{
  "id": 263013,
  "title": "Ceuta and Melilla: Europe's most fortified border also serves as a Jewish religious boundary",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/ceuta-and-melilla-europes-most-fortified-border-also-serves-as-a",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-07T12:20:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-904804"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every year, Rabbi Aaron Peretz climbs into a Spanish Civil Guard patrol vehicle and drives along the 12-kilometer steel fence separating the Spanish city of Melilla from Morocco. For most people, the barrier is a symbol of European border control, but for Peretz, it serves a different purpose. As the city's Jewish community leader, he checks that the security fence remains intact, fulfilling a religious requirement known as an \"eruv.\" This halachic boundary allows Jews to carry objects on Shabbat, and in Melilla, the fence already provides this function, eliminating the need for additional construction.\n\nWhile the fence's primary function is security, it has also become part of Melilla's Jewish religious life. This unique situation is not unique to Melilla; Ceuta, another Spanish city on the African continent, faces a similar challenge. Last week, Ceuta experienced a significant crisis when thousands of Moroccan nationals broke into Spanish territory, highlighted the vulnerability of these strategic border cities.\n\nMelilla, home to one of Spain's most vibrant Jewish communities outside of Madrid and Barcelona, has a rich history of multicultural coexistence. The city's Or Zaruah Synagogue, a stunning Neo-Mudéjar style structure completed in 1925, remains an active center of Jewish life. Founded in the 19th century by Moroccan Jews who settled in Melilla following the Hispano-Moroccan War, the community has endured through various challenges, including the Egoz tragedy in 1961, which resulted in the death of 44 Jewish passengers aboard a clandestine vessel.\n\nDespite Spain's sovereignty over Melilla and Ceuta, both cities have been the focus of international attention due to their disputed sovereignty by Morocco. Since 1497, Melilla has been a part of Spain, while Ceuta's ties to Spain date back several decades earlier. Spain maintains that both cities have been Spanish for centuries before Morocco gained independence in 1956.\n\nThe recent crisis at Ceuta's border, though primarily a migration emergency, has raised concerns among the local population. Some residents believe that Moroccan authorities were aware of the impending invasion, while the Spanish government maintains that Morocco was not involved. Regardless of the cause, the crisis has altered perceptions of Ceuta and Melilla, shifting the focus from merely a migration issue to a broader concern about Spain's security and sovereignty on its African frontier.",
  "summary": "The fortified border between Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish cities on the African continent, serves a dual purpose as both a security measure and a Jewish religious boundary. Every year, Rabbi Aaron Peretz, accompanied by his children, inspects the 12-kilometer steel fence to ensure it remains intact for the purpose of the eruv, a halachic boundary that allows Jews to carry on Shabbat. This unique use of infrastructure highlights how security measures in these cities have also become part of Jewish life. The fortified border, originally built to prevent illegal migration into the European Union, has become a symbol of Europe's struggle to control its southern border. However, for residents of Ceuta and Melilla, it represents something deeper – a reminder of the vulnerability of Spain's only two cities on the African continent. The cities are also home to vibrant Jewish communities, with Melilla being one of Spain's most prominent centers outside Madrid and Barcelona.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/263013.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Spain gives Italy two days to lift border checks on Spanish travellers after Ceuta migrant rush",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/spain-gives-italy-two-days-to-lift-border-checks-on-spanish",
        "published": "2026-08-07T12:05:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "'Brittle solidarity': What Ceuta tells us about unity in Europe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/brittle-solidarity-what-ceuta-tells-us-about-unity-in-europe",
        "published": "2026-08-07T13:11:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}