THE Network of Jewish neighborhoods in Spain – Caminos de Sefarad strengthens its territorial structure and its common project with the incorporation of six new municipalities, after a technical evaluation process developed throughout 2024 and 2025.
THE admission of Seville, Calatayud, the … Autonomous city of Melilla, Uncastillo, Llerena and Valencia de Alcántara It crowns a rigorous membership process begun in the fall, which included the presentation of technical reports, official evaluation visits and technical presentations before the Network’s governing bodies.
As reported by the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods in Spain – Caminos de Sefarad, the period for receiving applications opened between October 1 and December 15, 2024, during which interested municipalities had to present a technical report accrediting the existence, conservation and marking of relevant Jewish heritage, approved by an academic body of recognized prestige.
Likewise, candidates had to check municipal investment made in the recovery of Jewish heritage and commitment to the development of cultural and tourist activities linked to Sephardic culture.
After the deadline for submitting applications, the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods in Spain created a technical commission, made up of the management and technicians of the member cities, which, between December 15, 2024 and July 15, 2025, was responsible for evaluating and verifying the applications, including carrying out official visits to the finalist municipalities.
The technical commission of the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods in Spain carried out official technical visits to the six candidate municipalities between the months of March and July 2025, with the aim of verifying on site the information provided in the technical reports and assessing the state of conservation, signage and management of Jewish heritage, as well as the degree of institutional involvement of each municipality.
On December 1 and 2 of this year, the six municipalities carried out the technical defense of their applications in Madrid, at the headquarters of Turespaña and the Sefarad-Israel Center, before the Presidency Table of the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods of Spain in person and before the technical commission.
At the end of these sessions, the Technical Commission submitted its final reports to the Presidency, the Presidential Council and the General Assembly.
In the 68th General Assembly of the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods in SpainOn December 12, the twenty-one member cities voted on the applications, approving the admission of the six municipalities.
New cities will acquire full member status from January 1, 2026.
30th anniversary
The year 2025 marks a particularly important moment for the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods in Spain, coinciding with the celebration of its 30th anniversary, an anniversary that reinforces the trajectory and consolidation of the common project developed by the member cities throughout these three decades.
In this context, the Network is immersed in the definition, development and implementation of a new Strategic Plan, aimed at strengthening its positioning, updating its lines of action and facing future challenges in terms of heritage management, cultural promotion and institutional cooperation.
Likewise, the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods of Spain announced that, within the framework of FITUR 2026, the institutional ceremony of handing over the Presidency will take place, from the mayor of Ribadavia, César Fernández, to the mayor of Segovia, José Mazarias, as well as the official presentation of the new members of the Network.
The year 2026 also presents itself as a stage of dynamism and renewal, with the development of new tourism and heritage promotion actions, as well as the strengthening of collaborations with national and international entities, aligned with the objectives of the new strategic framework.
Within this framework of consolidation and projection towards the future, the Network of Jewish Neighborhoods of Spain has confirmed that new applications for membership will not be accepted for at least the next four years, a decision that reinforces its orderly growth, based on historical rigor, adequate conservation of heritage and the commitment of the cities that compose it.
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