After Yitzchak delivered one of his entertaining and informative architectural speeches, I exclaimed to Dr Perelis: “Yes! Yitzchak has reminded us that buildings do something.” The immobile facades at which we stare, whether we are aware of it or not, vie for our attention. As I mentioned in my presentation of the Synagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca, the structure’s Mudejar arches imbued the building not only with a sense of Islamic and Jewish unity but also bore traces of the Visigoths, who commonly employed such arches. If we are willing to notice our surroundings, to listen to the stories told by the art and architecture, we can begin to appreciate what we share in common with others.
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