PRESS
Jewish Majorca has attracted the attention of the international media with the work and initiative that they have spearheaded in Majorca. Here is a sample of some of the articles and interviews that have come out since 2018 highlighting the exciting endeavors of the team of Jewish Majorca.Interview on i24 News
Enjoy the interview with filmmaker and Jewish Majorca founder Dani Rotstein who has made a documentary called “Xueta Island” in Mallorca (Majorca), Spain. The film explores Inquisition history, Jewish revival, and identity.
In 2022 he traveled throughout Latin America with his wife and son to continue investigating about newly emerging Jewish communities in that region in order to prepare for a follow up Netflix quality TV docu-series. Learn more about the upcoming project by clicking here.
VIRTUAL TOUR INTERVIEW
The international social network that promotes Jewish Heritage Judaic Tourism interviewed Dani Rotstein, who offered some tidbits of information of what you can see on the complete virtual tour available at this link.
The interview has been recorded in Spanish and has English subtitles. We hope you enjoy it!
BBC News
An American who landed in Majorca five years ago soon found himself working to revive the Mediterranean island’s Jewish community – with the help of families forced to convert from Judaism to Christianity 500 years ago. When Dani Rotstein arrived in Palma in 2014, he was planning only a short break from the crowds and chaos of New York City…
BBC Radio "Outlook"
When American Dani Rotstein touched down on the Spanish island of Mallorca, looking to start a new life, he thought he would struggle to meet other Jewish people. But to his suprise, there was a whole network for him to tap into. A community of Chuetas – Jewish people who’d had to forcibly convert to Catholicism hundreds of years ago. Emily Webb hears about Dani’s friendship with Miquel Segura, a descendant of one of them, who has brought Jewish customs back to the island.
Global Travel Authors
The following text and images were provided by Dani Rotstein, Founder & Owner of a unique cultural tourism company called Jewish Majorca. “Let me tell you about an exciting educational resource that is innovative and useful for Jewish communities around the globe!
The Jerusalem Post
After hundreds of years underground, Jewish life on the Spanish island is reawakening. In November of 2014, I moved to Majorca, an island off of Spain, thinking I would never meet another Jewish person there. I was quickly proven wrong when I found out about a volunteer-led synagogue with a small group of followers on the island. As I sat at one of the services, I learned that not everyone there was Jewish…
The Librarians
…Early on in life, I was raised with a strong sense of Jewish identity, though was never very observant. Growing up in New Jersey, USA, my parents sent me to a Jewish sleep-away summer camp where I befriended other Jews from around the country and learned the song “Wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish.”…
Halapid
In November 2014, I moved to Majorca (or Mallorca), an island off Spain, thinking I would never meet another Jewish person there. I was quickly proven wrong when I found out about a volunteer-led synagogue with a small group of followers on the island. As I sat at one of the services, I learned that not everyone there was Jewish. In fact, there’s a group of people on the island known as Chuetas…
eSefarad
Poner la J en Mallorca – Jewish Majorca Video Virtual Tour Initiative por Dani Rotstein
En noviembre de 2014, me mudé a Mallorca, una isla fuera de España, pensando que nunca conocería a otra persona judía allí. Rápidamente me demostró que me equivoqué…
Times of Israel
When US native Dani Rotstein moved to the Spanish isle of Majorca for work he didn’t expect there to be much of a Jewish life. However on further investigation he discovered not only…
Affordable Mallorca
Also known as Pesach in Hebrew and La Pascua Judía in Spanish, Passover is a unique celebration as it is not typically observed in the synagogues or community centers but rather in the homes of the Jewish families the responsibility to “tell the story” and “remember when we were slaves in Egypt” not resting…
Jewish News
We holiday in Majorca at least twice a year,” enthuses the Yorkshire tourist on the table next to us at dinner – and having only been here a short while, it’s easy to see why this Balearic Island is so popular.
Heritage. Florida Jewish News
For millennia, the Jewish people have overcome darkness. We have prevailed against those who sought to destroy us in each generation, by carrying our beliefs, traditions, culture, and most importantly our strong sense of peoplehood forward. Chanukah, the festival of lights, is a reminder that each one of us can carry the torch and lead our communities out of darkness.
The Jerusalem Post
Over the last four years, Dani Rotstein, originally from New York City, has been working to rebuild the Jewish community in the Spanish holiday island’s capital Palma, which was forced to accept Catholicism in a series of persecutions from 1391 to 1492.
Kan Radio Israel Interview Hebrew
28.8.2019 – הקשר הישראלי – אליהוא בן-און
Kan Radio Israel Interview with Ofer in Spanish
Dani Rotstein, judío nacido en EE.UU, quedó enamorado del legado judío de Sefarad y se trasladó a la isla de Mallorca. Al llegar, descubrió el término “chuetas”, que se refiere a los judíos locales que fueron obligados a convertirse al catolicismo durante la Inquisición. Actualmente, Rotstein ofrece tours guiados en la isla y participa en actividades que pretenden reavivar el judaísmo mallorquín.
