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7 December 2018

Hacham Shaul Kassin, ZT”L (1920-2018), Chief Rabbi of New York's Syrian Jewish community. A scion of the illustrious Kassin family, he was revered for his Torah scholarship, halachic expertise, and his influence that reached across the Sephardic world. May his soul be bound in the bond of life.
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The Hitchens who stole Hanukkah” 
By Ami Isseroff, ZioNation
 
Is Hanukkah really a celebration of, “tribal Jewish backwardness”? That’s what the passionate anti-theist Christopher Hitchens claimed. A less sophisticated version of his old argument recently appeared in the NY Times. This brought to mind the response of the late Ami Isseroff, a progressive Zionist, courageous advocate for peace, and editor of the MidEast Web for Coexistence, who struck some traditionally American themes in arguing otherwise: “Hanukkah was a victory for Jewish political as well as religious freedom over the imperialist government of Antiochus IV and his Seleucid [D]ynasty. Perhaps the Jews did not invent the ideas of freedom, self-determination and religious toleration, but the revolt of the Maccabees struck a blow for all of these.”

The menorah has become a symbol of liberty, Chalkida, Greece, 2016 
(Photo courtesy of Joseph Samuel/Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life
Feature of the week: Ha’tzel Yona (“Lord, Please Save the Dove”)


Synagogue of Mount Zion, Jerusalem, Israel 
 
The text for Ya, Ha’tzel Yona (“Lord, Please Save the Dove”) was written by an unknown Iraqi-Jewish poet, but a known 20th century musician, Rahamim Amar, composed a new melody for the text, which has become part of the Jerusalem-Sephardi tradition. In this video, the piyyut is sung by members of the Sephardi Synagogue of Mount Zion, just outside of Jerusalem’s Old City.

Luqmat al Qadi (Photo courtesy of Radhi Cheruku/Pinterest
Luqmat: A Little Fritter With A Long History” 
By Emily Sachrin, HaSephardi
 
How did deep-fried dough balls spread across the Mediterranean and become a Hanukkah staple for Sephardi communities from Morocco to Turkey? An ancient Roman culinary custom of deep-frying dough was preserved by Muslims in the East who then brought it to Spain. Once there, the Sephardim, well, ate it up. The dough-balls assumed different names as they spread across the region—luqmat, bumuelos, sfenj, lokma, and zvingous—and proved to be a natural match for Hanukkah: "[w]hen Jews commemorate the small jar of olive oil that miraculously kept the Temple's menorah burning for 8 days." 

The article includes a recipe!
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For those who missed Professor Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis’ Sephardi Scholars Series Talk at The ASF in September, here is another chance to catch her fascinating  insights on Bayt Farhi and the Sephardic Palaces of Ottoman Damascus from our friends at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun:


“Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Presents:

KJ Am Ha-Sefer Book Event

With Author Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis Presenting on her Book
Bayt Farhi and the Sephardic Places of Ottoman Damascus in the Late 18th and 19th Centuries


Saturday, 8 December, at 7:30PM
Supper and Lecture
Heyman Auditorium, 2nd Floor
Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun
125 East 85 Street 
New York City


Admission is Complimentary!


An Exciting Program on Sephardic Jewish History!

Bayt Farhi's outstanding architecture and decoration is documented and presented in this first comprehensive analysis of it and Damascus's other prominent Sephardic mansions Matkab 'Anbar, Bayt Dahdah, Bayt Stambouli, and Bayt Lisbona. The Hebrew poetic inscriptions in these residencies reveal how the Farhi and other leading Sephardic families perceived themselves and how they presented themselves to their own community and other Damascenes. A history of the Farhi and the Jews of Damascus provides the context for these houses, along with the architectural development of the monumental Damascene courtyard house.

Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis is Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the Acting Executive Officer, or Chair, of the M.A. Program in Liberal Studies at the Graduate Center, The City University of New York. She has served on the Governing Board of the Archeological Institute of America and now serves on the Governing Board of the American Schools of Oriental Research.”


International Conference:Displacement of Jewish Life in Islamic Lands and Cultural Reconstruction in Israel

Monday, 10 December, at 9:30AM
Yeshiva University Museum
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street 
New York City


Admission is Complimentary!

Please register here  
or call : 
1.800.838.3006

The ASF invites our members and readers to an international conference at The Center for Jewish History: “Scholars from Israel, the US, and Canada will explore the history and culture of the Jews from Islamic lands, their displacement, and resettlement in Israel. Topics include: Jewish communal life, rabbis and religious life, cultural institutions, and the responses of international institutions.

