The Jewish community of Djerba, Tunisia, is growing in size, an accomplishment community members ascribe to the protection of the government, and God. But the community’s deeply-rooted traditionalism is now facing a new challenge: a push from within for women’s education.
El Ghriba Synagogue, Djerba, Tunisia (Photo courtesy of Diarna: Geo-Museum)
King Frederick IV (depicted here by Hyacinthe Rigaud) “would not go to any of the Roman Catholic Churches, but went to the [Sephardi] Synagogue” at Livorno, in 1709, according to Edward Wright’s Some observations made in travelling: through France, Italy, &c.
The roots of the Jewish community of Copenhagen, Denmark─terrorized last week by an Islamist gunmen─go back to the 17th century, “when King Christian IV appointed a Sephardic Jew from Hamburg named Samuel Yakhiya as mintmaster.” Later in the century, “Benjamin Mussafia, author of an important Talmudic dictionary, was appointed court physician and over the next century Sephardi Jews began to play an increasingly important role in the Danish economy and society.”
Click here to watch the trailer for Opening Night's film, El Gusto
ASF’s Film Festival (12-19 March) Celebrates Sephardi Communities Around the World, Investigates Anti-Semitism in France and Argentina, includes Opening Night Performance by International Recording Star Enrico Macias.
The complete list of selected films with dates, times, ticket, donor & sponsorship information can be found here.
Contemporary voices steeped in history, tradition and current events will be showcased throughout this weeklong series of events.
According to reports in al-Arabi and other Arabic online fora, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which previously obliterated the traditional Tomb of Jonah in northern Iraq, has now seized the purported Shrine of Ezra, and turned it into their headquarters south of Baghdad.
Traditional Tomb of Ezra, al-ʻUzair, Iraq
Shattered gravestone, Ma’alla Street Cemetery, Aden, Yemen (Photo courtesy of Ben Ragsdale/Diarna Geo-Museum)
What’s life like for Jews living in Yemen? A Western journalist accompanying a Yemenite Jew was accosted in the market by a local dealer. “What are you doing with that dirty Jew?” the dealer asked, “Why are you friendly with him?” When the local translator interjected, “He’s a human being, after all,” the dealer replied, “No, he’s not, God has damned him.”
Donate now and your tax-deductible contribution will help ASF “Connect, Collect, and Celebrate” Sephardi culture throughout the year with engaging programs and compelling publications.
Contact us by email or phone (212-294-8350) to sponsor future issues of the Sephardi World Weekly in honor or memory of loved ones.
Thank you for opting (on our websites, at an event, or by email) to receive American Sephardi Federation Programming Updates and Publications. We apologize if this message was sent in error.
The American Sephardi Federation's Sephardi House is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, NY., 10011).