E Jewish Philantropy
This past week, I was privileged to participate in a special collaboration. FED – a community-building initiative that I founded to feed people body and soul through delicious dinners, inspirational talks, and the company and creative energy of fellow guests – journeyed from New York City to Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain, to arrange a Shabbaton connected to Limud Mallorca (the Shabbaton was made possible by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Grassroots Events program).
Mallorca Zeitung
Die Geschichte des Judentums in Palma de Mallorca ist vielen älteren Mallorquinern noch präsent, im Stadtbild aber kaum zu sehen. Dabei gibt es bis heute rund 20.000 Nachfahren der Juden des Mittelalters, die oft an ihren Nachnamen identifiziert werden können. Die Gemeinde will jetzt mehr in Erscheinung treten
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Spanish island of Mallorca held its first Limmud program, a festival of Jewish learning. Some 85 participants out of a Jewish community of up to 200 participated in the daylong Limud Mallorca, which offered 18 sessions on Jewish topics in Spanish, Catalan and English, including for children and teens.
Aurora
El “Limud”, un evento creado para profundizar y difundir diversos aspectos del judaísmo, ha llegado a la isla española de Palma de Mallorca, donde siglos atrás hubo una vibrante comunidad judía. “Un lugar donde aprender de judíos con tatuajes, feministas ortodoxas, creatividad ritual, Chuetas, Tikun Olam, valientes mujeres pioneras, Krav Mavga, y recetas para elaborar Hummus o Challah en un día”, promocionaban en Facebook los impulsores del proyecto.
JTA
On this island south of Barcelona, Jews celebrate Purim these days pretty much as they do most anywhere else in Europe. There’s the reading of the Book of Esther at the small synagogue near the marina, followed by a costume party bringing together the different contingents of Palma’s Jewish population of several hundred: unaffiliated Israeli families, retired British sun lovers, Sephardic locals and French businessmen, to name a few.
Jewish by Choice
Mallorca has a special place in my heart. When I first got into Judaism I lived on the island Mallorca. Little did I know in that time that Mallorca not only has a growing Jewish community.
Jessica Katz Blog
So you thought this post would be all about rest and relaxation. Yes, I had a little of that, but there is more to Mallorca than meets the eye, and I had a chance to see a few sides of the island, and learn about some fascinating Jewish history.
Radio Sefarad. August 2019
Todo en esta entrevista es un poco especial. Primero porque hablamos de algo (un proyecto de documental) que aún no existe, pero ya está en marcha. Segundo, porque su primer impulsor es un joven de Nueva Jersey (EE.UU.) que apenas lleva unos años instalado en la isla mediterránea y ya ha organizado varios “Limud” y hoy día forma parte de la directiva de la Comunidad Judía de las Islas Baleares.
Affordable Mallorca
CJIB - Comunidad Judía de les Illes Balears
Dani Rotstein has many things that make a good city guide. He’s entertaining, he knows, and he’s burning for what he’s telling. It is only about four years ago that the now 39-year-old from New York for the first time strolled through the old town of Palma. A city that does not even remind attentive strollers of their Jewish past. It is the very past that makes Americans feel so connected to the old streets where Jewish traders and merchants swarmed more than 600 years ago: Rotstein is also a Jew. In the spring of last year, he founded an offshoot of the global Limud network in Mallorca, and has been a board member of the Jewish community since August. Above all, he wants to achieve one thing in both institutions: to bring Jewish culture and history closer to non-Jewish people as well and to create connections between the Jews of the island.
Affordable Mallorca
Radio Sefarad
El próximo 12 de mayo tenemos una cita en Palma, llega Limud Mallorca 2019 con un programa repleto de actividades, mesas redondas y conferencias para -comentan la presidenta y el secretario de este evento Karen Kochman y Joan Manuel Segura-, “todas aquellas personas, judías o no, interesadas en el judaísmo”. Y es que Limud es eso, aprendizaje, acercamiento.
Times of Israel
L’île espagnole de Majorque a accueilli son tout premier programme du Limmud sous la forme d’un festival d’éducation juive. Environ 85 participants issus d’une communauté juive de 200 personnes ont participé à ce programme d’une journée, intitulé Limmud Majorque.
Diario Última Hora
El Teatre Mar i Terra de Palma acogió el domingo el ‘Limud Mallorca 2018’, un encuentro internacional que se celebra por primer vez y en el que la comunidad judía da a conocer con conferencias simultáneas.
The Olive Press
The very first festival of Jewish learning has been held as an attempt to grow the island’s small but resurgent community. Organised by Limud – a global movement which aims to connect Jewish people – participants enjoyed cooking classes, a book club and hiking trips. 85 people attended the day-long festival out of the island’s 200 strong community.