The road sign sitting at the entrance of the small Spanish town of Castrillo Matajudios, which means Castrillo Kill Jews in English, near Burgos on April 21, 2014. (Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images)
(JTA) — A town in northern Spain held an official ceremony to mark its name change from Kill Jews Town.
On Friday, Israel’s ambassador to Madrid, Daniel Kutner, joined representatives from the Jewish and Sephardic communities in Spain for a ceremony during which the town’s new name signs were installed, The Local-Spain reported. The town formerly known as Castrillo Matajudíos returned to its original name, Castrillo Mota de Judios, or Castrillo Jews’ Hill.
In June, the town used Castrillo Mota de Judios in the official state gazette. The name change was approved by the regional government of Castilla y Leon.
Last year, some 50 residents of the town voted for the name change at the suggestion of Mayor Lorenzo Rodriguez, who submitted the proposal to return to the original name. Rodriguez said the name was changed during the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
A massacre of Jewish people is believed to have taken place near the town in 1035, while another massacre happened inside the village in 1109, according to The Local.
In parts of Spain, especially in the north, locals use the Spanish term for “killing Jews” to describe the traditional drinking of lemonade spiked with alcohol at festivals held in city squares at Easter, or drinking in general.
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