Small Spanish Village Named ‘Kill Jews’ Changes Name
by JNS.org
JNS.org – A Spanish village named Castrillo Matajudios (“Camp Kill Jews”) has finally officially changed back its name to Castrillo Mota de Judios (“Jews’ Hill Camp”) in the wake of a public referendum and approval by the regional government.
The small village, which only has 50 residents, originally voted to change the name in 2014 due to concerns over the name being offensive and a desire to honor the village’s Jewish heritage. The new name is actually an original name of the village prior to 1627, when the name was changed to the controversial version.
The name Castrillo Matajudios evokes the painful history of Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity, flee, or be killed if they refused to convert following the 1492 Inquisition edict. Experts believe that local converts from Judaism to Christianity adopted the controversial name in order to reinforce their repudiation of Judaism and avoid the suspicion that they were still practicing their original faith, theAssociated Press reported.