The conference will feature international lectures, musical performances, and kosher food.


Co-Sponsored by the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Center for Culture, Society and Education in the Sephardic Heritage of Bar Ilan University, and Yeshiva University Museum.”


The American Sephardi Federation and Association Mimouna present:

Jewish Africa Conference - Past, Present, and Future


Sunday, 27 January, at 7:00PM
Opening Cultural Evening
Musical Groups; Welcome Remarks

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


Monday, 28 January, 9:00AM - 4:00PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street 
New York City


Tuesday, 29 January, 9:00AM - 4:30PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street 
New York City



Please register here 
or call: 
1.800.838.3006
Early bird tickets & passes are available for a limited time only!


Join The American Sephardi Federation and Association Mimouna to explore the past, present, and future of Jewish Africa.

CONTEXT
Since Biblical times, from Abraham’s journey to Egypt and the later Israelite captivity under the Pharaohs, the Jewish People have had close ties with Africa. Some Jewish communities in Africa are amongst the oldest in the world, dating back more than 2,700 years (Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria). Today, Jews and Judaism in Africa show an ethnic and religious diversity and richness almost unparalleled on any other continent.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
A circle of emerging African leaders and researchers will analyze a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to the history and contemporary situation of Jewish Africa, including the role of Jews and the need of 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.
 
TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED
Jewish heritage in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Uganda, and South Africa; Black African Judaism; the Future for Judaism in Africa; and preserving the memory and heritage of African Judaism in the 21st Century via the Diarna Geo-Museum and Atlas of Jewish History initiatives.

The central idea is to approach these topics from the point of view of Jewish African leaders. In doing so, the conference seeks to provide a platform and create a meaningful network of researchers and Jewish African leaders.


The American Sephardi Federation, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, and American Jewish Historical Society present:

International Ladino Day: A Celebration of Words and Music

A Festival to celebrate Ladino, the remarkable language also known as Judeo-Spanish.


Sunday, 10 February, 2:00-5:00PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street 
New York City


Please register here 
or call: 
1.800.838.3006
Light refreshments will be served.

Celebrate Ladino in the company of highly acclaimed musicians and writers. Hear clarinetist Danny Elias; author Jane Mushabac's story, Seven Songs; composer Avi Amon's musical fantasy, Salonika; scholar Bryan Kirschen speaking on Ladino's rich culture; Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé on wisdom tales; and the Alhambra Ensemble's Songs of Courtship, Love, and Holidays with oud, violin, shawm, dumbek and voices.  

Since 2013, when Israel's 5th President Yitzhak Navon endorsed Zelda Ovadia's idea of International Ladino Day, celebrations have been held in Jerusalem, Seattle, Istanbul, Madrid, Dallas, Forest Hills, Boston, and other cities.  February 10th marks the Second Annual International Ladino Day at the Center for Jewish History. 

Ladino is a bridge to many cultures; it's a Spanish language that includes words in Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, and more. The mother tongue of Jews in the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, Ladino was the home language of Sephardim worldwide in the early 20th century.  

Although today Ladino is only spoken by a small fraction of Sephardim, the interest in the language and its culture is experiencing a resurgence through distinguished university programs, publications, concerts, and events of many kinds. 

The February 10th event is presented by the American Sephardi Federation, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, and Binghamton University Department of Judaic Studies and the Charles and Rae Grabel Memorial Fund for Judaic Studies. We are also grateful to the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.


Nosotros 2.0: Strengthening Bonds Between Jewish and Latino Communities

Nosotros 2.0, which opened as a one-night pop-up exhibition on 11 October. continues in part as an exhibition in our Leon Levy Gallery.

On view until April

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


The Philos Project and American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to “Nosotros," an exhibition composed of pieces by Latino artists celebrating the shared history and culture of Jewish and Latino communities, and expressing hope for a more positive future. Latin American artistry is rich with Sephardi and Crypto-Jewish allusions and symbols.

The exhibit is titled “Nosotros,” the Spanish word for “us,” and all of the art represents the growing relationship between the Jewish and Hispanic communities in New York and around the world. The exhibit is one of the many things Jesse Rojo, The Philos Project's Hispanic Affairs Director, is doing to bridge the gap between Hispanics and the Middle East.

 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

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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) 548-4486

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