Disingenuous: (of a person or their behaviour) slightly dishonest, or not speaking the complete truth – Cambridge Dictionary

In 1478, Ferdinand and Isabella, whose marriage and conquests cemented Spain as a unified kingdom, had instituted the Inquisition, an effort by Spanish clergy to rid the country of heretics. Pogroms, individual acts of violence against Jews and anti-Semitic laws had been features of Catholic Spain for over a century before the Alhambra Order, causing deaths and conversions that greatly reduced Spain’s Jewish population. Having already forced much of Spain’s Jewish population to convert, the Church now set about rooting out those who were suspected of practicing Judaism in secret, oftentimes by extremely violent methods. Tomas de Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, is said to have petitioned the monarchs to expel all Jews for years before they finally issued the order on March 31, 1492.

The text of the decree stated, that despite previous attempts to segregate Jews into separate quarters and the ongoing Inquisition, interaction between Jews and Christians persisted. It accused Jews of trying “to subvert the holy Catholic faith” by attempting to “draw faithful Christians away from their beliefs”, by teaching them Jewish laws, rituals, and beliefs, providing religious materials and ritually prepared food, performing circumcisions, and ultimately convincing them that Judaism is the only true faith, causing great harm to Catholicism.

The document argued that the only effective remedy was the complete removal of Jews, since by their “diabolical astuteness” they “continually wage war against us…. Because whenever any grave and detestable crime is committed by members of any organization… it is reasonable that such an organization… should be dissolved and annihilated.” Therefore, the monarchs decreed that all Jews of any age, residing in their kingdom, must depart and were forbidden to ever return, under penalty of death and confiscation of all property. Anyone assisting or sheltering Jews also faced severe penalties, including loss of possessions and titles.

The Alhambra Decree was enacted in March 1492 and was officially revoked in 1968.

The Jews of Spain were forced to leave on Tisha B’Av (9 Av 5252) – July 31, 1492.

How soon after the expulsion of the Jews on July 31, 1492 did Columbus set sail?

Christopher Columbus set sail on his first voyage on August 3, 1492 just 3 days later.

The Spanish conquest of the Americas began after Christopher Columbus first voyage and involved expeditions by conquistadors like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.

Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire in 1521

Pizarro defeated the Inca Empire in the 1530s

Spain rapidly claimed vast territories across the Americas The consequences were catastrophic for Indigenous populations:

Mass death (tens of millions) – Most deaths came from diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza introduced by Europeans

Violence and warfare – Conquest campaigns involved  massacres, and brutal suppression

Forced labor systems – Systems like the encomienda exploited Indigenous people in mines and plantations

Cultural destruction – Indigenous religions, languages, and social systems were often suppressed or erased.     

In some regions, up to 90% of the population died within a century of contact.

The Spanish conquest was a rapid imperial expansion that led to the collapse of major civilizations and one of the largest demographic catastrophes in human history—driven by disease, violence, and exploitation working together.

In 2009, the U.S. government passed an apology to Native Americans as part of the Defense Appropriations Act of 2010. It acknowledged: Violence, dispossession, and mistreatment by the government, broken treaties, the suffering of Native peoples

Canada has issued several formal, public apologies to Indigenous peoples, and they’ve generally been more visible and direct than the U.S. apology. But, like in the U.S., there’s still debate about how meaningful they’ve been in practice.

In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia formally apologized to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the Stolen Generations—children forcibly removed from their families.

The government of New Zealand has issued multiple formal apologies to Māori iwi (tribes), usually tied to settlements over breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Denmark has acknowledged harms tied to colonial policies in Greenland.

Spain has never issued a formal apology for the conquest of the Americas.

In 2019, Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked Spain and the Vatican to apologize for abuses during the conquest

Spain’s government rejected the request, saying it viewed the events as part of shared history rather than something to formally apologize for.

Did Spain write the playbook for Genocide?

“The Lady Doth Protest Too Much”

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)