A planned Hispanic Jewish Museum in Madrid has moved a major step closer to fruition after the foundation working on the project secured a facility to house the institution.
The museum will be located on a property owned by the Madrid Metro, which awarded the building to the Hispanic Jewish Foundation (Fundación HispanoJudía) through a public tender and on a rental basis agreement, the foundation announced Sunday.
The structure at 21 Castello Sreet is an architectural gem in the heart of Madrid’s prosperous Salamanca neighborhood.
“The Hispanic Jewish Museum aims to explore and display the common history between the Jewish and the Spanish-speaking worlds, numbering around 600 million globally, illuminating our shared values,” said David Hatchwell, president of the foundation, in a written statement.
The foundation has been working to realize its flagship project since 2016.
The museum, which is expected to be completed by December 2025, will feature interactive exhibitions as well items of historical value from major collectors and cutting-edge technology. It will guide visitors through centuries of history and allow them to discover the richness and diversity of Jewish culture within the Hispanic and Sephardic context, with the aim of building bridges towards a better future.
The building will be meticulously renovated and restored, respecting the original work of Spanish architect Antonio Palacios (1874–1945), the foundation said.
A team of prominent national and international architects and conservation experts will be involved in combining the grandeur of its original structure with advanced technology and innovative exhibition spaces.
Experts from around the world are working to gather collections of historical items, documents and artwork that will be exhibited in the museum, the foundation said.
The future museum will collaborate with educational centers in Spain, Europe and Latin America, as well as with collectors and prestigious institutions from around the world, including ANU—Museum of the Jewish People Museum in Tel Aviv, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the Hispanic Society of America in New York, MyHeritage.com, the American Sephardi Federation, the Red de Juderías de España (the “Network of Jewish Quarters of Spain”), the Museum of the Bible in Washington and Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
The Hispanic Jewish Foundation was established in Spain in 2016 with the objective of showcasing the strong connection between the Jewish people and the Hispanic world.
