 Avennu cacciatu i saracini di Granada, l'ultimu puntu di resistenza di Maumittani, Firdinannu e Isabella ea si cunsidiravanu i campiuni dâ Cristianità, vulevanu sradicari tutti i gruppi religiusi diversi dâ Spagna cattolica e cuminciaru ordinannu na campagna massiceia pi convertiri o cacciari l'Ebrei. Firdinannu e Isabella, sutta pressioni dû Gran Inquisituri Torquemada,1 finnarunu 1'edittu ntô quali accusavanu l'Ebrei di circari di convinciri i Cristiani a canciari religioni e di manciaricci u so benessiri tramiti l'usura, e ci ordinarunu a tutti di rinnegari a so religioni o irisinni di terri dû regnu a pena di morti o di confisca dî so beni. L'espulsioni dâ Spagna fu cunsidirata essenziali pi "extirpari ... la apostasia et iniqua pravitate Iudayca per li quali, operanti loru pratica et conversacioni hannu cadutu, (hannu fattu cadiri) multi cristiani in herisia et in alcuni erruri.)2 ntâ Sicilia, appartenenti â Spagna e guvirnata a ddu puntu di Don Firdinannu d'Acugna, ricurdatu dâ storia comu unu di Vicerè menu minchiuni,3 l'antisemitismu ca imperversava nta penisola iberica non era condivisu dî Siciliani e iddi non vulevanu ca ddi comunità ebraichi siciliani c'avianu statu nta Sicilia tantu tempu si nni issiru. U vicerè, capennu ca 1'edittu avia a provocari enormi impattu supra l'isula n'ô pubblicau fin'ô 18 giugnu 1492, du misi e menzu dopu c'avia statu proclamatu ntâ Spagna (31 marzu 1492) forsi spirannu ca a so implementazioni non avissi a virificarisi. Certu iddu sapeva ca n'azioni di dda magnitudini era destinata a criari animosità, specialmenti ntra i membri dâ putenti Camera Regia siciliana (u parlamentu siculu) ca puteva obbiettari nun sulu su basi di legalità---ddu corpu non avia statu consultatu supra na cosa ca era di granni impurtanza pi iddu---ma anchi pi ragiuni morali e economici. Perdiri a spirtizza commerciali di l'Ebrei viniva a essiri na catastrofi pi l'isula e iddi u sapevanu. U Vicerè sapeva puru c'a l'opinioni pubblica era contru 1'edittu picchì l'Ebrei avennu vissutu ntâ Sicilia pi tantu tempu, eranu già integrati ntô tissutu sociali dû paisi.
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Having driven out the Moors from Granada, the last stronghold of the Moors, Ferdinand and Isabella, who considered themselves the champions of Christianity, wanted to eradicate from Catholic Spain any other religious groups and set about the task by ordering a massive campaign to convert or drive out the Jews. Under pressure from the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada,1 Ferdinand and Isabella signed an edict in which they accused the Jews of proselytizing and of eating away at the well-being of Christians with their usury, and ordered them to convert to Christianity or to leave all Spanish realms within three months on pain of death and confiscation of all their wealth. Their expulsion from Spain was deemed essential to "extirpate... the apostasy and iniquitous perversion of the Jews who by their practice and conversations have induced many Christians into heresy and in some errors."2 In Sicily, which belonged to Spain and was governed at that time by Viceroy Don Ferdinand de Acugna, remembered as one of the better Viceroys,3 the antisemitism rampant on the Iberian Peninsula was not shared by Sicilians and they did not want to see their numerous and long-standing Jewish communities leave the island. The Viceroy, sensing the enormous impact that the edict was going to have on the island, did not make it public until June 18, 1492, two and a half months after its proclamation in Spain (March 31, 1492), perhaps hoping that its implementation would not take place. No doubt he knew that an action of that magnitude was bound to create animosities, especially among the powerful members of the Sicilian Camera Regia (Sicilian Parliament) which could have objected not only on legal grounds - that body had not been consulted on a matter that was of the utmost importance to them - but also for moral and economic reasons. Losing the entrepreneurial skill of the Jews would be catastrophic to the island and the elite knew it. The Viceroy also knew that public opinion was definitely against the mandate because the Jews, having lived in Sicily for so long, were already well integrated into the social fabric of the country.
