In Honor of Yom Yerushalayim.
The Sephardi World Weekly is made possible by Professor Rifka Cook, Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina, Rachel Amar, Deborah Arellano, and Distinguished ASF Vice President Gwen Zuares!
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one
🧆“In Paris, Jewish childhood friends open chic restaurant serving their Tunisian grandparents’ couscous”
By Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA
Mabrouk serves “Sephardic dishes with a modern French twist.”
(Photo courtesy of Cnaan Liphshiz/JTA)
When Alexandre David and Alexis Memmi were growing up in Paris, summer vacation meant visiting their grandmothers in Tunisia and enjoying, “glorious Sephardic dishes… made with recipes handed down and perfected over generations.” The friends, David explains, made a vow, “‘We said that as soon as we grow up we’d open a restaurant together and serve those dishes in the center of Paris.’” The fulfillment of that vow is called Mabrouk. The reviews have been great. Laura Ventura, a Sephardi Jew, is a restaurant owner in Paris and a Mabrouk regular, “It’s different from other couscous restaurants because it’s not kitsch. It’s Jewish Tunisian without reminding you constantly that this is what it is.”
Feature: Evyatar Banai’s Melodious Love of Silence 🎶
(Screenshot courtesy of Youtube)
Evyatar Banai is a musician from the astounding Persian-Jewish-Israeli Banais, an Israeli cultural dynasty that has produced three generations of talented and prominent artists. It took Evyatar five years to complete his third record (2005), Omed Al Nayar (“Standing on Paper”), a period in which he gradually deepened his connection to Judaism. The album, said Banai, “opened a new path, of trusting in life, and in myself.” At Sheket (“You are Silence”), a memorable song from the record, is great pop music, true and simple musical lines invested with deep feeling and powered by an equally deep groove, all performed with professional precision and restraint. The extended reverie beginning at 3:46 (“Mom would talk on the phone/ and draw drawings with pen on paper/ Dad would be shirtless working in the garden/ I would open the fridge/ look, and shut the door/ and shut the door/and shut the door…”) fully surrenders to the joy in (musical) repetition.
🕍“A Jewish renaissance in Greece: Abandoned synagogues get new life”
By Elias V. Messinas, The Jerusalem Post
The state of the Beth El synagogue in Komotini is surveyed by the writer in 1993, a year prior to its demolition.
(Screenshot courtesy of Elias Messinas/The Jerusalem Post)
87% of Greek Jewry perished in the Shoah. Elias Messinas details the history of post-war efforts to document Greek Jewish life, including his own contribution, “‘I undertook the first ever architectural survey and study of the synagogues of Greece.’” These various investments in documentary history are now bearing fruit, “Jewish heritage sites once abandoned or demolished or serving other uses, are… slated for reconstruction and reuse as synagogues, nearly 80 years after the Holocaust.”
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The American Sephardi Federation invites all individuals, communities, and organizations who share our vision & principles to join us in signing the American Sephardi Leadership Statement!
Please also support the ASF with a generous, tax-deductible contribution so we can continue to cultivate and advocate, preserve and promote, as well as educate and empower!
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The Synagogues of Greece: A Study of Synagogues in Macedonia and Thrace
By Elias V. Messinas
Published by the American Sephardi Federation, this is an English edition of Elias V. Messinas’ study The Synagogues of Greece: A Study of Synagogues in Macedonia and Thrace based on his 1999 doctoral dissertation and subsequent work on documentation and protection of Jewish heritage sites in Greece.
The book provides two main themes. First, it is a detailed history of the the synagogues of northern Greece (Macedonia and Thrace), mostly a legacy of the Ottoman period. Messinas has dug deep to collect information on all identifiable synagogues, some known only by name. He traces the history of these institutions and structures and places them in their urban context from the 15th through the 20th centuries - so there is much of value here for student’s of Jewish settlements and Jewish quarters. Almost all of these buildings are gone. Many were destroyed in the great fire that swept Salonika in 1917. Those that were rebuilt were destroyed in the Holocaust or in the years following, when the once large Jewish communities of Northern Greece were reduced to tiny numbers. In the 1990s, Messinas was able to document several extant synagogues—albeit surviving in ruined condition—and document them with measured drawings and photos before they were demolished.
*Exclusively available at the ASF’s Sephardi Shop
Birkenau (Auschwitz II) How 72,000 Greek Jews Perished
By Albert Menache, M.D.
