Oldest synagogue in Spain

I had a really busy Friday - I spent hours talking to Sikhs, who were running the hospitality kitchen and serving us stuff like potato curry, lentil soup, gulab jamoun, which I kept on taking from people who crazily enough weren´t eating theirs. I never knew anything about Sikhs, except that they looked like 11th century Jews - I never knew that they are a monotheistic religion, give 10% of what they earn to charity, etc. Seeing their exhibits and listening to their prayers made me want to visit their temple in Amisrar, Punjap, India. Fascinating people. The Mideast women had a panel discussion which drew so many people that there was standing room only. I was interviewed by English radio and of course it was thrilling. I prayed I´d say the right thing and not sound foolish. But nothing came close to the experience I had Friday night. My friend Eliyahu invited me to go with him to this old synagogue in downtown Barcelona which is open only once a month but this time they opened it for the Parliament participants. I figured what the heck, I´ll go. We were greeted there by the person who holds the key to this place - a nondescript building in the medieval part of town - no sign, no nothing. He opens the gate and we walk down a few steps. I am astounded. This place was excavated with the excavations being a Roman building which was THE major synagogue in Roman times. The synagogue was recently discovered in 1987 by a Catalan historian who mentioned to the man who now holds the keys that according to papers he discovered from an Aragon king in 1290 - who gave permission for this synagogue to be renovated - the site of the synagogue is HERE. They uncovered the remains by taking off 60 tons of rubble covering it. The Jews used this synagogue until 1391 when they were expelled from Barcelona. The began to reuse it sporadically from the late 1990s. I asked to light Shabbat candles as I do every Friday night. I didn´t think lighting Shabbat candles in the convent where I was staying would have been appropriate. As people poured into the synagogue (including a tv crew - who filmed us during services), this Swami-looking rabbi began the services. We sang loudly, we danced like dervishes, we said the äncient Shma prayer (Here o´Israel the Lord is God, the Lord is One) enunciating each word slowly, like a slow mantra. We covered our eyes while saying this prayer. When we uncovered our eyes, every one in the room wiped their eyes. It was powerful for every one of us to be there in this rediscovered place of worship, which was hidden for hundreds of years. It was as if all the souls of the people who had been praying there before 1391 were there with us, singing and praying with us. I felt it. I felt them. I never felt this way before in any synagogue or house of prayer. We ended our prayers by sharing what we were grateful for. We made a blessing over wine, and walked out of the synagogue, back into the modern world....