Hazak u’Barukh to Distinguished ASF Board Member & Beirut-born Sephardic sage, Hakham Rabbi Elie Abadie, MD on his appointment to serve as the Jewish Council of the Emirates’ Senior Rabbi!
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Thank you to Sephardi World Weekly Patrons Professor Rifka Cook, Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina, and Distinguished ASF Vice President Gwen Zuares! Become a Patron today!
The historic peace accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Kingdom of Bahrain were celebrated by leading American Jewish organizations, including the American Sephardi Federation. According to ASF Executive Director Jason Guberman, aside from opening a new chapter in international relations, the accords facilitate a kind of homecoming for many Israelis: “‘The Middle East is the heartland of Jewish history, the home to our prophets, historical and holy sites… Greater Sephardic Jews, whose roots are in Muslim lands… now constitute more than 50 percent of Israel’s population.’”
Arabic-Israeli stars Ziv Yehezkel and Nasrin Kadri, Barby, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2014
(Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)
Want an indication of the degree to which Arabic music is breaking into Israel’s mainstream? In this video from 2014, Ziv Yehezkel and Nasrin Kadri, two stars of the Arabic-Israeli music scene, perform a loose, upbeat and joyous nightclub version of Umm Kulthum’s classic, Inta Omri (“You are my life”), at Barby, an established music venue in southern Tel Aviv. The audience even knows how to sing along.
The tiny Jewish community of Bahrain dates back to the 1880s with the arrival in Manama of a number of Iraqi Jewish families, including the Nonoos. Prominent Nonoos in Bahraini history have included Ebrahim Dahood Nonoo, the first ever Jewish member of Bahrain’s parliamentary Shura Council, and Houda Nonoo, who, in 2008, was selected to serve as Bahrain's Ambassador to the United States. Ebrahim's perspective on Bahrain's peace deal with Israel is positive, and local: “‘We’ll be able to show them around, there might be some relatives of those who used to live here before coming over as well, and they want to know where their parents or their grandparents had lived… Most of the buildings in Manama are still there, the ones they used to live in.’”
Houda Nonoo, when service as the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ambassador, Wahsington, D.C., USA, 2011
(Photo courtesy of ThanksUSA)
“This is the grave of the deceased David, of blessed memory, son of Moses, of blessed, saintly memory..." so reads (in part) the centuries-old Jewish tombstone found in the Shimal area of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (Photo courtesy of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Ras Al Khaimah/The National)
Israel’s peace agreements with the UAE and Kingdom of Bahrain is directing attention to Jewish history in the Gulf region, which is basically a story about Iraqi Jews, “who settled in the Gulf countries.” For instance, Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the U.S. from 2008 to 2013, descends from an Iraqi-Jewish family. Curiosity about the Gulf’s Jewish past is a two-way street. In a recent Zoom conversation with the local Jewish community, UAE Minister of State Shamaa Al-Mazrui referred to herself as “‘a new student of the Jewish tradition’” and deeply impressed by “‘the wisdom of Shabbat….’”
Hey, Wow! The Art of Oded Halahmy by Yeshiva University Museum
The work of Oded Halahmy connects the realms of language and art. Using two common Hebrew letters as the starting point, he transforms them— literally and figuratively—into personal reflections on ancient and modern Jewish culture. His bold sculptures and colorful relief paintings reverberate between symbolic meaning and decorative art, between the ancient world of his Babylonian heritage and the contemporary world of his artistic expression.
As part of Oded Halahmy's multifaceted, lifelong exploration of notions of home and exile, this book also includes his original poetry presented in three languages - English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Wednesday, 28 October at 12:00PM EDT Alma Rachel Heckman discusses her new book, “The Sultan’s Communists: Moroccan Jews and the Politics of Belonging.” Sign-up Now!
Sephardic Culinary History with Chef Hélène Jawhara-Piñer
Episode Three:
Special Maimonides Session
Maimón Cake and
Quince, Pear, Apple and Pomegranate Juices
Sephardi Culinary History is a new show that combines chef and scholar Hélène Jawhara-Piñer’s fascination with food studies and flair for creating delicious cuisine. Join along as she cooks Sephardic history!
Tickets support Chef Hélène’s forthcoming publications and the ASF’s Institute of Jewish Experience
ASF Broome & Allen Fellow Hélène Jawhara-Piñer earned her Ph.D in History, Medieval History, and the History of Food from the University of Tours, France.
