Atoning for Spain’s Sin, African Roots of Moroccan Judaism, and Iraqi-Indian Adon HaSelicot

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4 October 2019

In Honor of Gwen Zuares, a Distinguished Member of the American Sephardi Federation’s Board of Directors.

Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one.

Feature ◊ Upcoming Events ◊ Sephardi Gifts ◊ Donate ◊ Archive

The Sephardi World Weekly is made possible by generous readers like you. Now there is a new way to show your support. Become a Patron of the Sephardi World Weekly via Patreon and your name will appear in each edition along with timely, thought-provoking articles on Greater Sephardi history, the arts, and current affairs. Thanking you in advance! And thank you to Sephardi World Weekly Patron Gwen Zuares!

“Spain’s Attempt to Atone for a 500-Year-Old Sin”
By Kiku Adatto, The Atlantic

Spain’s professed desire to make amends for the expulsion of Spanish Jewry by offering citizenship to Sephardim is proving to be more complicated than anticipated. Aside from the bureaucratic obstacles facing those who apply for citizenship, and the ambivalence of some Sephardim themselves, some traces of anti-Jewish sentiment are deeply embedded in Spanish culture, “In the city of León, they drink a lemonade mixed with red wine called matar judíos (“kill Jews”) during Holy Week. Instead of “cheers” or “bottoms up,” the local drinking cheer is ‘We are going to kill the Jews.’”

The execution of Mariana de Carabajal, one of ten members of her family convicted and burned at the stake for covertly observing Jewish Law, at the Auto-de-fé in Mexico City, 25 March 1601
(Illustration by El Libro Rojo, 1870)

Special Feature: A Stirring, Iraqi-Indian Meditative Performance of Adon HaSelichot, “Master of Forgiveness”

Yair Dalal
(Photo courtesy of Eyal Tal/Jerusalem Post)

The great Iraqi-Israeli oud player, violinist, and vocalist, Yair Dalal, a recipient of the ASF's Pomegranate Award, puts a meditative, stirring, and Iraqi-Indian spin on the anonymous piyyut, Adon HaSelichot (“Master of Forgiveness”), sung in the period leading up to, and including, Yom Kippur.

The Grammy-nominated and ASF Pomegranate Award-winning Innov Gnawa performing at the 21st New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival
(Photo courtesy of Chrystie Sherman)

“Islam And Judaism In Morocco: A History Of Cultural Communion – Analysis”
By Dr. Mohamed Chtatou, Eurasia Review

Dr. Mohamed Chtatou argues that Jews made a distinct contribution to Morocco’s tradition of tolerance: “Jews… are responsible with the Amazigh/Berber people for the inception of values of tolerance… a cultural concept unique to Morocco in the region.” Dr. Chtatou also makes the fascinating claim that some Moroccan forms of Jewish and Muslim mysticism were influenced by African traditions with sub-Sahran roots: “Gnawa music and spiritual traditions not only had an influence on Jewish mystical practices… they also had a profound impact on Sufi practices within the region.”

Sephardi Gifts:

Tu boca en los cielos: La haketia de Menashe y Alfonso
by Gladys Benaim Bunan

Tu boca en los cielos: La haketia de Menashe y Alfonso illustrates the world of the Jews of Northern Morocco through the usage of Haketia. Haketia-speaking Jews lived in Morocco for nearly 500 years, from the year of the exodus from Spain in 1492 until the 1970s.

Haketia, the well-known form of Judaeo-Spanish spoken by Jews living in the Balkans, Greece, Turkey and Jerusalem is "Ladino Oriental" (eastern Ladino). Haketia may be described by contrast as "Ladino Occidental". The language is a variety of Spanish that borrows heavily from Judeo-Moroccan Arabic. It evidently also contains a number of words of Hebrew origin and was originally written using Hebrew letters. There is some cultural resemblance between the two Judaeo-Spanish dialect communities, including a rich shared stock of Romanzas (ballads) from medieval Spain, though both words and music often differ in detail (as indeed they do between one Oriental-Sephardic community and another).

A Shout in the Sunshine
by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides

Set in 15th-century Greece, this young adult novel tells the story of an extraordinary friendship between two boys from different cultural backgrounds. On the surface, Miguel, a refugee from post-Inquisition Spain, and David, the son of a wealthy Greek Jewish fabric merchant, have little in common. As they work together in David’s family shop, they find they share a special connection that goes beyond the divide of rich and poor, Spanish and Greek.

A Shout in the Sunshine sheds light on an often forgotten part of Jewish history - the Greek Jewish experience.

