Gibraltar (known as the "Rock") is a small peninsular located on the southernmost tip of mainland Spain overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The territory was captured from the Kingdom of Granada by the Kingdom of Castile in 1462, and formally became part of the Kingdom of Spain on the formal union of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon in 1516. Gibraltar was captured by English forces in 1704 and in 1713 was ceded formally to the United Kingdom of Great Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht. In 1830, Gibraltar was formally accorded the status of a British Crown Colony. In 1981, its status was changed to that of a "British Dependent Territory", which term was replaced by "British Overseas Territory" in 2002. Gibraltar is part of the European Union and Gibraltarians have full British citizenship. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY Jewish presence in Gibraltar of more than 650 years was first recorded in 1356, when the community made an appeal for the ransom of a group of Jews captured by pirates. The community grew under British rule with 600 Jews in Gibraltar by mid-18th century, peaking at over 1,500 in the mid-19th century. In 2001, approximately 580 Jews lived on the Rock. Jewish Community of Gibraltar 10 Bomb House Lane Gibraltar Tel. 350 726 06 Fax 350 404 87. Website: http://www.jewishgibraltar.com Photographs of Jewish Community [January 2016] The JewishGen All-UK Database contains Gibraltarian records, including burials from 1829 until 1931. Search of the Gibraltar Records. See also JCR-UK (JEWISH COMMUNITY & RECORDS - UNITED KINGDOM) - GIBRALTAR HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN GIBRALTAR - WIKIPEDIAJEWS OF GIBRALTAR - HARUTHGIBRALTAR VIRTUAL JEWISH HISTORY TOUR |
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