26 October 2018 In Memory of Yakov Ben Moshe, A"H, a native of Hilla, Iraq. A portion of his Diarna Geo-Musuem oral history interview from last year was played at the shiva. If you or someone you know have memories to share, please email Diarna to arrange an interview.
The North African dimension of the Holocaust is overlooked and understudied, to a certain degree thanks to a simple lack of materials. That’s beginning to change, however, as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Archives of Morocco at Rabat. Unfortunately, as the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Director of International Outreach, Tad Stahnke, also notes, “Morocco remains the only Arab nation with which we have an archival agreement.”
Illustration of the Binding of Issac for Isaac Foa by Francesco Griselini, Venice, Italy, 1739
(Scan courtesy of JTS Library)
It’s the season for Baqqashot, songs of supplication and searching that are communally sung before the sunrise on Shabbat. In this week’s video feature, the Sephardic Moroccan Community of Toronto, Canada, sing piyyutim for the weekly portion VaYera, which falls this Shabbat.
Kahal Shalom Synagogue, Rhodes, Greece (Photo courtesy of Sailko/Wikipedia)
According to oral tradition, the Romaniote Jewish community of Rhodes was founded in the first century of the common era. At the turn of the 20th century 6,000 Romaniote Jews lived on the island, but many fled in 1938 when the Italian occupiers began enforcing anti-Semitic legislation. They were the lucky ones. Only 200 Jews survived the German occupation during WWII. Isaak Habib’s family made it to South Africa, and while Habib spends five months a year on the island, he understands the fundamental change that has taken place in Jewish life: “The past is gone … and now all that remains is to be happy that we’ve started to control the fate of the Jews. In Israel, of course.”
How do you want to present yourself to, and be remembered by, someone who never knew you in your life?
What facet of your existence do you want the world to be aware of in 100+ years?
Tuesday, 30 October, 4:30PM - 6:30PM Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Please note that there are two parts to this event:
1.) Tour of the Spanish and Portuguese cemetery on 21st St west of 6th Ave,
&
2.) A workshop in American Sephardi Federation at The Center for Jewish History.
One of the public things that people leave behind after they die are epitaphs and final disposition markers. These texts are curated presentations of a life lived and represent what people think of their life's achievements and how they want to be remembered by others. Join us as we think about this question and craft our own presentations, framed by the larger question of: what remains of this text and these tombstones after 100+ years?
Presenters: Dora Piperno, Celeste Pavoncello Piperno, Rav Umberto Piperno
Many of us remember well the years Rav Umberto Piperno spent in New York: his enthusiasm, wisdom and tireless efforts to present the specific traditions of Italian Jews from liturgy to food and beyond. In July he is back in Manhattan to present yet another intriguing project: the revival of the dying Italian tradition of the silk tallit, the prayer shawl. An enterprise rooted in the wisdom of the past, the passion of the present and the innovation of the future.
Alessandro Cassin: The tradition of the Italian tallitot involves not only a long tradition of craftsmanship, but also a cultural history, and mercantile exchange.
Rav Piperno: Absolutely. Today it gives an added dimension to the many stories that concern the Silk Road, the fascinating network of trade routes. It was central to cultural interaction between different parts of the world comprising both a terrestrial and the maritime routes, connecting Asia with the Middle East and southern Europe.
The effort to highlight and revive the Italian Jewish tradition of the silk tallit is spearheaded by two entrepreneurs, Dora and Sofia Piperno, with rabbinical guidance and assistance.
Nosotros 2.0, which opened as a one-night pop-up exhibition on 11 October, continues in part as an exhibition in our Leon Levy Gallery.
On view until April
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
The Philos Project and American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to “Nosotros," an exhibition composed of pieces by Latino artists celebrating the shared history and culture of Jewish and Latino communities, and expressing hope for a more positive future. Latin American artistry is rich with Sephardi and Crypto-Jewish allusions and symbols.
The exhibit is titled “Nosotros,” the Spanish word for “us,” and all of the art represents the growing relationship between the Jewish and Hispanic communities in New York and around the world. The exhibit is one of the many things Jesse Rojo, The Philos Project's Hispanic Affairs Director, is doing to bridge the gap between Hispanics and the Middle East.
Donate nowand 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 to learn about giving opportunities 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 is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, New York, 10011).