As ISIS’s war on civilization has come to the “Venice of the Sands,” the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, “vestiges of its Jewish past” are imperiled,“including the longest Biblical Hebrew inscription from antiquity: the opening verses of the Shema carved into a stone doorway.”
Hadrian’s Gate, Palmyra, Syria (Photo courtesy of Xvlun/Wikimedia)
Song of the Week (Video): An Argentine “Adon Olam”
Yehuda Glantz playing the charango, a stringed instrument popular in South America’s Andes region (Photo courtesy of Moshe Glantz/Wikimedia)
Argentine-Israeli musician Yehuda Glantz plays “Adon Olam”(“Lord of the World”) on the charango. The lyrics of this classic piyyut (liturgical song) are frequently attributed to Solomon ibn Gabirol, an 11th century Sephardi scholar, poet, and philosopher born in Málaga, Spain.
Turkish Jews who feel they have no future in the country where anti-Semitism is increasingly virulent—including praise for Adolf Hitler in social and popular media—are increasingly looking to return to Spain, the country from which many of their ancestors were exiled before arriving in Turkey 500 years ago.
May 31, 2015
at the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
280 Broome Street, New York, NY
Join ASF at the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Lower East Side. Experience authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing and live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, and much more!
On view through June 2015 in The David Berg Rare Book Room Sephardic Journeys A new exhibition at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY
The Sephardic Diaspora extends from Shiraz and São Paulo to Salonika, Seattle, and Sheepshead Bay. What unites the beautiful, complex, and diverse mosaic culture of Sephardim is a history of journeys—sometimes by choice, too frequently by force—that have driven Sephardi travelers and traders, publishers and philosophers, scientists and singers to transcend borders and barriers as they pioneered today’s globalized world.
The rare books and artifacts in this exhibit, Sephardic Journeys, reflect a rich tradition of scholarship and culture shaped by migrations, and they invite, in turn, reflection upon the physical, emotional and spiritual journeys of Jewish history.
Merchant of Venice By William Shakespeare
June 10th, 14th, 22nd, and 24th
at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY
The American Sephardi Federation invites you to the world première of David Serero’s Merchant of Venice. The French-Moroccan baritone opera singer directs and stars (as Shylock) in his own Sephardi adaptation of Shakespeare's play about love, commerce, and bigotry. Featuring a diverse cast and Sephardi music, there will be a preview matinee on June 10th, ahead of opening night on June 14th.
Donate nowand 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 (212-548-4486) to sponsor future issues of the Sephardi World Weekly in honor or memory of loved ones.
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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).
Hadrian’s Gate, Palmyra, Syria (Photo courtesy of 
Exterior wall of the former Sinagoga Mayor, Barcelona, Spain (Photo courtesy of 
