About Toldot Barcelona: Jewish Heritage in Barcelona's Old Jewish Quarter
Awakening Jewish heritage in Barcelona
Toldot (תּוֹלְדוֹת) in Hebrew means generations, histories and the unfolding of a lineage. It reflects our mission: to recover forgotten stories, share historical knowledge and bring Barcelona's Jewish heritage to life.
Toldot Barcelona is a Jewish heritage project specialising in guided tours and cultural education. Founded in 2016 and based at Casa Adret in El Call, Barcelona's medieval Jewish Quarter, we explore more than a thousand years of Jewish presence in Barcelona and Catalonia. Through private walking tours, visits to historic sites and archives, and educational programmes, we connect visitors and local communities with the people, places and stories that shaped Jewish life here.
Our story: from research to the streets
Toldot began in 2016, founded as a branch of Mozaika, Barcelona's Jewish cultural platform, dedicated since 2009 to sharing Jewish history, thought and culture. The idea was simple: to take the research of historians, researchers and cultural organisations beyond books and institutions, and into the streets where that history unfolded.
We wanted to go beyond conventional sightseeing, combining historical research and storytelling with a deeper understanding of the community that once called Barcelona home.
In 2017, Mozaika founded the Casa Adret project. The house, believed to date to the 12th century, took on a new life became a living centre for Jewish heritage, research, education and cultural exchange. It gave Toldot a physical home where Jewish culture could continue to be explored.
During this period, our work expanded to include cultural events, workshops and food-related experiences, exploring the connections between Jewish history, traditions and everyday life, opening Jewish cultural and heritage to a range of audiences. Toldot gradually returned to its core focus: specialist Jewish heritage tours and historical research.
Toldot today
Our core work is Jewish heritage tourism and education:
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Private Jewish heritage tours of El Call, from a 2-hour highlights walk to a 4-hour deep dive
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Private guided visits to Casa Adret
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A Jewish Manuscripts & Archive Tour, by special arrangement, with reproductions of medieval documents from the Cathedral of Barcelona's archive
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Educational programmes for families, schools, university students and visiting study groups
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Sephardic cultural activities, including Challah workshops, sensory spice tours and concerts
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Help organising intimate events, such as Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, for local and international families
Casa Adret remains at the heart of this work: more than a historic building, a living cultural space that connects the city's medieval Jewish heritage with contemporary Jewish culture and education. Every tour helps sustain Casa Adret and its cultural projects. Each one is also a chance to discover a less familiar side of Barcelona.
Learn more about Casa Adret in here.
Our approach
We believe Jewish heritage should be explored with curiosity, historical rigour and respect for the people whose stories we tell. We tell the documented history, and we explain where legend and history part ways.
In collaboration with Mozaika, we have had the privilege of working with local and international universities and cultural institutions, including Hatikva College, the AEPJ (European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage) the Paideia Institute of Jewish Studies and the Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA Call). We are also proud partners of the EU project MIRETAGE, an Erasmus+ project that creates heritage routes linking the histories of minority communities across Europe. Toldot is featured in the European Commission's Handbook on Jewish Heritage (see initiatives and projects)
The people behind Toldot-
a note from the founder
I founded Toldot in 2016 to take the research and writing of the Mozaika collective out of print and onto the streets of El Call. Passionate about heritage, the arts and uncovering Barcelona's lesser-known stories, I've spent the past decade guiding Jewish heritage tours and developing experiences that bring the city's Jewish history to life.
Today, I lead Toldot alongside guides and educators from the Mozaika community, sharing Barcelona's Jewish heritage with local and international audiences in English, Spanish and Catalan. Our work brings together historical research, specialist knowledge and a shared passion for uncovering the lesser-known stories of the city. Among our specialists is Dr Goretti Luis Cobreros, an expert in Hebrew manuscripts from AlAndalus, whose scholarly knowledge enriches our exploration of Jewish textual heritage and medieval history.
Toldot reminds us that heritage is not only something we inherit. It is something we continue, renew, and pass on. We can't wait to share this fascinating history of Jewish Catalonia with you!
- Eva McGowan, founder and director
