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11 August 2017
In memory of Charley Marouani, A”H, the Tunisian-born agent to Francophone stars, including Jacques Brel and Enrico Macias, who termed him “the last” of the high caliber impresarios
Egypt plans to restore Alexandria synagogue in bid to promote diversity” 
By Jacob Wirtschafter, USA Today

The Egyptian government is sponsoring a $2 million restoration of the Eliyahu HaNabi (Prophet Elijah) Synagogue at Alexandria, marking a profound shift in the government’s attitude to the country’s Jewish past. Joshua Shamsi, researcher and lead photographer for Diarna, the ASF’s partner in digital preservation, recently conducted a three-week research expedition to Egypt and met with the Jewish community to plan a comprehensive digital mapping of the community’s synagogues, schools, and cemeteries. Said Shamsi, “Something important is happening in Egypt. Doors closed before are now opening.”

Gate to the Eliyahu HaNabi Synagogue, Alexandria, Egypt, 2010
(Photo courtesy of Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life)
 
David Serero as Shylock in ASF’s production of The Merchant of Venice  
(Photo courtesy of David Serero)
‘A Dream Come True’: Moroccan-American Jewish Singer Performs Moroccan Anthem at Washington Throne Day Gala” 
By Morocco World News
The Moroccan Ambassador to the United States, Princess Lalla Joumala, celebrated the 18th year of King Muhammad VI’s reign by inviting David Serero, the Artistic Director of the upcoming American Sephardic Musica Festival, to sing the Moroccan national anthem. He previously performed the anthem in honor of Moroccan Royal Counsellor André Azoulay, the 2017 recipient of ASF’s Pomegranate Award for Lifetime Achievement, at Opening Night of the 20th NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. “While in some countries people are separating themselves with their differences, in Morocco we are celebrating them. As the late King Mohammed V said: ‘There are no Jews or Muslims in Morocco, only Moroccans,’” said Serero.
Feature of the Week: Last Jews of Kolkota (Calcutta)
 

Still from Kolkata's Last Jews
(Photo courtesy of YouTube)


Architecture is a big part of Kolkota’s charm. Not many people know, however, that most of Kolkota’s landmarks weren’t built by the British, but by Jews. India 101, an online youth-focused content portal that features, “stories of culture, sub culture and counter culture across the Indian subcontinent,” explores the Jewish heritage of Kolkota. 
The Day a Jewish General Invented a Muslim Country” 
By Bernard-Henri Lévy, Tablet Magazine

Bernard-Henri Lévy remembers meeting Jack Jacobs, the Jewish officer in the Indian army who, in 1973, improvised, “one of the most spectacular bluffs in modern military history,” in which 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to 3,000 Indians. Thanks to Jacobs’ chutzpah, Bangladesh came into being: “People who save Jews are known in Judaism as righteous. How should one refer to a Jew who saved, raised to nationhood, and baptized a people who were not his own?”

Lieutenant General JFR Jacob 
(Photo courtesy of The South Asian Life & Times
 
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“Like” ASF on Facebook to keep up-to-date on our projects, programs, and publications, as well as to share your thoughts
Upcoming Events:

Hidden in Plain Sight: Forgotten Jewish Architects and their Famous Creations

Wednesday, August 23
7:00 P.M.

ASF's Diarna Situation Room
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
 

From the first grand, modern market in the heart of Cairo to a majestic and storied hotel in Isfahan, Jewish architects have made landmark contributions to public spaces across the Middle East and North Africa. While their buildings are well-known, the architects have been forgotten and in some cases even erased from historical memory. 

This presentation is being made possible by the generous support of The Cahnman Foundation and The David Berg Foundation. 

Join us for an evening of exploration as we tour these sites and illuminate their little known history. 


Please click here to reserve tickets

The American Sephardi Music Festival

August 24, 27, and 28
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 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 range from $20 to $40 ($20 Tax-Deductible Donation)
Click here for sponsorship, media, and other inquiries 


PROGRAM:

August 24:
7pm: Gerard Edery – Three Religions, Three Faiths
9pm: Francoise Atlan – An intimate evening of Andalusia and Sephardi music
 

August 27:
1pm: Sarah Aroeste - Ladino Music Transformed from Yesterday to Today
3pm: Gerard Edery – Treasures of World Song
5pm: Nashaz – Arabic Jazz Ensemble
7pm: Adam Maalouf and the Future Tribe - Where the Ancient Meets the Modern
9pm: Steven Chera – A Sephardi on Jazz!
 

