400 members of the Algerian underground, almost all of them Jews, played an essential role in the Allied liberation of Algiers during World War II. Why is their heroism so unheralded? According to Rami Kimchi, the Israeli director of The Night of Fools,—a new film dedicated to telling the story of the Jewish-Algerian resistance—“The Jews here in Israel focused on the Ashkenazi Holocaust - the Holocaust in Europe,” while the “Holocaust of the Jews of North Africa” was forgotten.
Diarna Geo-Museum researchers have documented several Holocaust-era North African sites, including the Vichy labor or “discipline” camps at Tendrara, Ain el-Ourak, and Berguent (Ain Benimatthar) in Morocco.
Talk about Jewish history and not many people think of the West Indian island of Barbados. But when Michael Stoner, an American doctoral student, was excavating beneath the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Barbados’ capital city of Bridgetown, an Israeli tourist explained to the budding archaeologist that what Stoner thought to be a rabbi’s house was actually a mikvah (ritual bath). Further investigation revealed this mikvah to be “the oldest in the Western Hemisphere – dating back to 1654, the year Sephardic Jews fled the Inquisition in the Portuguese colony of Brazil.”
Ingredients: 1 ½ bags of frozen bamia (baby okra from Egypt) 1 ½ cans of tomato sauce ½ pound of cubed steak ½ cup lemon juice Vegetable oil Red wine Salt, pepper, oregano
Directions: 1.) Wash frozen okra, 2.) Steam okra in pot containing 1 cup of water; set aside when done, 3.) Cut cubed steak into ½ inch pieces and marinate in 2 tablespoons red wine and salt, 4).Sauté meat in vegetable oil, 5.) Pour steamed okra on top and combine with tomato sauce, lemon juice, and spices, 6).Cook on low heat for 40 minutes; add water as liquid evaporates.
“When the world became white, the streets filled with people and there were sidewalks, and the roads were paved with asphalt instead of ash and sand. And we saw cars and hardly any animals,” writes Dalia Betolin-Sherman, a 35 year-old, Ethiopian-born, Israeli-raised writer, whose short story, “Circle of Friends,” was just published in English translation.
Cover of When the world became white by Dalia Bentolin-Sherman, who writes about the trials of growing-up Ethiopian in Israel (Photo courtesy of Kinneret, Zemora-Bitan)
Join the American Sephardi Federation & The Times of Israel on Sunday, February 15th at the Waldorf Astoria New York to honor some of Israel’s most influential citizens (entrepreneurs, philanthropists, political and military leaders, celebrities) and friends. To RSVP, please click here or call 1-844-864-4252. Email us to learn about a special rate for ASF members.
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.
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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).