An Enriched Sense of Jewish Touring in Europe |
Evgenia Kempinski, a private and online tour guide based in Barcelona, is a ubiquitous presence while roaming Spain’s capital city. Evgenia, who also goes by Jane, seems to be everywhere all at once, both as a highly-charged historian and a learned docent on the streets. Born in St Petersburg, Evgenia never misses an opportunity to hone her uniquely honed abilities in synthesizing the depths of Jewish history.
“As well as many other cities, Jews came [to Spain] a long, long time ago,” Kempinski tells me. “They came to Europe together with the Romans. We see it in the Jewish neighborhoods, the Jewish quarters, and we see Jews occupy top positions. Jews had villas and fancy lands. They were royal bailiffs, ambassadors, [and] doctors. They operated not only in business – as we tend to think [of them as doing] – but also occupied an important place in the intellectual life,” she adds.
Kempinski says she is “shaped by Israel,” yet calls Barcelona her “home and inspiration. I’ve guided Jewish heritage and general tours throughout Eastern Europe, and for the past six years, I’ve been giving online lectures on Jewish history in the diaspora,” she writes on her website, www.jewish-barcelona.com. “My interests range from medieval Jewish manuscripts to classical and modern art, from Sephardic journeys to Ashkenazi traditions.” She has made a concerted effort to, “uncover the links between history, culture, and the personal stories we carry.”
Unlike most guides who view their job as merely a........