Jewish life in Spain and antisemitism

Key rules

• Where to live: Madrid and Barcelona have the fullest Jewish life; elsewhere the choice is smaller.
• Kosher: Check shops and restaurants locally, because they open and close often.
• Crimes: Report threats, violence or damage to the police and tell your community.
• Work discrimination: Report it to the labour inspectorate, then the labour courts if needed.

Where Jewish life is easiest

Organised Jewish life is concentrated in a few cities. Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest communities and offer the most. Spain's Jewish population is roughly 40,000 to 50,000 people, so outside the main centres you will find far less.

Other communities exist in Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Alicante, Benidorm, Marbella, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Granada, Córdoba, Ceuta and Melilla.

The Federación de Comunidades Judías de España (FCJE) is the umbrella body and the state's official partner for Jewish affairs. Most local communities belong to it. Some Reform and Chabad groups operate outside it, so contact both if you want a full picture of a city.

Kosher food, synagogues and schools

Madrid and Barcelona have the fullest provision: kosher shops and restaurants, synagogues and Jewish schools. The schools are Colegio Estudio Hebreo in Madrid and Escola Jueva in Barcelona.

Málaga, Marbella, Valencia, Sevilla and the Canary Islands also have kosher services, but the choice is smaller. Chabad centres in many cities offer food and services.

Kosher certification comes from rabbinate bodies linked to the FCJE and the main communities, along with international certifiers. Ask your local community which certificates it accepts.

Shops and restaurants open and close often. Confirm with the community before you rely on one, and before you choose a town because of it.

Antisemitism: what to expect

Monitoring groups report a clear rise in antisemitic incidents since October 2023 and the war in Gaza. This is mostly online hate speech, graffiti and verbal harassment. Official hate crime figures list antisemitism as a small category, a few dozen cases a year, and the latest Interior Ministry hate crime report has current numbers. Surveys of Spanish attitudes have found comparatively high levels of antisemitic views.

Most newcomers live without serious problems, but be aware of it. Local communities can tell you about security arrangements around synagogues and schools.

Where to turn for help

If it may be a crime, such as threats, violence or damage, report it to the police and tell your community, whose monitoring work records incidents.

If it is discrimination that is not a crime, several routes exist:

• Work: report it to the labour inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social). Cases can then go to the labour courts.
• Public offices: the Defensor del Pueblo takes complaints about public administrations. Regional ombudsmen do the same locally.
• Shops and services: the equal-treatment authority (Autoridad Independiente para la Igualdad de Trato y No Discriminación) handles these complaints, but it has been slow to start working. Ask first whether it is taking cases.
• Free guidance: the Consejo para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial o Étnica advises victims, mainly on racial and ethnic grounds. NGOs such as SOS Racismo also help.
• Religious minorities: the Fundación Pluralismo y Convivencia supports them and runs the Observatorio del Pluralismo Religioso.

Keep screenshots, dates, names and witnesses. The questions below cover specific cases.

Frequently asked questions

Who do I contact about religious discrimination at work that is not a crime?

Report discrimination at work to the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, the labour inspectorate, and then you can go to the labour courts. The Fundación Pluralismo y Convivencia, which is state-funded, supports religious minorities. Regional ombudsmen and NGOs such as SOS Racismo also help.

Where can I complain if a shop or public office refuses me service because I am Jewish?

For a public administration, you can complain to the Defensor del Pueblo, Spain's national ombudsman. The Autoridad Independiente para la Igualdad de Trato y No Discriminación is the body for equal-treatment complaints, but it has been slow to get going. The Consejo para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial o Étnica gives free guidance to victims.

Does every Jewish community in Spain belong to the FCJE?

No, most local communities belong to the Federación de Comunidades Judías de España (FCJE), but some Reform and Chabad groups exist outside it.

How do I find out how much antisemitism is recorded in Spain now?

Check the latest Interior Ministry hate crime report, where antisemitism is a small category with a few dozen cases a year. Monitoring groups such as the Movimiento contra la Intolerancia and the FCJE report a clear rise in online hate, graffiti and verbal harassment since October 2023.