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Yeah, 'Kill' Is Never An Optimal Word For A Town Name
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The town of Castrillo Matajudios in Spain is voting on whether to change the name, which it's had for 400 years. That might be a hint as to why they might want to change it, See, it dates back to the Inquisition. Yes, "Castrillo Matajudios" means "Kill Jews Fort." The mayor wants to do a 180 and call it Castrillo Mota Judios -- "Hill of Jews." Um... not sure that's great, either, but it IS an improvement. I'll give Spain credit for trying to make amends: they're also proposing to grant nationality to the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were driven out of Spain. Okay, it took a long time, and since the expulsion or forced conversion of Jews dates back to 1492, that's a REALLY long time. But that's progress, I guess. (I'm not eligible -- Ashkenazic here...) (AP via New York Times)
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