In honor of Parnas Emeritus and Distinguished ASF Board Member Leon Levy, Parnas and Distinguished ASF Board Member Eli Gabay, Esq., and Rabbi Albert Gabbai of Mikveh Israel, an historic American and classic Sephardic synagogue close to the ASF’s heart, for their spectacular Ladino Shabbat featuring Rachel Amado Bornik and the Ladino Komunita.
Neta Elkayam, a Moroccan-Israeli singer, performing in Judeo-Arabic at the Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques, Chaim Zifrani Center, Essaouira, Morocco
(Photo courtesy ofSoufiane Bouhali/Association Essaouira Mogador)
BBC World Service investigates what the future looks like for Jews and Muslims in Morocco. One serious challenge is a function of modern technology: social media and the Internet are being used to import intolerant, Middle Eastern versions of Islam to Morocco. The broadcast features ASF’s partner and President of Association Mimouna, Elmehdi Boudra, as well as one of the ASF’s Broome & Allen Fellows, Vanessa Paloma.
Ravid Kahlani in an Arab coffee house, Jerusalem, Israel
(Photo courtesy of Youtube)
Members of the Israeli World Music sensation, Yemen Blues, including Yemenite-Israeli vocalist Ravid Kahlani, visited an Arab coffee house in Jerusalem’s Old City to perform “Jat Mahibathi” (“My Love is Coming”) a song from their first album, Yemen Blues.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry is using Facebook to reach out to Iraqis. According to Iraqi-born Linda Menuhin Abdel Aziz, an advisor to the project, the Foreign Ministry is responding to an expressed need: “There has been growing interest and admiration among Iraqis for Israel, which can be seen through the interaction with Israel on social media.”
Duki Dror’s “Shadow in Baghdad” tells the story of Linda Abdul Aziz Menuhin, whose father remained in Iraq after her emigration to Israel and was later abducted by Saddam Hussein’s intelligence services into the Qasr al-Nihaya (“Palace of the End”).
The American Sephardi Federation and Caminos De Sefarad: Red de Juderías de España Present:
Descubre (Discover) Sefarad: An exhibition unveiling concealed history after five hundred years & Doreen Alhadeff Sharing “Family memories from Seattle to Sepharad,” including how she was one of the first to obtain Spanish Citizenship
Sunday, 24 June at 7:00 PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Please click here to make a reservation Includes tasting of Kosher Spanish wines
The American Sephardi Federation and Caminos De Sefarad: Red de Juderías de España present a pop-up photographic exhibition on Spain’s formerly Jewish Quarters. The evening will also feature a presentation by Doreen Alhadeff, a member of Seattle’s Sephardic community, who was one of the first to be recognized under Spain’s Sephardic citizenship law, as well as a Spanish kosher wine tasting. This event is the first part of a two day program at The Center for Jewish History and Instituto Cervantes, which will host a Sephardic music concert (“Juderias” ) by Lara Bellow on Monday night (separate RSVP required).
Descubre Sefarad: For the past 20 years, several Spanish cities have been working to uncover and promote the architectural, historical, environmental, and cultural heritage of Spain’s formerly Sephardic communities. The Red de Juderias (Spanish Network of Jewish Quarters) is an organization that has put these cities together to further the defense of historical heritage, promotion of the Jewish legacy, and further knowledge and mutual respect amongst all peoples, cultures, and traditions. This exhibition depicts historical Jewish Quarters that have been preserved and some which are newly recovered.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Center for Jewish History Presents: Family History Today: Genealogy Lecture for Sephardi and Mizrahi Families
Thursday, 12 July, 6:30 PM - 8 PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Curious about family history outside of the Pale of Settlement? The Center for Jewish History and American Sephardi Federation welcome you to a lecture on genealogy tools for those interested in researching Jewish community records and Jewish life in the Sephardi or Mizrahi Diaspora.
Open to all. No previous experience or preparation is necessary.
Presented by J.D. Arden, Genealogy and Reference Librarian at The Center for Jewish History and adjunct faculty member at the LIU-Palmer School of Library & Information Science.
An ASL interpreter may be made available if requested in advance.
Generously sponsored by The Center for Jewish History’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute
Yemenite Faces and Scenes & Episodes in Yemenite History
The Teimani Experience, which closed on 5 June, continues in part with a photographic exhibit in our Leon Levy Gallery and an art exhibit in the Myron Habib, A"H, Memorial Display.
On view until September
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York City
Yemenite Faces and Scenes: Photographs by Naftali Hilger
Intrepid photographer and photo-journalist Naftali Hilger traveled extensively in Yemen in the late 1980s and early 1990s photographing structures, street scenes, and the last remnants of Jewish life. These images—including of Yemenite children learning to read Torah upside-down in their father’s shop and a family relaxing in their diwan (salon)—depict an existence that has faded into history as the ever-shrinking community has found refuge in a government compound at Sana’a.
Episodes in Yemenite History: Paintings by Tiya Nachum
A series of eight paintings by the artist and sculptor Tiya Nachum of Encino, CA. The paintings reflect the tragedies and triumphs of Yemenite Jewish history, from the Mawza exile to the founding of the Inbal Dance Troupe by Sara Levy. Each painting tells a story and each story is a history onto itself.
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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).