Mazal tov to ISEF Chairwoman Emerita Nina Weiner, President Carlos Benaim, and Dinner Chairs Ellen & Robert Shasha (all distinguished members of The American Sephardi Federation’s Board of Directors) and Roysi Erbes Mizrahi and Volfi Mizrahi on the success of their 41st Anniversary Dinner honoring Luna and Selim Benardete (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Alexis Klein and Olivier Sarfati (Young Leadership Award)
Born to a Syrian Jewish family living in Cairo, Haim Sabato has become one of Israel’s leading novelists by developing a lyrical voice deeply rooted in Jewish sources that speaks in a distinctly Sephardi register. In this podcast, Marcela Sulak reads a Shavuot story from Sabato’s third novel, The Dawning of the Day.
Rare, undated photograph of the Ben Ish Chai (seated farthest left in the second row)
(Photo courtesy of Imgur)
The great Iraqi-Israeli payytan, R’Yehuda Fatiya, sings Bo’i Kallah (“Come my bride…”), an Iraqi piyyut composed for the holiday of Shavuot by R' Yosef Haim, otherwise known as the Ben Ish Hai (1835-1909).
“Ferede Aklum (left) and Ethiopian Jewish leader Baruch Tegegne in Jerusalem
(Photo courtesy of AAEJ Archives Online)
The story of the Ethiopian Jewish exodus includes the heroic tale of how Mossad agents set-up a Red Sea diving resort in Sudan as a front for clandestinely ferrying Ethiopian Jews to Israel. In practice, the front was so effective that the resort started to turn a profit, with guests including, “an Egyptian army unit, a group of British SAS soldiers, [and] foreign diplomats from Khartoum and Sudanese officials.” The story of the Mossad’s brief entry into seaside vacationing was recently made into a soon-to-be-released Hollywood feature film, “The Red Sea Diving Resort.”
Tuesday, 29 May 7:00 PM Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York City
Join Irene Shaland, an internationally-published art and travel writer, educator, and lecturer, for a fascinating talk about her travels through Jewish history in Burma, India, China, Cuba, and Cambodia. Seeking Jewish narrative all over the world, Irene with her husband-photographer Alex, has visited close to 70 countries and shared her experiences with audiences and readers in US, Canada, and Europe.
A three day academic and cultural conference exploring the cultural heritage of Jews of Yemenite heritage and their joint cultural commonalities with the Muslims of Yemenite heritage. Learn more at: www.ASFYemenConference.org
International Academic Conference Monday, 4 June, 9:00am-5:30pm
Tuesday, 5 June, 9:00am-3:30pm @The Center for Jewish History
Celebrating the culture and history of Yemenite Jews and the rich interactions between Yemenite Jews and Muslims. Topics include Jews and Muslims, spirituality, antiquity, modern culture, and Yemenite women.
Wednesday, 6 June at 6:00 PM Opening Night
(Followed by After Party)
Friday, 8 June at 3:00 PM
Monday, 11 June at 8:00 PM
Thursday, 14 June at 8:00 PM
(Followed by After Party)
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Set in Seville, Spain, Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni, shows the unsatisfying ends that await a sordid life of scheming and serial seduction. Staring baritone David Serero in the title role, along with a large cast, the libretto was written by the Italian Sephardi Lorenzo Da Ponte. Cast members: Charles Gray (Leporello), Anna Cley (Donna Elvira), Pablo Veguilla (Don Ottavio), Donna Anna (Jennifer Allenby), Masetto/Commendatore (Javier Ortiz), Zerlina (Yi Wang)
Tickets: $26 and $36
(Including VIP seating and access to an After Party)
The Algemeiner Editor’s Club Presents: The New York Times and the Jews
Tuesday, 5 June at 7:15 PM Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York City
The American Sephardi Federation is hosting The Algemeiner Editor’s Club for an important conversation—featuring a line-up of acclaimed experts in journalism—delving into The New York Times' history of covering Israel, Jewish figures, and other matters of Jewish concern, from the turn of the century to the current day.
Panelists will include Ira Stoll (Algemeiner columnist), Laurel Leff (author of Buried by the Times and an Associate Professor of Journalism at Northeastern University), and Ari Goldman (former New York Times Reporter and a Professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism).
The discussion will be followed by a Q & A session.
Ticket options include VIP entry, which provides access to an exclusive reception preceding the talk and reserved seats. Please note that this event is complimentary for Algemeiner members.
Only a limited number of tickets available.
For further information, please emailevents@algemeiner.com or call212-376-4988.
The American Sephardi Federation Presents: The Teimani Experience: An interactive, multi-sensory exploration of the history and culture of Yemenite Jews
On view: 9 April - 5 June
Yeshiva University Museum’s Rosenberg Gallery
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
The Teimani Experience immerses visitors in the sights, sounds, and even smells of the Yemenite Jewish culture, including the actual room (complete with ostrich eggs and rose water) recreated in Israel by Yemenite women from Sana’a who continued the tradition of making the birth mother the center of attention after both she and her newborn survived for thirty days. Aspects of Yemenite daily life are represented through an original painting of a representative Jewish home, artifacts pertaining to different Jewish occupations (including jewelry from remote areas of Yemen as well as worm-worn handwritten Biblical texts in Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic and a rare printed Maimonides text dating back approximately 100 years), correspondence between Yemen and the Land of Israel, pictures taken in the last 30 years of Jews and Jewish sites (synagogues, shrines, and other structures) in Yemen, and recordings of Torah reading and women’s songs.
We look forward to having you join us!
The Teimani Experience is presented by E’eleh BeTamar and the American Sephardi Federation, in conjunction with Yeshiva University Museum.
The Philos Project and American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to “Nosotros," an art exhibit featuring the work of two renowned Latino artists, Angel Urrely (Cuba) and Carlos Ayala (Puerto Rico)--as a symbolic recognition and “step forward” to improving Jewish-Latino relations. We thank the Dominican artist, Juan Bravo, for exhibiting his pieces for the exhibit’s Opening Night. 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 having this art displayed in a very powerful way at the American Sephardi Federation at the Center for Jewish History. Artists:
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 for additional information and viewing hours
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The American Sephardi Federation is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, New York, 10011).
