29 January 2016
In Loving Memory of Raphael & Lily Serero ~ Marcel Serero, Grandson of R’Haim David Serero of Fez, Morocco, and Father of David Serero, Star of ASF's Theatrical Season
While minorities across the Middle East are suffering from Islamist intolerance, Morocco recently reasserted its historically open and tolerant character by hosting an international conference on the rights of religious minorities in Islamic countries: “The Monarch said Morocco has always been an outstanding model of cultural coexistence and interaction between Islam and other religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity.”
A discussion at “The Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities” Conference (Photo courtesy of Shahed Amanullah)
Interfaith dialogue, Brooklyn-style (Photo courtesy of Irina Tsukerman)
Young professionals from Morocco and various Jewish organizations in New York City, including the ASF’s executive director, Jason Guberman-P., have decided to meet on a monthly basis in order to cultivate new relationships, a “counterweight to the stagnant model of intercultural and interfaith dialogues that have become so popular within the NGO world.” The meetings come at a time when Morocco is consciously emphasizing the many dimensions, including the Jewish dimension, of its historical identity.
R’ Haim Louk leading the New Jerusalem Orchestra (Photo courtesy of New Jerusalem Orchestra)
Watch as R’Haim Louk, student of the great Moroccan-Andalusian payytan R’David Bouzaglo and one of today’s premier performers of Andalusian piyyut, entertains a Moroccan audience in both Hebrew and Arabic.
Morocco’s conference on “The rights of religious minorities in Islamic lands,” opened with a message from King Mohammed VI: “The Almighty… ordered that the People of the Book were to be treated fairly, in all circumstances… As Commander of the Faithful and Defender of the Faith, I am committed to protecting the rights of Muslims and non-Muslims alike… My grandfather, His Late Majesty King Mohammed V, protected Moroccan Jews against the tyranny of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime… Moroccan Jews, even second generation children of Jews who chose to migrate elsewhere in the world, have close bonds with the rest of society.”
Come visit ASF’s Leon Levy Gallery at The Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street) to view our new exhibition: “Baghdadis & The Bene Israel in Bollywood & Beyond: Indian Jews in the Movies”
on display now through March 2016
Click here for viewing hours and additional information
Flory’s Flame: The Life and Music of a Balkan Sephardic Composer, Flory Jagoda
February 16th at 7PM
at The Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY
Flory’s Flame is a compelling one-hour documentary about the life and music of renowned 90-year old Sephardic composer and performer Flory Jagoda. The documentary interlaces Flory’s personal narrative with selections from her moving September 2013 Celebration Concert at the US Library of Congress.
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The American Sephardi Federation's Sephardi House is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, New York, 10011).