Set in tumultuous times for the Greek Jewish community, the book explores what happens when two distinct Jewish communities must learn to live together. In 1492 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Jewish community of Spain. Sultan Beyazit II invited these refugees to Thessalonika, a community already home to a diverse Jewish population with deep roots in Greece. The melding of these different Jewish groups created a vibrant Jewish community that was, tragically, almost entirely destroyed during World War II.

This book is a testimony to the remarkable nature of this once thriving world.

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Upcoming Events or Opportunities:

The American Sephardi Federation's Sephardi Scholars Series presents:

North African French Resistance:
A Well Kept Secret
The Vichy Regime, the Allies, and the Camps
by Dr. Nicole Cohen-Addad

Monday, 7 October at 7:00PM

Please register here

Center for Jewish History
ASF Sephardi Scholars Center
15 W 16th Street
New York City

They were hundreds, they were a thousand. French citizenship had been confiscated from most through discriminatory Vichy laws. Nevertheless, they fought as “patriots,” neutralizing the Vichy forces and paving the way for American and the British landings on the coasts of Morocco and Algeria in 1942, the first successful Allied landings on Axis soil. This was a major turning point in the Second World War. And, then, inexplicably, they were sent to camps in North Africa. Join us as we explore this little known aspect of World War II history.

Dr. Nicole Cohen-Addad has been building an array of oral archives over since 2002, with various actors and witnesses of this very special time around 8 November 1942. The video interviews are readily available for viewing on the website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum under her name.

The American Sephardi Federation Presents:

The New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival’s (NYSJFF)
23rd Anniversary Edition

SAVE THE DATE
18-27 February 2020!
Please click here to reserve your Festival Passes now!

The American Sephardi Federation/ASF Young Leaders are partnering with Germany Close Up for the first-ever trip for Sephardi young professionals to Germany!

Dates: 4-12 May, 2020
Total cost: $900
(includes airfare, hotels, sightseeing, and meals)

Please here to apply

Travel to Germany with the American Sephardi Federation - ASF Young Leaders and Germany Close Up this spring! This will be Germany Close Up’s first-ever partnership with a Sephardic group – join us and make history! This trip has been tailor-made just for us to connect with our past. We’ll interface with what remains of the Portuguese Jewish community in Hamburg, dive into artifacts of the Turkish Jewish community in Berlin, and explore other Sephardic histories on our journey. We will find out how Germany is relevant to a more diverse Jewish story – including Sephardic Jews!

About Germany Close Up:
Founded in 2007, Germany Close Up introduces young Jewish professionals to modern Germany. The Germany Close Up experience is administered by the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, the New Synagogue Berlin Centrum Judaicum Foundation, and the German government’s Transatlantic Plan.

The American Sephardi Federation is proud to partner with Combat Anti-Semitism on its Venture Creative Contest - Round 1. The Contest’s Art Award is named in honor of Emma Lazarus, the Sephardi American patriot, poet, playwright, critic, journalist, campaigner against anti-Semitism, and champion of Zion.

Venture Creative Contest – Round 1

Anti-Semitism is once again on the rise, just 75 years after the Holocaust. This irrational hatred of Jews and the world’s only Jewish State harms both innocent victims and perpetrators infected by bigotry. The resurgence of anti-Semitism poses a challenge to all people of conscience:
How can we work together to stop anti-Semitism?

This contest is crowd-sourcing new solutions to help end “the world’s oldest hatred.” The contest is sponsored by the CombatAntiSemitism.org Coalition.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities are encouraged to participate by creatively addressing one of the categories.

Round 1 Deadline: 1 December 2019
Future Rounds Coming Soon

Please click here to submit your contest entry

Contest Rules – Contest Judges – FAQ – Contact

Specific contest awards co-sponsored by Coalition Members, including:

American Sephardi Association logo
Israel on Campus Coalition logo Galia Artists

The Philos Project and the American Sephardi Federation present:

Nosotros 3.0: Strengthening Bonds Between Jewish and Latino Communities

On view until May 2020

Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York City

The Philos Project and the American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to the third edition of our Latin American classic art exhibit: Nosotros 2019.

This years exhibit explores the Judtice of Zionism through the lens of Jewish and Latino national liberation struggles for independence from European colonialism. A new collection of art pieces will be revealed, including pieces from master artists Norma Lithgow and Deyvi Pérez. It will be a night of celebration of the shared history and culture of the Jewish and Latin communities.

Donate now and 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!

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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).

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