Shavei Israel Q&A – Jose Manuel Camarero, Spain
Jose Manuel Camarero
Jose Manuel Camarero has been fascinated by Judaism since he was a teenager. Ten years ago, he began to actively explore his Jewish roots. Today, the 65-year-old retired high school teacher from Granada, Spain, is creating beautiful Jewish art. He tells his story here.
What did you know about Jews and Judaism when you were growing up?
From the time that I was an adolescent, I already believed that the Jewish people were chosen to transmit the words of the Creator and that G-d gave the Bible to the people of Israel, but my parents never transmitted any messages about our own Jewish roots.
What are you doing now to learn more about Judaism?
I have started to buy books on Judaism, such as the chumash (Torah), the Shulchan Aruch (the code of Jewish law), the Zohar (a Kabbalistic Jewish text), books on midrashim (commentaries on the Torah), and more. I study easy conversational Hebrew online at my house.
I have also attended seminars sponsored by Shavei Israel – one in Seville and another in Israel. I studied with Rabbi Nissan Ben-Avraham (Shavei’s emissary to Spain) and others from Shavei Israel such as Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum and Rabbi Chanoch Avitzedek. I practice all that I can here in Spain, according to what I have studied.
Camarero's painting of The Song of Songs
You have created a painting based on “The Song of Songs” in the Torah? What is its symbolism?
In my painting, the pigeon is a symbol of plenty. She hovers over the water which represents the Torah. The Torah is the reason for the bird’s existence and beauty. The rose and the waterfall are both mentioned in The Song of Songs as well.
Would you like to live in Israel?
Yes. I have been to Jerusalem twice for the festivals and to pray in the synagogues there. The purpose of my visits was to explore how to live in Israel afterward.