Sarah Abrevaya Stein and Julia Phillips Cohen’s Sephardi Lives: A Documentary History, 1700-1950, the recent winner of the National Jewish Book Award in the category of “Sephardi Culture,” sheds light on the everyday experiences of Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 14th and 15th centuries by making use of more than 150 primary sources, “including private letters from family collections, rabbinical writings, documents of state, memoirs and diaries, court records, selections from the popular press, and scholarship.” “Rich and heterogeneous,” writes Randall Belinfante, Director of ASF’s National Sephardic Library and Archives, ”this wonderful compilation is an outstanding endeavor to preserve a history and culture that might otherwise be lost.”
A Yemeni writer describes how old families in Sana’a still remember how “any village or neighborhood inhabited by Jews was turned into workshops for industries and crafts of all kinds.” Yemeni Jews once manufactured silver jewelry, crafted wooden windows, and carved the walls of houses, mosques, and schools, often adding the distinctive “Star of David,” a symbol of high-quality work sought after by collectors today (see Amal al Yarisi’s photo essay, “Yemen’s Jews Leave Their Mark in Handicrafts and Architecture,” for examples). The Jewish artisans’ reputation has even inspired non-Jewish craftsman to add “the Star of David [into their work] in order to convince people their work was Jewish.”
A Yemeni Jew adorned in traditional jewelry for her role as Queen Esther in a Purim pageant, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1934 (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress).
This short documentary (2012) by George Itzhak, a young member of the Bukharian community, provides insights into the Museum and its creator, Aron Aronov.
How does an East African Jewish woman find herself opening up a club in the heart of Harlem? Meet Beejhy Barhany, who escaped to Israel from Ethiopia at the age of seven (“I remember sitting on the roof of the truck amongst suitcases looking at wild animals in the safari”), served three years in the IDF, and traveled through the Americas, eventually settling in New York City, where she now serves Ethiopian Firfir, Yemenite Mallawach, and a healthy dish of culture at Tsion (“the ultimate spiritual place”) Cafe.
Beejhy Barhany, founder of the Tsion Cafe at 763 St. Nicholas Ave., serves Ethiopian, Israeli, and Mediterranean cuisine to her customers (Photo courtesy of Tadias Magazine)
Class in a Jewish School, circa 1920s, Quba, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, a Shi’ia majority country, has consistently opened its doors to Jews in the modern period. Home to the first parliamentary government in an Islamic country, before even Turkey, Baku was also host to the first branch of the proto-Zionist group Hovevei Zion (“Lovers of Zion”), which opened in 1891. “Here in Azerbaijan,” Israel’s Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, noted during a recent visit, “there is a Jewish community with a magnificent history, which enjoys extraordinary treatment allowing it to live honorably.”
Holocaust Memorial @ the Center for Jewish History: Join ASF on January 27th at 4PM in the Forchheimer Auditorium to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Auschwitz’s Liberation with a screening of the ceremony being held at Auschwitz-Birkenau, reception with survivors, performance of musical selections, and an art exhibition featuring the work of Mikhail Turovsky. Complimentary transportation will be provided at 6PM from the Center to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where the program will continue with a presentation of “Stories of Regeneration from the Second Generation” at 7PM. Click here to RSVP. The day’s events are being made possible by Dina and Jonathan Leader’s generosity and Ahavat Yisrael.
Announcement: The polls are now open for the 37th World Zionist Congress (WZO) elections. The WZO decides on the allocation of funding for Jewish educational programs in Israel and around the world. ASF Board Member Rabbi Elie Abadi, M.D., is leading the only Sephardi slate, “Ohavei Zion - The World Sephardic Zionist Organization,” which is committed to “shar[ing] the beauty of our Sephardic Heritage with our Jewish brethren.” Josephine Mairzadeh, ASF’s Director of Development, is also an Ohavei Zion candidate. Click here to learn more about the WZO and Ohavei Zion.
Book Talk @ the Center for Jewish History: Join ASF, CJH and Akashic Books for an evening with award-winning author Gina B. Nahai on February 3rd at 6:30PM in the Forchheimer Auditorium. Nahai will read from and discuss her new novel, The Luminous Heart of Jonah S. Part murder mystery, part family saga, this is the first novel written about the experiences of the Iranian Jewish community in the US. A light reception and book-signing will follow the program. Click here for additional information and to RSVP.
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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, NY., 10011).