August 28:
7pm: Itamar Borochov – Jazz Between Middle Eastern Traditions
9pm: David Serero – A Sephardi on Opera!



Please click here for additional information

Nosotros: Strengthening Bonds Between Jewish and Latino Communities

Thursday, September 7
4:00 P.M.

Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
 

The Philos Project and American Sephardi Federation would like to cordially invite you to “Nosotros," an art exhibit featuring the work of three renowned Latino artists--Juan Bravo (Dominican Republic), Angel Urrely (Cuba), and Carlos Ayala (Puerto Rico)--as a symbolic recognition and “step forward” to improving Jewish-Latino relations. Each piece reflects the shared roots of Jewish and Latino communities and expresses hope for a more positive future from the perspective of each respective artist.
 
Each artist has displayed their works in hundreds of exhibits in both the US and Latin America, having many of them included in some of the most coveted collections in the world. We are very excited to bring them and their works to celebrate the importance of uniting us (or Nosotros), the Jewish and Latino communities, and have them displayed in a very powerful way at the American Sephardi Federation at the Center for Jewish History.
 
Artists:
 
Juan Bravo emerges as the veteran. Many are the broken brushes that this Dominican artist has in his repertoire. Juan Prefers the large formats and can impress anyone—not only by the agility of his strokes, but also by the persuasion with which he succeeds in submerging in them. We must be careful, for at any moment, we might see ourselves within one of his works without notice.
 
Angel Urrely is to the point. This son of Cuba does not beat around the bush. At least not for what the brush comes to reveal—his theory is clear and sharp. Each frame creates a specific, assertive and brutal connection. The reading of his work is—from the perspective of the viewer—very simple, to the point that if you assume an interpretation of what you are reading, believe me: Urrely is addressing exactly what you are thinking. Urrely has something to tell you and will let you know one way or another.
 
Carlos Ayala presents himself as the “Benjamin” of the tribes, the youngest of them all. This son of Puerto Rico presupposes that his youth may seem an obstacle to you, so he shows you his clutched fists from the introduction. This young man is fierce. Carlos shows us the deepest pains experienced by man, and brings them to an entertained, distracted and ill-bred public. He does not sit down to dream on the Caribbean coast and wait for boats loaded with promises. He does not have the time for it, but rather wants to remind you that even at the best moments pain is present. And at any moment it can befall us.
 
We look forward to having you join us!


Please click here to reserve tickets

Iraqi Jewish Voice Project
cordially invites you to a festive event
celebrating and honoring its founding supporters:
Robert Shasha and Dennis Shasha


Monday, September 11
7:00 P.M.

Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011

The Iraqi Jewish Voices Project tells the story of the last generation of Iraqi Jews and their integration into Israel and throughout the world through dramatic current and historical photography, film, and personal narrative.  It is a project of Sephardi Voices USA, whose mission is to collect and archive the life stories of Jews of Middle Eastern, North African, and Iranian origin to raise awareness of their displacement and appreciation for their contribution to Jewish peoplehood and world history.
 
The evening is hosted by the American Sephardi Federation, which supported the publication of Iraq’s Last Jews (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), edited by Tamar Morad, Dennis and Robert Shasha, and is proud to be the home of the Robert Shasha Collection of Iraqi Jewish Oral Histories.
 
 The evening will feature a talk by Tamar Morad, who now spearheads the Iraqi Jewish Voices Project.




Please click here to reserve tickets

Let Our People Go!

Tuesday, September 12
6:00 P.M. VIP Reception
7:00 P.M. Awards Ceremony

Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place
New York, NY 10280 

Join StandWithUS and the American Sephardi Federation as we honor those who took part in the historic rescue of  Yemenite Jews. ASF will be presenting Retired Captain Elgen M. Long, the last surviving Alaska Airlines crew member who was part of the airlift of more than 50,000 Yemenite Jews on “eagle’s wings’” to the re-established State of Israel, with the Maimonides Friendship Award in recognition of his important contributions to the Jewish People. StandWithUS will present Alaska Airlines with its Savior of Israel Award.  

Please click here for tickets


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) 

The Last Address

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

 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).

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