Chef Hélène’s primary research interest is the medieval culinary history of Spain through interculturality with a special focus on the Sephardic culinary heritage written in Arabic. A member of the IEHCA (Institute of European History and Cultures of Food), the CESR (Centre for Advanced Studies in the Renaissance), and the CoReMa Project (Cooking Recipes of the Middle Ages), Chef Hélène has lectured at Bar-Ilan University (in collaboration with the Stali Institute and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC): “El patrimonio culinario judío de la Península Ibérica a través de un manuscrito del siglo XIII. Ejemplos de la pervivencia de recetas en la cocina de los sefardíes de España y de Marruecos,” 2018), as well as at conference of the Association Diwan (“Reflections on the Jewish heritage according to the Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ,” 2015), IEHCA of Tours (“Jews and Muslims at the Table: Between coexistence and differentiation: state of affairs and reflections on the culinary practices of Jews and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula and in Sicily from the 12th to the 15th century,” 2017), and Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies (“The hidden Jewish culinary heritage of the Iberian Peninsula through a manuscript of the 13th century. Examples of the provenance of some recipes in Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine,” 2017).
Enter for a chance to win a spot in the ASF’s Virtual Cookbook and other prizes!
Does your family have the best Sephardic recipe? Like to cook Sephardic? Let the world know by submitting your recipe to the ASF’s Great Sephardic Chef Competition. Entries will be judged by a panel of scholars, chefs, restaurateurs, and authors in the following categories:
Appetizers
Bread
Communities (Greek, Iraqi, Italian, Moroccan, Persian, Spanish, Syrian, et al...)
Desserts
Entrees
Grandma’s Favorite
Mom’s Best
Salads
Shabbat
Soups
Special Occasions & Creations
Vegan
Yom Tov
Submission Due Date: 15 October 2020 $10 per entry; unlimited entries!
Wednesday, 4 November at 12:00PM EDT Shalva Weil discusses her new book, “The Baghdadi Jews in India: Maintaining Communities, Negotiating Identities and Creating Super-Diversity.” Sign-up Now!
Wednesday, 11 November at 12:00PM EDT Stanley Mirvis discusses his new book, “The Jews of Eighteenth-Century Jamaica: A Testamentary History of a Diaspora in Transition.” An in-depth look at the Portuguese Jews of Jamaica and their connections to broader European and Atlantic trade networks. Sign-up Now!
Wednesday, 18 November at 12:00PM EDT Jane Gerber discusses her new book, “Cities of Splendour in the Shaping of Sephardi History.” Sign-up Now!
Wednesday, 25 November at 12:00PM EDT Cedric Cohen-Skalli discusses his new book, “Don Isaac Abravanel: An Intellectual Biography.” Sign-up Now!
At the Crossroads of Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-Speaking Worlds: The History of Bukharian Jews (2-Part Series)
The culture and history of Bukharian Jews is situated at the unique, intersection of Sephardic, Mizrahi and Russian-speaking Jewish identities. Through this 2-part learning series, we will explore the multilayered, rich story of this millennia-old community—discovering the ways in which they have developed their mosaic culture through a dynamic interaction with the dominant and changing societies surrounding them.
Our discussion will also shed light on how their experiences fit into the broader historical saga of the Jewish people.
Thursdays
12 and 19 November at 12:00PM EDT Sign-up Now!
Born in Uzbekistan, raised in Seattle, and currently based in New York City, Ruben Shimonov is a Jewish educator, community builder, social entrepreneur and artist with a passion for Jewish diversity and pluralism. He previously served as Director of Community Engagement & Education at Queens College Hillel—where he had, within his vast portfolio, the unique role of cultivating Sephardic & Mizrahi student life on campus. Currently, he is the Founding Executive Director of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network—a grassroots movement building a supportive, vibrant and much-needed community for LGBTQ+ Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews. He also serves as Vice-President of Education & Community Engagement on the Young Leadership Board of the American Sephardi Federation, as well as Director of Educational Experiences & Programming for the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. Within both organizations, Ruben has used his artistry in Arabic, Hebrew & Persian calligraphy to enhance Muslim-Jewish dialogue and relationship building. In 2018, Ruben was listed among The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” young Jewish community leaders and changemakers. He has lectured extensively on the histories and cultures of various Sephardic & Mizrahi communities. Among his speaking engagements, he has been invited to present at Limmud Seattle, NY and U.K. He is also an alumnus of the COJECO Blueprint and Nahum Goldmann Fellowships for his work in Jewish social innovation.