Memoirs of An Eyewitness; NUMBER 124454
This is the story of the destruction of the Balkan Sephardic Jewish Community by the Nazis in WWII. Written by the President of the Jewish Community of Salonica, Greece, it is the earliest published account by a survivor. Written while still in the concentration camp on smuggled paper, it has been out of print since the first edition appeared in 1947.
This new edition has been updated with historical documents, photographs, and notes on the restoration of Jewish life in Greece after the war.
Watch Dr. Joe Halio speak about “Dr. Albert Menache & The Holocaust in Salonika”
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Between Baghdad and Asia
Beginning in the mid-19th century, a vibrant network of Jews primarily from Iraq but also from the Levant and Iran formed communities throughout the Indian sub-continent and East Asia. These communities flourished for over a decade and the remnants of these communities can still be seen to this day in places like Bombay, Singapore, and Hong Kong through the institutions they built and the communities which continue to exist. This talk traces the history of Baghdadi Jews in Asia from its earliest beginning until the present day, exploring the relevance of these communities both to Baghdad and the larger Jewish world.
Tuesday, 31 May at 12:00PM EST
(Ticket: $10)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah is assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, she received her PhD in 2019 from Leiden University. She is specialised in the modern history of Middle Eastern and North African Jewry. She is the author of numerous scholarly and trade publications including her recent monograph Baghdadi Jewish Networks in the Age of Nationalism (Brill, 2021).
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Arnon Z. Schorr and Joshua Edelglass
Join us for this episode of New Works Wednesdays with Arnon Z. Schorr and Joshua Edelglass as they discuss their new book “José and the Pirate Captain Toledano”!
Wednesday, 1 June at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
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About the book:
Set in the shadows of the Spanish Inquisition, this is the coming-of-age story of José Alfaro, a young refugee who forms a powerful bond with the mysterious Pirate Captain Toledano. It’s also a dynamic pirate adventure on the high seas, with hand-to-hand combat and ship-to-ship action, and the powerful story of a dark time in history when people took different paths to survive.
About the authors:
Arnon Z. Shorr, a filmmaker and screenwriter, loves telling stories. Half-Sepharadi / half-Ashkenazi, a Hebrew speaker in America, a Jewish private-school kid in a mostly non-Jewish suburb, whenever he’d set foot in one world, his other foot would betray him as different. That’s why he tells stories that embrace the peculiar and the other. For more about Arnon, visit www.arnonshorr.com. Formerly of Los Angeles, he lives in Boston.
Joshua Edelglass’ work has appeared in publications including Tikkun Magazine, and The New Haven Review. His artwork has also appeared in numerous exhibitions, including Pow! Jewish Comics Art and Influence at the Brooklyn Jewish Art Museum. He has watched Star Trek II more times than is probably healthy. For more information about Josh, visit www.MotionPicturesComics.com. He is the Assistant Director of Camp Ramah New England and lives near Boston.
Click here for more about the book.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Sharon Shalom
Join us for New Works Wednesday with Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom who will discuss his new book “Dialogues of Love and Fear: A Rabbi’s Daughter, a Kes’s Son, and Hope for the Future.”
Wednesday, 8 June at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
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About the book:
“Dialogues of Love and Fear” is a work of imagination and insight that addresses fraught issues of our times in new and refreshing ways. The author, whose own dramatic life journey has taken him from shepherd to professor, from refugee to IDF officer, and from student of a kes (religious leader) to rabbi of an Ashkenazi synagogue, brings the many facets of his identity into dialogue in these brilliantly imagined conversations between two characters. Through them it provides a window into the world of Ethiopian Jewry, their challenges, and the deep questions that every complex relationship carries with it. Covering a huge breadth of topics, this heart-warming, optimistic book offers a transformative perspective that is tolerant, accessible, and committed to Jewish tradition.
About the speakers:
Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom made aliyah to Israel on his own in 1982 at the age of eight under Operation Bat Galim, operated by the Mossad and the IDF commandos. Rabbi Sharon Shalom received his PhD in Jewish philosophy from Bar-Ilan University and his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion. Today he serves as rabbi of Congregation Kedoshei Yisrael in Kiryat Gat. He currently serves as a lecturer at Orot Yisrael College in Elkanah and at Bar-Ilan University. Dr. Shalom lives with his wife, Avital, and their five children in Kiryat Gat.
Steven Fine (born 1958), historian of Judaism in the Greco-Roman World, is professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University in New York, director of the Arch of Titus Digital Restoration project and of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, and a founding editor of-Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture.
