Irina Tsukerman takes an inside look at a Moroccan school for graduate-level, religious education that instructs male and female imams about Morocco’s modern, tolerant Islamic tradition as well as Jewish history and culture. Not surprisingly, “The 30 imams who [recently] signed a letter against antisemitism and extremism in France,” had all been students of the program.
Courtyard, l’Institut Mohammed VI de formation des imams, morchidines et morchidates, 2018 (Photo courtesy of Irina Tsukerman)
Feature of the Week: Maqruḍ المقروض or Maqrūṭ المقروط: A Moroccan-Sephardi Recipe for Ramadan by Hélène Jawhara-Piñer
Maqruḍ (Photo courtesy of Hélène Jawhara-Piñer)
ASF Broom and Allen Fellow Hélène Jawhara-Piñer asks: “Did you know that in the 15th century, the Jews of Fez, Morocco, used to prepare maqrūt or maqrud?” The pastry, which is made of honey, dates, sesame seeds, cinnamon, blossom water, is today prepared by Muslims, especially during Ramadan.
Ms. Jawhara-Piñer is a doctoral candidate in history, medieval history, and the history of food at the University François Rabelais of Tours, France. A member of the IEHCA (Institute of European History and Cultures of Food), her primary research interest is the medieval culinary history of Spain through interculturality with a special focus on the Sephardic culinary heritage written in Arabic.
Ingredients for 40 Maqruḍ:
400 gr (0,88 lb) semolina
+ or- 80 ml (1/3 cup) of melted butter
+ or-120 ml (1/2 cup) mixture of water and orange blossom water
150 gr (0.33 lb) of date paste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50 ml (3 tbs) of orange blossom water
6 tablespoons of oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
cooking oil (no olive oil)
1 cup honey (with 1 tps blossom water if you want)
grilled sesame seeds to decorate
Preparation:
Mix semolina and butter in a large bowl until the fat is absorbed by the semolina.
Meanwhile prepare the date paste.
Mix well the date paste with 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 6 tablespoons of oil, 3 tablespoons of orange blossom water and set aside two hours before starting to wet the semolina.
Then, water the semolina with the mix of water and blossom water, stirring with the tips of the fingers.
Divide the dough in 4 and make rolls about 2-3 cm of diameter.
With your index finger, make a slit in the center horizontally to open the dough but without running through it.
Roll a little date paste roll about 1cm diameter, and put it in the slot.
Reassemble the edges of the dough on the date paste and close to cover it.
Ride again to have a roll of identical width.
Cut the long roll into lozenges and draw marks like a star.
Fry your Maqruḍ in a sauce pan with 1-2 cm oil. Cook over medium heat until during 2-3 minutes and return. Cook 2 minutes on the other side. Then dive directly into the warm honey to absorb them well over 3 min.
Be careful when you take them out of the honey because they are delicate.
Decorate with grilled sesame seeds.
Royal Spanish Academy Coat of Arms
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
As Ladino speakers disappear from the world, the Royal Spanish Academy has decided to invest in the language’s preservation, recently announcing plans to establish a National Ladino Academy in Israel. According to the Royal Academy, establishing the new institution is “a[n] historic and emotional moment for Sephardic people from all over the world.”
The Yemenite Conference, a three day academic and cultural conference exploring shared Jewish and Muslim cultural values in Yemen, will be held at The Center for Jewish History (3-5 June) and United Nations (5 June– Closing Ceremony), and feature presentations by over 35 prominent scholars from four continents, as well as cultural workshops and performances by Israel’s top Yemenite musicians and more than 70 Israeli-Yemenite dance troupe and choir members.
Please note: Tickets to Conference sessions on Monday and Tuesday are still available
Cultural Evening - SOLD OUT Sunday, 3 June at 5:30 pm
@ The Center for Jewish History
International Academic Conference Monday, 4 June, 9:00am-5:30pm
Tuesday, 5 June, 9:00am-3:30pm
@The Center for Jewish History
The keynote address, “Four Generations of my Family: Me, my Father Prince Mohammed, my Grandfather Prince Seif Ul Islam Ismail, and my Great Grandfather Imam Yahya. Their Relationship with the Jews and the Jewish Scholars 1913-1962” will be delivered by Mr. Yousef M. Hamidaddin. Following the keynote, over 35 scholars and artists from Yemen, Israel, the US, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, and other countries will deliver scholarly and cultural presentations on such topics as antiquity, modern culture, spirituality, and Yemenite women.
Cultural Evening - SALES CLOSED Tuesday, 5 June, 6:00-8:00pm
@The United Nations
An evening of words and songs commemorating 400 years from the birth of Rav Shalom Shabazi
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.
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. Starring 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 Teimani Experience: An interactive, multi-sensory exploration of the history and culture of Yemenite Jews
On view until 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.
This exhibition is part of The Yemenite Conference, the world’s first symposium on shared Jewish and Muslim cultural values in Yemen. The Yemenite Conference, which will be held at The Center for Jewish History (3-5 June) and United Nations (5 June - Closing Ceremony), will feature presentations by over 30 prominent scholars from four continents, as well as cultural workshops and performances by Israel’s top Yemenite musicians and more than 70 Israeli-Yemenite dance troupe and choir members.
The Teimani Experience is proudly presented by The American Sephardi Federation, E’eleh BeTamar, and Institute for Semitic Studies, in conjunction with Yeshiva University Museum.
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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).
