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17 January 2020

“In loving memory of my father, Salim Saleh Mahlab, z”l on the 10th Anniversary of his passing. A visionary who founded Congregation Bene Naharayim, the first Iraqi Jewish synagogue in the NYC area, following the true traditions of the Babylonian Jews of Iraq.

In the late 1970’s I recall accompanying him to drop off work for his business, at a handicap worker facility. This act of kindness and generosity, especially to those less fortunate, left a lasting impression on me.” ~Nanette Jiji

 
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!
 
Review: The Fighting Jew” 
By Daniel Sugarman, The Jewish Chronicle
 
Daniel Mendoza was a small man, who, in 18th century England, punched above his weight and played a large role in setting the foundations of modern boxing. As Wynn Wheldon details in The Fighting Jew, Mendoza was also a Sephardi Jew who raised the stature of Jews in the Kingdom: “[W]hile Mendoza would probably not have been the first Jew to meet the king, it is likely that he was the first to have had a long discussion with him.”
 
Sephardi-English scientific boxing champion Daniel Mendoza (1764-1836) as depicted by by Charles Jean Robineau,1789

(Scan courtesy of Wikimedia
Special Feature: The Unique Fighting Style of Daniel Mendoza, the 18th Century Sephardi Boxing Champion


The famous match between Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza as depicted by Samuel William Fores, 1788
(Photo courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London/wikimedia

Daniel Mendoza was an 18th century Sephardi Jew and champion fighter who set some of the foundations for modern boxing. This informative and interesting video explains what made Mendoza’s pugilistic style so uniquely effective.

Eliyahu HaNabi Synagogue, Alexandria, Egypt, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Joshua Shamsi/Diarna Geo-Museum of North African & Middle Eastern Jewish Life)
Egypt renovates historic synagogue” 
By Dima Abumaria, The Jerusalem Post
 
Renovations at the 14th century Eliyahu Hanabi Synagogue at Alexandria, Egypt, included: “meticulous restoration of the main façades and ornate walls.” Part of a larger project aiming to preserve Egypt’s Pharaonic, Coptic, Jewish, and Islamic cultural heritage, the Egyptian government recently announced that the synagogue will reopen next month.

In 2017, the ASF’s research partner, the Diarna Geo-Museum of North African & Middle Eastern Jewish Life, was given unprecedented access to digitally document Jewish historical sites in Cairo and Alexandria. Click here to tour an online exhibition of select sites.
Sephardi Gifts:
Dream Homes: From Cairo to Katrina, An Exile's Journey
by Joyce Zonana

Dream Homes chronicles Joyce Zonana’s quest to find a sense of home among people, foods, and places as far from her native Cairo as Oklahoma and Katrina-stricken New Orleans.

After the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, newlyweds Felix and Nellie Zonana flee Cairo with their infant daughter Joyce, eventually settling in Brooklyn. Growing up, Joyce swiftly realizes that her Jewish family and their Egyptian culture are neither typically American nor typically American-Jewish; they eat kobeba instead of kugel and speak French instead of Yiddish. Struggling with her feelings of isolation from other Americans and frustrated by never getting full access to Egyptian-Jewish culture, Zonana sets out on a life-long journey to find her place in the world.

She meets her extended family living in Colombia and Brazil and travels to Cairo to get a glimpse of her parents’ past. After she and her mother survive the devastation of Katrina, Zonana comes to see that “home” is not a location, but a spiritual state of mind. Zonana’s heritage and quest are also evoked in numerous photos and family recipes.

 
They Called Me Gigi: A True Story
by Berthe Cohen

Touching and thoughtful remembrances and reflections of a Greek Sephardi Holocaust survivor and her postwar struggles in Egypt and France. The consequences of war and violence are candidly shared in They Called Me Gigi: A True Story. Having lived anything but an average life, the author details the difficulties she has faced—including the destruction of war, the loss of her childhood, and her suffering from depression—having experienced the horrors of World War II, Israels War of Independece, the Suez Canal War, and the turbulent crisis in Nanterre,

In her postwar reflections, the author asks, “What can society do to avoid hatred and war?” She proposes some answers, especially educating our children to live happy lives. Also, we should consider the consequences of our actions, assume responsibility, and strive for a healthy family life. Reading of her remarkable life, the reader comes away feeling that we can and should help to make this world a better place.


*Exclusively available at the ASF's Sephardi Shop
 
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities:


The American Sephardi Federation invites you to 
The 2nd Jewish Africa Conference

Morocco Trip Extension!

 

Please click here to apply now
Applications Close on 30 January 2020!

Trip Dates:  23-29 March 2020

Total in-country tour cost: $2,600.00*
(Early Bird offer ends on 24 January 2020)

Total in-country tour cost: $3,200.00*

(Price after 24 January 2020)

HIGHLIGHTS:

•Experience Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, and Marrakech with scholars and communities members.  

•VIP Access to the 2nd Jewish Africa Conference (23-25 March), featuring African leaders and scholars discussing the role of Jews and the need for Jewish voices in African civil society, the development of Jewish space, perspectives on old and new African Jewish identities, and encounters between Jews and non-Jews in contemporary Africa.


•Explore Moroccan Jewish history, culture, and contemporary life, as well as Mimouna’s pioneering work to perpetuate Morocco’s tradition of tolerance and combat anti-Semitism abroad


*PRICE INCLUDES:

· Welcome & assistance upon arrival at Casablanca’s Mohamed V Airport (Roundtrip airfare NOT included)
· 6 Nights / 7 Days in Five Star Hotels (Double-occupancy; Single rooms available upon request for additional cost)
· In-country tour transportation 
· Certified local English speaking tour guide and scholars throughout the whole trip 
· Shabbat experience in Marrakech at Slat Lazama, a Sephardic synagogue founded in 1492 by Jewish refugees expelled by the Alhambra Decree 

· Entrance fees to monuments 
· Kosher breakfasts, lunches, and dinners


~Click here to learn more about the trip, or contact ASF at
212-294-8350
info@americansephardi.org 
~

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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