One of those trends of history that most educated people encounter is the cyclical oppression of Jews in Europe.  Concurrent to that trend is the religious tolerance that was shown to Jews by certain Muslim nations in centuries past; especially when compared to their European counterparts.  In this vein, I recently (re?)discovered the Alhambra Decree, which you can read about via that great depository of cultural knowledge, Wikipedia:

The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon (not from the Kingdom of Navarre) and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.

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Beginning in the 8th century, Muslims had occupied and settled most of the Iberian Peninsula. Jews, who had lived in these regions since Roman times, were considered “People of the Book”’ and given special status and often thrived under Muslim rule. The tolerance of the Muslim Moorish rulers of al-Andalus attracted Jewish immigration, and Jewish enclaves in Muslim Iberian cities flourished as places of learning and commerce.

However, things went South after the fall of the Umaayad Caliphate, which was accompnied by conquest from Catholic nation states:

The Reconquista, the gradual reconquest of Islamic Iberia by the Catholic kingdoms, was justified by a powerful religious motivation: Iberia was being reclaimed for Christendom following the fall of the Visigothic Kingdom to the Umayyad Caliphate centuries before. By the 14th century, most of the Iberian Peninsula, present day Spain and Portugal, had been regained from the Moors.

As you can imagine, things only got worse from there:

Overt hostility against Jews became more pronounced, finding expression in brutal episodes of violence and oppression. Thousands of Jews sought to escape these attacks by converting to Catholicism; they were commonly called conversos, New Christians, or marranos. At first these conversions seemed an effective solution to the cultural conflict: many converso families met with social and commercial success. But eventually their success made these new Catholics unpopular with some of the clergy of the Church and royal hierarchies.

After the expulsion, most of the Spanish Jews who didn’t convert fled to Northern Africa, Turkey, Serbia, and Middle Eastern Mizrahi communities.

As I was reading about the Alhambra Decree, it made me reflect on just how tragic the modern conflict between Israel and the Arab community really is.  There are times and places in history when the Jewish and Muslim community had a relatively benevolent relationship.  It serves as a reminder that the complicated and violent relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbors need not be one of perpetual antagonism.  Obviously the unique circumstances of Israel’s genesis adds fuel to the fire that did not exist in 8th century Iberia.  But the historical cooperation of Jews and Muslims in Moorish Al-Andalus presents a vision of an abstract ideal which reminds us that such a benevolent relationship is possible.  Israel, Palestine, and their Arab neighbors need not be caught in a perpetual political struggle.  Ending that struggle may take more time (and tragically, blood) than any of us would like.  But if history is any guide, it is possible.  Hopefully, that end will come sooner rather than later.