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19 December 2019

Mazal Tov! to Yaffa Rabe, David Yedidya Taylor, and our own Eddie Ashkenazie for a successful and sold out 1st International Nash-Didan (Judeo-Aramaic) Day!  Special thanks to Israeli-Nash Didan Star Hadassa Yeshurun, NY State Senator Anna Kaplan, and Asmar Huseynova of New York City’s Azerbaijani community for their participation, as well as Chairman Fuad Muradov and the State Committee on Affairs with the Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan for their support.
 
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one. 
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 Patrons Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina and Gwen Zuares!
 
From Persia with songs and hymns” 
By Sarah Hershenson, The Jerusalem Post
 
Maureen Nehedar is “a classically trained musician who dedicates her career to performing the Jewish art forms of ancient Persia and bringing them up to date.” Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, her latest project, “Persian Songs and Hymns,” is set to hit the stage on 19 December in Jerusalem. Says Nehedar: “‘You do not have to travel to far-away Eastern countries to enjoy the diverse musical traditions that are available in Israel…’” they “‘are beautiful, important, and entertaining—a part of our culture—a source of enjoyment and pride.’”
 
Maureen Nehedar with her Setar
(Photo courtesy of Kayhan Life
Special Feature: Maureen Nehedar’s soulful, delicate “Juni Juni”


Maureen Nehedar
(Photo courtesy of the artist)

Listen as Maureen Nehedar, an Iranian-born, Israeli master of Persian classical music, delicately and soulfully sings, “Juni, Juni,” a lilting Persian folk tune expressing a lover’s anguish and longing: “Juni Juni!/ I’m lovesick and languish for you/ I sent flowers for you, bouquet after bouquet/ Since your mother tied a cradle for you/ God tied my heart to you.”
 
David Serero as Shylock, The Merchant of Venice at the Center for Jewish History
(Photo courtesy of
Chrystie Sherman)
Interview with Opera Singer, David Serero” 
Judith Roumani, Sephardic Horizons 
 
David Serero is a critically acclaimed opera singer, actor, producer, and stage director, who, in recent years, has collaborated with the American Sephardi Federation in bringing English-language, Sephardi adaptions of classic plays and operas to the stage at the Center for Jewish History. The shows are often sold-out. Fittingly, Serero wears his passion, and appreciation, on his sleeve: “‘All these endeavors… continue to engage all of my attention, talents, health. I put these performances ahead of everything. I have this great collaboration with the wonderful Jason Guberman and the American Sephardi Federation… I have all audiences attending. I’m very proud of that....’”
Kosovo’s Jews in Race to Preserve Heritage” 
By Jakob Weizman, Balkan Insight
 
Kosovo’s eighty Jewish families trace their roots to 15th century Spain and Portugal. The community numbered 3,000 at the turn of the 20th century, but their last synagogue was destroyed by the socialist regime in 1963. The main challenge today is to preserve the country’s Jewish heritage, and international artists, the United Nations, and even the U.S. State Department have weighed in on the issue. Documentary filmmaker Dardan Islami is cautiously optimistic: “‘Much of the heritage was destroyed, but some is still there… I believe that the local government in Pristina should do more to preserve what’s left.’”
 
 
ASF Executive Director Jason Guberman and Kosovo’s Consul General at NY Ines Demiri, NY première screening of Pagëzimi, a film about the rescue and survival of a Sephardic Jew (Shaul Gatenyo) in Kosovo, Kovno Room, Center for Jewish History, 15 May 2018
(Photo courtesy of the Consulate of Kosovo at NY)
Sephardi Gifts:
Hanukkah in Eight Nights: Bring the Past to Light
by Marian Scheuer Sofaer

Celebrate a family Hanukkah with dramatic readings about the feats of the Maccabees. In addition to the candle lighting blessings, Hanukkah songs, recipes and sevivon game rules, this book incudes excerpts from ancient sources and vivid read-aloud stories by Moshe Pearlman for each night that will bring the riveting events of 164 B.C.E. to life. Good for school age children through adults.

 
Generations Eat Together, A Celebration of Jewish Foods
by Anita Capouano

Generations Eat Together is a collection of over 325 unique recipes for well-known Mediterranean dishes, European specialties, and Southern American favorites. Together they bring to life the delicious flavors of the Sephardic and Ashkenazi - two distinct cultures represented in the Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem Synagogue of Montgomery, Alabama.

Even if you are not a cook, this book is for you. You'll love the delightful family food stories woven throughout the book showing just how much enjoying food together is part of the fabric of our lives. Helpful drawings and tips from the experts are a plus for cooks of every level.

 
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities:


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

Please click here to apply now

Applications Close on 20 December!
*The recommendation requirement can be fulfilled later

Dates:  4-12 May, 2020

Total cost: $900
(includes airfare, 3-star hotel accommodation in double rooms, most meals, and ground expenses)

Explore:

• Berlin, Hamburg, and United Germany!

• The Holocaust and the Nazi Era (including a visit to a former Concentration Camp)

• Germany’s current politics and its relationship with the US and Israel - including a meeting with German Federal Officials!

• Jewish Life in Berlin, past and present, and Sephardi communities in Germany


~Click here to learn more about the application & trip, 
or
contact
ASF Young Leaders  ~


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 organization – 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, the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America and the Sephardic Home for the Aged Foundation present:

International Ladino Day:
A Celebration of Story and Song
 



On view 29 October through 24 November, 2019

Sunday, 12 January at 2:00PM

Light refreshments will be served

Please register here

~Sponsorship Opportunities Available: Email or Call (212.294.8350) Yves Seban ~

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


Come celebrate Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish, with acclaimed scholars and musicians. Hear Prof. Gloria Ascher, who has taught courses in Ladino at Tufts University for 17 years; Prof. Dina Danon, whose new book brings Izmir's Ottoman Jewish community to life; two scenes from a New York Ladino play; a panel of Generation Y and Z Ladino enthusiasts; and musicians dear to our hearts, The Elias Ladino Ensemble and Sarah Aroeste.

Since 2013, International Ladino Day celebrations have been held around the world. January 12th marks Manhattan's Third Annual Ladino Day created by Prof. Jane Mushabac for the American Sephardi Federation at The Center for Jewish History.

Ladino is a bridge to many cultures. It is a variety of Spanish that has absorbed words and expressions from many languages, most notably Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, Greek, and French. The mother tongue of Jews in the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, Ladino became the home language of Sephardim worldwide. While the number of Ladino speakers has sharply declined, distinguished Ladino Day programs like this one celebrate and preserve a vibrant language and heritage for future generations.


  American Sephardi Federation Logo — In color     SEPHARDIC HOME FOR THE AGED FOUNDATION

The American Sephardi Federation Presents:

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


SAVE THE DATE
23-29 February 2020!
Please click here to reserve your Festival Passes now!

~ Sponsorship Opportunities Available: Email or Call (212.294.8350) Yves Seban ~


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.

 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! 

Contact us by email to learn about giving opportunities in honor or memory of loved ones

Copyright © 2019 American Sephardi Federation, All rights reserved.

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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).

www.AmericanSephardi.org | info@AmericanSephardi.org | (212) 294-8350

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