GOVERNMENT

Lorenzo Rodríguez

Mayor of the village Castrillo Matajudios

The mayor of the village of Castrillo Mota de Judíos — which translates as “Jews Hill Camp” — in the northern Spanish province of Burgos, Lorenzo Rodríguez has been in the spotlight since 2014, when the village changed its name from Matajudíos, which means “Kill Jews,” to the more benign “Mota de Judíos,” reputed to have been the town’s original name when it was founded by a group of Sephardic Jews in the 11th century. During the last year, antisemitic vandals have targeted the village on two occasions, but Rodríguez has remained unbowed. “The perpetrators will not succeed in getting us to abandon our objective, which is restoring Castrillo’s Jewish memory,” Rodriguez said following an incident in August. “Truth and courage always beat hatred and cowardice. We will never kneel." (Photo: Youtube screenshot / AP)