Click here for more about the book.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Haim Jachter
Join us for New Works Wednesdays with Rabbi Haim Jachter as he discusses his new book “Bridging Traditions: Demystifying Differences Between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews.”
Wednesday, 22 June at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
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About the book:
As the rabbi of a Sephardic synagogue for over twenty years who is himself of Ashkenazic descent and trained in Ashkenazic yeshivot, Rabbi Haim Jachter has a unique vantage point from which to observe the differences in customs and halachot between Ashkenazim and Sephardim. In Bridging Traditions, Rabbi Jachter applies his wide-ranging expertise to explicating an encyclopedic array of divergences between Ashkenazic and Sephardic halachic practice, while also capturing the diversity within different Sephardic communities. Bridging Traditions is essential reading for Jews of all origins who are interested in understanding their own practices and appreciating those of their brethren, and in seeing the kaleidoscope of halachic observance as a multi-faceted expression of an inner divine unity.
About the speaker:
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the rabbi of the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He serves as a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth and has acquired an international reputation of excellence in the area of Get administration. He is also teacher at Torah Academy of Bergen County. He is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America’s Halacha Committee and Chairman of its Igun Resolution Committee. He is frequently sought out to assist communities in establishing and managing their Eruvin, and is the Rav HaMachshir of our eruv. Rabbi Jachter’s ordination is from Yeshiva University where he also earned his Master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy.
Click here for more about the book.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Mark Schneegurt
Join us for this episode of New Works Wednesdays where Mark Schneergurt discusses “Anthology of Religious Poetry from the Mexican Inquisition Trials of 16th-Century CryptoJews.”
Wednesday, 29 June at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
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About the book:
A century after being expelled from Portugal, cryptoJews in Mexico, false converts to Christianity, could not speak of their beliefs for fear of becoming embroiled in the imprisonment, torture, and death in flames that characterized the Inquisition. Without written texts, the Jewish liturgy lost, clans of cryptoJews created a unique body of religious poetry, connecting them to the Laws of Moses, seeking redemption from sin, or hoping for an escape from their embittered lives. The Carvajal clan was led by Luis el Mozo, an alumbrado, a mystic, and his Judaizing sisters. Once discovered to be secretly practicing Judaism, years of suffering at the hands of the Inquisitors were meticulously recorded in the transcripts of their long demeaning trials. The Carvajal's friends, spouses, children and grandchildren were implicated as Judaizers, with many being reconciled by the Church to secular authorities to be burned alive at massive public ceremonies. The burning of Luis and his sisters was the main attraction for cheering crowds at the auto de fé of 1596 in Mexico City. The cruelty of the Inquisitors was matched by their attention to legal detail and testimonies made at trial. Buried within thousands of pages of transcripts, hiding in library special collections of rare books around the world are the only remnants of the religious poetry that sustained cryptoJews hiding in Mexico. Anthology uncovers these hidden treasures!
About the author:
Mark A. Schneegurt is an author, educator, scientist, and entrepreneur. His books range from scholarly works on science, religion, and literature to popular books on The Beatles. He has authored 80+ publications and has made 200+ public presentations of his works.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Joyce Yarrow
Join us for New Works Wednesdays with Joyce Yarrow discussing her new book “Zahara and the Lost Books of Light”!
Wednesday, 6 July at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
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About the book:
Seattle journalist Alienor Crespo travels to Spain to claim the promise of citizenship offered to the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. As she relives history through her vijitas (visits) with her ancestors, Alienor also confronts modern-day extremism and commits herself to protecting an endangered “Library of Light” – a hidden treasure trove of medieval Hebrew and Arabic books, saved from the fires of the Inquisition.
About the author:
The author of five novels, Joyce Yarrow was born in the SE Bronx, escaped to Manhattan as a teenager, and today does most of her traveling through her writing.
Joyce has worked as a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, multimedia performance artist, and member of the world music vocal ensemble, Abráce.
She is a Pushcart nominee, whose stories and poems have been widely published. She considers the setting of her books to be characters in their own right and teaches workshops on “The Place of Place in Suspense Writing.”
Click here for more about the book.
Click here for the Spanish edition.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The Greek Jewish & Sephardic Young Professionals Network in partnership with the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry present:
Special Young Professionals Tour of Jewish Greece
(Summer 2022)
Join to trace the roots of our families, visit the beautiful cities of Thessaloniki (Salonika), Veroia, Kastoria, Ioannina, Athens, and Rhodes, and connect with other young Jews in Greece.
Check out the full itinerary here!
For more information email GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com