. The elections of rabbis and [[judge]]s were to be held at stated intervals, and the names of these dignitaries submitted to the bishop for approval; there was to be a ((lang|es|Rabino mayor)) (((lang|es|Rab de la corte)); ((lit|[[Crown rabbi (Iberia)|court rabbi]]))) for the presentation of communal questions before the proper authorities; and the heads of the congregation were made answerable for the conduct of the community. In all government action, whether local or general, the unit considered was in most cases the community, not the individual Jew.

The governing authority of the state sometimes nominated a member of the Jewish community to the administrative position of [[crown rabbi (Iberia)|crown rabbi]] to act as intermediary between the aljama and the state. For example in the [[Kingdom of Aragon]], King [[John I of Aragon|John I]] issued edicts in 1386 defining the functions and duties of the ((lang|es|Rab Mayor)). There were various requirements as to the good character and faith of the person holding the position, as well as a requirement that he live among the entourage of the Court, and thus away from his community, and in constant contact with the Christian majority population. His powers and authorities over the ((lang|es|aljama)) of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]], economic, judicial, and otherwise, were specified.<ref name="Alvarez-2001">((cite journal |url=http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=209673 |journal=Edad Media: Revista de historia (Middle Ages: History Magazine) |language=es |title=El cargo de Rab Mayor de la Corte según un documento de Juan II fechado en 1450 (The post of ''Rab Mayor'' in the Court according to a document of John II issued in 1450) |last1=Crespo Álvarez |first1=Macarena |date=2001 |number=4 |issn=1138-9621 |pages=157–198 ))</ref>

==Etymology and development of the concept==

The word ''aljama'' comes from Arabic and refers to the [[Jama Masjid]] of a Muslim community, where believers pray [[Jumu'ah]], the communal Friday prayer.<ref name="Diccionari">((cite book |language=ca |author-last1=Mestre i Campi |author-first1=Jesús |author-last2=Salrach i Marés |author-first2=Josep M |author-last3=Termes |author-first3=Josep |date=1998 |title=Diccionari d'Història de Catalunya |trans-title=Dictionary of the History of Catalonia |page=28 |location=Barcelona |publisher=Edicions 62 |isbn=84-297-3521-6 |oclc=788979334 ))</ref>

The word ''aljama'' is derived from the Arabic ((lang|ar-Latn|jama)) ('gather') plus the definite article ((lang|ar-Latn|al)). It((Clarify|reason=I suppose "it" means "jama", not some compound with the definite article?"|date=June 2016)) originally meant 'congregation', 'assembly', or 'group', but was, even before the establishment of Spanish rule, applied by the Moors to their own religious bodies and the larger [[mosque]]s, and especially to the Jewish communities in the midst of them, and to the [[synagogue]]s and schools which formed the center of all Jewish life. The term was adopted by the Christians, and its meaning extended so as to designate also the quarters that Jews and Moors had made their own. In some Spanish cities, the former Jewish quarters are still known by that name, even though the [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain|Jews were expelled in 1492]].

Very often, for purposes of distinction, such phrases as ((lang|es|Aljama de los Judíos)) ('Aljama of the Jews') and ((lang|es|Aljama de los Moros)) ('Aljama of the [[Moors]]') were used. But the circumstance that the Moors of Spain had by the term designated more especially the Jewish community has left its trace in the use of the word in Spanish; for in Spanish literature ((lang|es|aljama)), without any further specification, stands for ((lang|es|[[sanhedrin|sanedrín]])) or ((lang|es|Judería)) ('Jewry'), or even for the Jewish place of worship, in the concrete as well as in the abstract sense. This use occurs at a very early date. In the "Poem of Alexander", the "Milagros de Nuestra Señora", and the "Duelo de la Virgen" of [[Gonzalo de Berceo]], all of the 13th century, ((lang|es|aljama)) or ''alfama'' is employed to designate the people of ancient [[Jerusalem]]; and the historian of the 16th century, <!--can anyone identify this person further-->Mariana, uses ((lang|es|aljama)) for the synagogue: "they devastated their houses and their ((lang|es|aljamas))."

==''Tecana'' of Valladolid==

A good example of how much self-government was granted to the Jewish Aljamas is afforded by the "resolution of the meeting", in Spanish called ((lang|es|tecana)) (from [[takkanah]] (((lang|he|תקנה))), a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word that, like ((lang|es|sanedrín)), has been incorporated into Spanish) arrived at by the Aljama of [[Valladolid]] in 1432. The report is written partly in Hebrew, and partly in Spanish with [[Hebrew characters]], and is preserved in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]] at [[Paris]] ("Fonds hébreux", No. 585).

