Approaching Montjuïc as Part of the Historic Legacy of Barcelona

As with many Spanish cities, Barcelona is host to important medieval heritage of Jewish origin, including ancient burial grounds. When local authorities undertook archaeological activities to rescue this shared heritage, they encountered the strong (and sometimes aggressive) opposition of Orthodox and Ultra‐Orthodox Jewish groups. The argument given was the apparent incompatibility between archaeology and the Halakha. But the core of the conflict may lie elsewhere, revolving around two key issues: how we respond to religious claims in secularized societies, and how we reconcile common cultural assets in the public domain with today’s religious sensibilities in Europe.