Bethlehem Endale is a Russian-speaking, Jewish dentist who recently performed on The Voice in Ukraine, where she was raised. Oh, and her parents are Ethiopian Jews. She’ll be spending this summer with Russian-speaking Birthright groups in Israel. How was her first visit to the country? “It was a crazy experience… At passport control, there was an Ethiopian soldier and she looked at my passport, checking it again and again and said, ‘You’re from Ukraine? Really?’”
Yehuda Sa’ado and the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra, 2010
(Photo courtesy of Youtube)
Yehuda Sa’ado leads the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra in a stirring rendition of El Adon (“Lord Master”), an ancient piyyut from the Land of Israel whose melody is thoroughly modern, composed by Moroccan-born Jackie Elkayyam (1953 – present), one of the pioneers of Israel’s Mizrahi music scene.
Sicilian Jewish history goes back 1500 years, with the Greek-speaking Romaniote community peaking at its end in 1492 when 25,000 Sicilian Jews fell victim to the Alhambra Decree. The community left an enduring mark, however, in a surprising place: Italian food. Meatballs, to be specific. Elana Horwich offers a recipe, “These meatballs can make wonderful appetizers… I like to serve them with a caramelized onion jam… But be warned: You may find it very difficult to stop eating this highly addictive ‘Chicken crack.’”
Sicilian Jewish meatballs with caramelized onion and fennel jam
(Photo courtesy of The Jewish Journal)
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)
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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).