From this document it is learned that, at Valladolid, electoral meetings were held by the community every ten years, and that the particular meeting of which an account is given in the document took place in the latter part of [[Iyar]] (end of May) and lasted for ten days. The following were some of the matters decided or discussed: 
# The necessity of the [[Talmud Torah]], or [[Hebrew school]], and the rate of taxation for the maintenance of the same, which was decided upon as follows: five [[maravedi]]s for each of the cattle killed, and one for each sheep; five maravedis for every flask of wine. Five maravedis were also to be paid by a married couple on the day of their wedding, and by a boy on the day of his [[bar mitzvah]]. A certain tax was also laid upon inheritances, and various other means of revenue were devised. In connection with this question the employment and salary of private or itinerant teachers were discussed.
# The election of the judges and of the rabbi of the court, to which much space is accorded in the ((lang|es|tecana)). 
# The attitude of the individual Jew in his relations with the state. This was by far the most important question discussed. Since permission to decide [[Private law|civil]] and [[criminal law|criminal]] cases before Jewish judges had been granted by the Spanish government, and since "the Christians, though they be well versed in law, know nothing of [[Jewish law]]s," no Jew might plead before a Christian judge, whether [[canon law|religious]] or civil, except in cases where the taxes and imposts due to the ruler were in litigation, or where special permission was obtained from the ((lang|he-Latn|dayan)), or chief judge of the Aljama. A Jew who arrested another Jew with the aid of a Christian was to be apprehended by the ((lang|he-Latn|dayan)); for a second offense of the same nature, he was to be branded on the forehead and expelled; while the third offense was made punishable by death.

The ability to impose [[capital punishment]] is indicative of how wide the Jewish community's autonomy was.

==Derived words==
From ''aljama'' are derived:
*((lang|es|Aljamado)), adjective and noun, the inhabitant of an ''aljama''
*((lang|es|[[Aljamiado|Aljamía]])), the Spanish [[vernacular]] used by the Jews or Moors, but more specifically the Spanish or [[Mozarabic]] language written with Hebrew characters by the Jews, and with [[Arabic letters]] by the Moors
*((lang|es|Aljamiado)), adjective and noun, one who speaks or knows the ((lang|es|aljamía)).

==Similar unrelated words==
* Spanish ((lang|es|[[Alhama (disambiguation)|Alhama]])) and Portuguese ((lang|pt|[[Alfama]])) derive from Arabic ((lang|ar-Latn|[[hammam]])) (((lit|baths))).
* Arabic ((lang|ar-Latn|ra's al-galut)) meaning [[exilarch]].

==References==
((Reflist))

===Sources===
* ((JewishEncyclopedia|wstitle=Aljama))
* William Milwitzky [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1240&letter=A Aljama], in the ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''. That article, in turn references:
** Francisco Fernandes y Gonzales, in ''Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia'', vii. 156 et seq.; 
** F. Fita, "Acta de Toma de Posesión de Una Aljama Israelita", in ''Ilustración Católica'', Nov. 21, 1880.
* ''Diccionario de la [[Real Academia Española]]''.
**[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=aljama aljama]. There is a [[homonymy]] with a different etymology meaning 'mosque'.
**[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=aljam%EDa aljamía].

[[Category:Christianity and Judaism]]
[[Category:Islam in Spain]]
[[Category:Jewish Spanish history]]
[[Category:Jewish self-rule]]
[[Category:Arabic words and phrases]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Aljama (edit)
Template:Abbr (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation style (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Cite Jewish Encyclopedia (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite encyclopedia (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite journal (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite wikisource/make link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Clarify (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix-span (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:For (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:IPA (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:IPA-ca (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:IPA-es (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:IPA-pt (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:JewishEncyclopedia (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Jewish Encyclopedia (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Lang (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Lit (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Literal translation (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Multiple issues (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Multiple issues/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Str endswith (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Thin space (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Thinsp (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:DecodeEncode (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Exponential search (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:For (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:IPA (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:IPA/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:IPA/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/ISO 639 synonyms (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Lang/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana languages (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana regions (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana suppressed scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Language/data/iana variants (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:TableTools (view source) (protected)
Module:Template wrapper (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unicode data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unicode data/scripts (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Aljama.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aljama"