Wednesday, 2 December at 12:00PM EDT Danny Bar Maoz discusses his new book, “Life without a Childhood in the Yemenite Jewish Community 1882-1948.”
The book is in Hebrew (חיים ללא ילדות בקהילות יהודי תימן 1882-1948) but the lecture will be given in English. Sign-up Now!
Wednesday, 9 December at 12:00PM EDT Aviva Ben-Ur discusses her new book, “Jewish Autonomy in a Slave Society: Suriname in the Atlantic World, 1651-1825.” Sign-up Now!
An online course presented in 10 minute episodes.
Learn at your own pace.
Please sign-up now! Total cost of the course is $75.00
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience is proud to present “The Crypto Experience,” an online course on Crypto-Jews. It is part of a series of online courses on a variety of topics that make up the robust Jewish experience.
For hundreds of years there have been descendants of Crpto-Jews, who have covertly kept some of their traditions while maintaining a very different public persona. It is a question of identity, be it Huegenot, Catholic, Sephardi, or Mashadi. Professing one faith on the outside and another on the inside speaks to our quest for defining identity today.
These questions of identity that we think are so new and so relevant are really rather old questions under different circumstances. In this course Dr. Hilda Nissimi (Bar Ilan University) presents an overview of crypto societies historically and in the context of today. She challenges the participants to ask themselves difficult questions like: What defines identity? If I project this outer self, how do I keep my real me? Who is the real me? Am I the me before the expression of an outer facade? Is it a new me?
The course discusses these questions as they pertain to Jews, specifically. What does it mean to be a Jew? What do I have to keep if I want to call myself a Jew? Am I allowed to change? Am I the person to decide? Who will decide? How can anyone decide under such circumstances?
In order to understand this in historic and cultural contexts, world-renowned scholars and experts in the field have joined Dr. Nissimi and will be presenting the challenges facing a range of crypto societies:
Huegenots – Dr. Hilda Nissimi Spanish-Portuguese Crypto Society – Dr. Ronnie Perelis (Yeshiva University) Bildi’in of Morocco – Professor Paul Fenton (Sorbonne Université, Paris) Mashhadi Jews of Iran – Dr. Hilda Nissimi Tracing Jewish Roots – Genie and Michael Milgrom Growing Up Mashhadi– Reuben Ebrahimoff
The Greek Experience Explore the world of Greek Jewry from the ancient Romaniote to the Sephardim and others who made it to and through Greece.
An online course presented in 10 minute episodes.
Learn at your own pace.
Please sign-up now! Total cost of the course is $75.00
Jews have been in Greece since before the Temple was destroyed. They were in Greece upon the founding of the Greek Orthodox Church. Community members, known as Romaniote, made their way through Venice, Byzantium, Spain, across the Ottoman Empire, and beyond. Dr. Yitzchak Kerem provides an overview of the unique languages, liturgical nuances, and communal life of Jews across Greece. Dr Kerem spent significant time living in Greece and researching Greek and Sephardic history. Photographs, maps, and personal accounts provide course participants with a full picture of the unique nature of the Jews of Greece and its surroundings. In the course, participants will look at major influential points in Greek Jewish history. They will explore The Golden Age of Salonika, a time when Greece’s northern city was a hub of Jewish scholarship. Kerem introduces the tension arising in the Greek Jewish community because of Shabtai Tzvi and the Sabbateanism movement that brought with it false messianism and conversion to Islam, at least outwardly. The course looks at when the Alliance Israélite Universelle moved in and the Sephardic culture in Greece developed a rich secular culture with its own novels, theater, and music. This is part of the greater Jewish heritage and history that is often overlooked. ASF IJE online courses will bring to life all parts of the greater Jewish Experience.
“We have to unite our energies together. All Jews, together…. If we are united, all Sephardim and also Ashkenazim, together... we will see the light!”
~Enrico Macias
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experienceis uniquely dedicated to ensuring that today’s Jews know our history; appreciate the beauty, depth, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish experience; and have a sense of pride in Jewish contributions to civilization. Donate Now!
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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).
