21 July 2017 In honor of David Saltiel, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, a constituent organization of the World Jewish Congress
Israel’s Prime Minister was on-hand in Thessaloniki (Salonica) to help introduce the planned opening of the Thessaloniki Holocaust Memorial Museum. Thessaloniki is finally beginning to come to terms with its Jewish history, thanks in large part to the city’s 75-year-old, chain-smoking, stud-in-ear mayor, Yannis Boutaris. According to Boutaris: “This is the fulfillment of a historic responsibility for Thessaloniki… Only in this way will we be able to have a greater awareness of what this crime means and why it should not be repeated.”
Buyukada is a Turkish island oasis featuring, “festive horse-drawn carriages, bikes and an occasional electric cart.” Istanbul’s Jews would go to Buyukada to escape the summer heat, but with the Turkish air polluted by anti-Semitism, the number of Jews in Buyukada is dwindling: “When I was a child, there were 200 kids on a Friday night [at Shabbat services]. Now, maybe 70 to 80 or less.”
When Baghdadi Jews Baruch and Ellen Bekhor (née Cohen) succumbed to the camera’s gaze for their denaturalization pictures in 1951, they became stateless. Ellen was in her eighth month of pregnancy. Permitted to bring no more than a few kilos of belongings out of Iraq, Ellen carried their wedding picture and ketubah in her pocketbook. Laissez-Passer, Royaume D’Irak by Leslie Starobin (2016)
Through September 2017
in ASF’s Myron Habib Memorial Display
Center for Jewish History 15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
The American Sephardi Federation proudly presents excerpts from The Last Address, a multi-year, photo-montage series and oral history and book project by award-winning artist Leslie Starobin that explores the enduring texture of memory and culture in the lives of Greater Sephardic families from dispersed Jewish communities in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon.
Leslie Starobin is a Boston-area photographer and montage artist. Her work is in the permanent collections of many academic (Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University) and public (Jewish Museum, MoMA) museums. Starobin is the recipient of numerous grants, including from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation of the Arts/Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. Most recently, she received two Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Research Grants for this series, The Last Address.
Her exhibition in ASF’s Myron Habib Memorial Display is sponsored in part by CELTSS: The Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship and Service at Framingham State University in Massachusetts, where Starobin is a Professor of Communication Arts.
Please click here for additional information and viewing hours
Sunday, August 6 from 8 P.M. to Midnight
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street, New York City, 10011
The American Sephardi Federation presents Tu B’AV, the Jewish Valentine’s Day! Come to celebrate this special holiday with music and dancing! Dress code: White is preferred (not mandatory). No shorts, t-shirts, or tank tops allowed.
Please click here to purchase tickets (Admission $40; includes open bar)
August 24, 27, and 28
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street, New York City, 10011
Dynamic and diverse performances by world-class artists will be heard at the first edition of The American Sephardi Music Festival. Hosted by The American Sephardi Federation and directed by David Serero, the Festival will take place over three days.
Tickets are from $20 to $40 ($20 Tax-Deductible Donation) Click here for Sponsorship, Media, and Other Inquiries
Donate now and your tax-deductible contribution will help ASF preserve and promote the Greater Sephardi history, traditions, and culture as an integral part of the Jewish experience!
Contact us by email or phone ((917) 606-8266) to learn about giving opportunities in honor or memory of loved ones
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The American Sephardi Federation is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, New York, 10011).