In 2012, my family and I went on a family trip to Spain. One of our first stops was Cordoba. We immediately went to the Jewish Quarter. In the center was a huge Maimonides statue. After we walked by the statue, we came by an antique store. We went inside the store and found a replica of the beautiful Maimonides statue. We decided to get it to remind us of the history of Judaism in Spain.

The figurine of Maimonides reminds us of our wonderful trip to Spain. It reminds us of the long history of Jews in Spain. We explored the golden age of Judaism in the Andalucian part of Spain and learned that Judaism in the 1100's was not that different from the Judaism of today.

Maimonides' real name was Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known as Rambam. He was one of Judaism's greatest scholars and philosophers. He was born in Spain, but fled to Morocco, then Israel, then Egypt, when fanatical Muslims took over Spain. He wrote the Mishneh Torah, which is a codebook of Jewish laws. He taught us about the different levels of giving Tzedakah as well as many other things. He also wrote the Guide to the Perplexed. Maimonides was also a practicing doctor and leader of Cairo's Jewish community.