Before looking at the flourishing Jewish life of Spain, it is necessary to look briefly at the relationship between Jews and Muslims around that time. A large part of the Jewish diaspora had been controlled by Muslims, and although a large number of Jews accepted Islam, many stayed as "protected peoples", that is, at the same status as Christians. Early Arab conquests had brought together the Jewish people under one central political frame, which drew them closer together. For the next few centuries, the two religions lived quite well in co-existence. Any discriminatory legislation was either ignored or poorly enforced. There were isolated examples of violence, such as the massacre of the Jews in Granada in 1066, but this was a rare occurrence. Most discrimination against the Jews had also been aimed at Christians as well, sometimes as a forerunner.

By the 13th century, things took a turn for the worse as the Muslim world faced pressure from the Christian West and the Mongol East. Different dress codes were enforced, and outbreaks of violence against Jews became more common. Mellahs, similar to ghettos, were set up by the Muslims to keep the Jews safe, although the Jews felt more humiliated than aided.

We must also look at the life of the Jews in Spain before the Muslims arrived. Since Roman times, the Spanish Jews had faced terrible persecution, including voluntary conversions, forced baptisms and expulsions. As the Muslim world grew and started to threaten Spain, rumours were abound of the Jews willing to help the Muslims. Jews were regarded as traitors to the realm. Therefore, when the Muslims did attack Spain, the Jews not only encouraged them, but fought alongside them! The towns that were captured were administered by the Jews as well. Southern Spain did well from the Muslim presence. When the north of the country was engaged in heavy fighting, the south was flourishing in trade, agriculture and technology.

Seeking to separate themselves fully from Babylon, the Jews elected a rabbi for Cordoba around the year 950. But for the next few years the Jewish community became more unstable as the Cordoba caliphate started to collapse, and the protection started to dwindle. Although the Jews merited well from it, offering their services as scribes and the like to anyone who needed them, the political upheavel made their position a precarious one.

There were a few very influential Jews in the community, though. In 1038, a Jew called Samuel ha-Nagid led Muslim forces into battle. Samuel happened to be a great poet of the time. But at the same time, a few influential Jews were being deported or executed under mysterious circumstances.

The attacks on Granada in 1066, most famous to the English for the Norman Invasion, was indeed a very sour time, although some great thinkers survived the attack by fleeing, for example, Maimonedes fled to Morocco. In 1168, Maimonedes completed the work "Commentary on the Mishnah", and five years later, his brother died. Maimonedes became a physician, saying that to depend on Torah to earn one's keep was wrong. Physics was not an uncommon science to delve into at the time, particularly with the keen Arabic interest in the sciences. By 1185, Maimonedes had become the physician at Saladin's court, after having mastered medicine. He also became the head of the Jewish community in Cairo. The "Guide For the Perplexed", a text in which he explains the answers to questions for those who have studied Torah but are troubled by some of their findings, was finished in 1190. The Mishneh Torah, however, was the greater work, having been commented on for generations now. Maimonedes died on December 13 1204, and in Fostat there were three days of public mourning, as well as a fast in Jerusalem.

The Expulsion from Spain was, in a way, forewarned by the rise in violent attacks on the Jews. The flourishing culture set up there was dismantled in between the date of the expulsion (30 March 1492) and 31 July, by which point the Jews had either converted or fled. Of those who fled, many went to Portugal where, a few years later, they were all forced to baptise or die. Those who converted were known as marranos, which translates as swine. These New Christians tended to carry the religion on in secret, and the Inquisition had a tendency to follow them when they moved, even outside the country. A large number of Jews fled to Italy, although this was not really a satisfactory stopping-point because of the political climate. The safest place to go was to the world of Islam, such as Morocco and other parts of North Africa. Rules of separation there were strong too, but at least conversions were not enforced. Many fugitives fled to the Otooman Empire, particularly Solomon Ashkenazi and Solomon Aben-Ayish, who became influential in that society.

Those that were converted in 1497 in Portgual kept the faith for many years, while wearing the mantle of Christianity. However, while being New Christians, they had slightly more rights than the Jews of old did and hence travel, although restricted, was not as hard. Hence when a chance to emigrate came, it was eagerly taken. As a result, a large number of Jewish communities around the world are due to the rapid fleeing of these Jews. The Jews who are descended from these communities are known as Sephardi Jews.