AI Understands Anti-Semitism (!)

The image shown is a parallax reinterpretation of the famous painting by Plymouth-born artist Solomon Alexander Hart (1806–1881), titled The Proposal of the Jews to Ferdinand and Isabella. It was generated using a well-known text-to-image LLM after a brief discussion with the model about geopolitics, history, and Judaism.

Both the original painting and this version refer to the persecution of Jews in Spain under Isabella I of Castile, culminating in the Alhambra Decree of 1492, which expelled Jews from Spain. The great rabbinic leader and statesman Isaac Abrabanel, depicted kneeling in yellow robes, was offered exemption from the decree but refused any privilege that would separate him from the rest of Spain’s Jewish community. The scene portrays Abrabanel pleading before the Queen to revoke the edict, offering 30,000 ducats, an immense sum that could cover the costs of the decade-long Granada War.

At the dramatic climax, the Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada enters, replaced in the parallax version by Pedro Sánchez, holding a crucifix and declaring: “Judas sold his master for thirty pieces of silver; for how many will you sell this cross?” The outburst convinces the hesitant queen to proceed with the expulsion.

The modern reinterpretation emerged from a discussion with that LLM about the recent diplomatic rupture between Spain and Israel under the government of Pedro Sánchez. On March 11, 2026, Spain formally ended the mandate of its ambassador to Israel, Ana María Salomón Pérez, after she had already been recalled for consultations in September 2025.

When asked to draw historical analogies with Hart’s painting, the model depicted Sánchez as a modern counterpart to Torquemada. History often echoes itself, and AI may increasingly serve as a companion in geopolitical reflection. 

One might suggest that Sánchez study history, perhaps even with the help of an AI model; the lesson could prove valuable for his legacy.