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| Na vota ca l'edittu fu pubblicatu, Siciliani in posizioni d'autorità, inclusu u conti di Adernò, Tommaso Moncada---Gran Giustiziere dû Regnu --- i Giudici dâ Magna Curia, I Maestri dû Patrimoniu Reali, e u Tisoreri dû Regnu scrissiru na petizioni a Firdinannu e Isabella circannu di cunvincirili a non applicari 1'edittu. Autri organi prutistarunu puru cû Vicerè tramiti littri e udienzi personali. In essenza, sti petizioni contraddicevanu i ragiuni religiusi dati dû Re pi l'espulsioni e offrivanu autri punti d'impurtanza economica e sociali:
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Once the edict was made public, Sicilians in positions of authority, which included the count of Ademò Tommaso Moncada---Grand Justice of the Regnum---as well as the Judges of the Magna Curia, the Masters of the Royal Patrimony, the Treasurer of the Regnum, wrote a petition to Ferdinand and Isabella in an attempt to stop the edict from taking effect. Other bodies protested to the Viceroy with letters and personal appearances. In essence, these petitions briefly contradicted the religious rationale given by the King for the expulsion order and focused on a number of points of economic and social importance:
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| 1. Ntâ Sicilia l'Ebrei non avianu circatu di convinciri ê cristiani di canciari di fidi e mancu avianu causatu eresii;
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1. In Sicily the Jews did not try to convince Christians to abandon their faith nor did they cause heresies;
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| 2. L'Ebrei spinnevanu circa un milioni di fiorini l'annu pi manciari e vistirisi e si iddu fussiru cacciati l'isula vinissi a pirdiri sta enormi somma (Titta Lo Jacono stima câ somma è equivalenti oggi a 1,000 miliardi di liri);4
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2. The Jews spent nearly one million florins a year to feed and clothe themselves and if they were evicted the island would lose this enormous sum (Titta Lo Jacono, in his Judaica Salem, estimates this sum to be equivalent to three quarters of a billion dollars);4
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| 3. U commerciu tra l'Ebrei e i Cristiani vinissi a firmarisi cu granni perdita pî Cristiani; |
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3. The commerce between Jews and Christians would come to an end and cause much hardship on Christians; |
| 4. L'isula vinissi a perdiri l'industria dû travagghiu dû ferru, vistu ca tutti i firrari nta l'isula eranu ebrei. E chistu vinissi a purtari gravi danni pâ costruzioni di navi;
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4. The island would come to lose the iron works industry, which was totally in the hands of Jews. And this would have disastrous consequences on ship building;
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| 5. L'isula vinissi a perdiri travagghiaturi a pocu prezzu usati pâ costruzioni di difesi dî città contra incursioni pirateschi;
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5. The island would come to lose low-wage workers employed in the construction of city defenses against incursions by pirates;
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| 6.I cassaforti dû statu vinissiru a perdiri u guadagnu di tassi
imposti a l'ebrei;
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6. The state coffers would come to lose the income from taxes levied on the Jews;
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| 7.Certi isuli c'appartinivanu ô regnu, Malta, Gozzu, Pantal-
laria, abitati in gran parti d'Ebrei vinissiru a essiri diserti;
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7. Some of the islands belonging to Sicily, like Malta, Gozzo and Pantelleria, which were inhabited in large numbers by Jews would become deserted; |
| 8. In fini, l'Ebrei a eccezioni di pochi individui e famigghi ca sunu ricchi, sunu generalmenti accussi poviri ca si u limiti dâ scadenza non vinissi spustatu assai d'iddi s'avissiru a moriri di fami.5
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8. The Jews, finally, with the exception of a few individuals and families, were generally so poor that if the three months limit was not extended, many would starve to death. 5
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| Scritta in sicilianu, a petizioni havi un tonu di sbigottimentu, tristizza e incredulità. Nta na secunna littra scritta ô Vicerè dû guvernu municipali di Palermu, di tonu simili a prima, l'Ebrei sunu dichiarati innuccenti di l'accusi di usura e di aviri circari di minari a fidi dî cristiani. A littra dichiara categoricamenti ca non ci sunu ragiuni pi prucediri contra l'Ebrei picchì l'accusi non sunu basati supra i fatti: "et per quisto non se diviri exequiri contra quisto regno non ce essendo accaxuni ne ancora pir causa che dicti Iudei siano usurerj che in quisto regno non ce fo may tale exercitio che ipsi Iudei facessero publica usura."6
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The tone of the petition, written in Sicilian, is one of dismay, sadness and disbelief. In a second letter written to the Viceroy by the municipal government of the City of Palermo, and similar in tone, the Jews are cleared of the accusation of proselytizing and of usury: the letter states categorically that there are no reasons for proceeding against the Jews since the accusations are not founded on fact: "And for this reason the action must not be continued against this regnum since there are no reasons for it, nor can the cause be that the mentioned Jews are usurers for in this kingdom it has never been known that the Jews practiced usury publicly.."6
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