In Memory of Isaac Arazi, A”H, former President of the Lebanese Jewish Community Council and a “driving force behind the reconstruction” of Beirut’s Magen Abraham Synagogue
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The Sephardi World Weekly is made possible by Daniel Yifrach, Rachel Sally, Professor Rifka Cook, Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina, Rachel Amar, Deborah Arellano, & ASF VP Gwen Zuares!
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🎯 “Targeted again after Oct. 7, Tunisia’s small Jewish community wonders what future it has”
By Gianluca Pacchiani, The Times of Israel
El Ghriba Synagogue, Djerba, Tunisia
(Photo courtesy of Chrsytie Sherman/Diarna: The Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life)
The first piece of concrete historical evidence pointing to a Jewish community on the Tunisian island of Djerba is an 11th c. letter from the Cairo Geniza penned by a Jewish merchant named Abu al-Faraj al-Jerbi. Al-Jerbi, meaning “the Djerbian.” The way the Jews of Djerba tell it, this proud community exceptionally rich in Jewish tradition and scholarship dates to Jewish priests who fled to the island in the 6th c. BCE when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem. Today? Many in the 1,500 member community wonder if the Jews have a future on the island.
First came “a deadly May terror attack at the historic Ghriba synagogue… during the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer” in which an Islamist killed two worshippers and three guards. Subsequently the “community didn’t feel secure enough to restart communal prayer in the island’s main temple until the recent Sukkot holiday in October.” Then Oct. 7th happened, followed by “violent protests in the majority-Muslim country.”
According to Dr. David Gerbi, a Libyan Jewish refugee twice exiled to Italy and whose family hails from Tunisia: In Djerba,
the three religions [Jews, Muslims and Christians] used to coexist in peace, but because of the latest conflict things have changed and the danger for the Jewish population is tangible. Locals tell me that it is not easy to change your life and emigrate to Israel, where the cost of living is very high, where there is war, and elderly people will struggle to adapt to a new reality. But perhaps this is, in the end, the best choice.
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Feature: The New Jerusalem Orchestra Swings R’ Yisrael Najara’s Ya’ala Ya’ala 🎷🎶🙌
Omer Avital and R’ Haim Louk
(Screenshot courtesy of Invitation to Piyyut/YouTube)
With an all-star lineup including Omer Avital on bass, Itamar Borochov on trumpet, Greg Tardy on tenor saxophone, Daniel Zamir on soprano and R’ Haim Louk in the role of Master payytan, the New Jerusalem Orchestra offers a rousing rendition of Ya’ala Ya’ala, a liturgical love song composed by the great payytan of Ottoman Gaza, R’ Yisrael Najara, tracing the love between God and his beloved, the “graceful woman” that is the people of Israel.
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🕊️“Muhammad under Fire: The Art of Waging Peace and Humane Engagement”
By Mohamad Jebara, Raseef 22
Imam Mohamad Jebara introducing his book Muhammad, the World Changer at an event celebrating the partnership of the Institut du Monde Arabe and American Sephardi Foundation, Consulate General of France at New York, 20 October 2021
(Photo courtesy of Zakaria Siraj)
Imam Mohamad Jebara is the Canadian author of Muhammad the World-Changer and The Life of the Qur’an, as well as a learned “scriptural philologist and exegetist” known for “efforts to bridge cultural and religious divides.”
In this extended essay, Jebara uses his scholarly erudition to explore the human side of Muhammad’s biography at a time when brutal battles are being fought over contested land “yet the prophet’s clear ethical code seems to have been largely forsaken.” In this context, Jebara reminds his readers that:
[Muhammad] repeatedly advised his followers that during times of trauma and confusion they could reground themselves by reading Surah Yusuf, the Qur’an’s retelling of the Biblical Joseph’s story. What does Jebara find in the tale of Yusuf/Yosef/Joseph?
Despite enduring years of abuse, Joseph ultimately emerges from his manic journey with mercy and equanimity. He retreats to a room to cry, before greeting his brothers and forgiving them for trying to kill him… With hindsight and discerning wisdom, he recognizes that painful persecution actually created the conditions for his great achievements. In fact, he had to endure tribulations in order to save both his own ancestral people (the tribe of Israel) and his adopted people (the Egyptians) from starvation. Suffering could be transformed into blossoming – with the right approach.
As Surah Yusuf ends, the Divine voice appears with a reminder: “When the messengers reach a nadir of despair and feel completely rejected without any hope, precisely then Our assistance comes to relieve them” (12:110). The Qur’an’s oft-repeated word for action-based hope is Taqwa (its Biblical Hebrew cognate Tiqwa and modern Hebrew’s Tikvah) – literally, pulling a bucket up from a well hoping it will emerge filled with water. It implies that human beings must take action to try to alleviate their plight. The Divine provides inspiration, but the mortal must choose to act and persevere.
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By Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, a 2018 ASF Broome & Allen Fellow
In this extraordinary, award-winning and best-selling cookbook now in its 4th imprint, chef and scholar Hélène Jawhara-Piñer combines rich culinary history and Jewish heritage to serve up over fifty culturally significant recipes. Steeped in the history of the Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spain) and their diaspora, these recipes are expertly collected from such diverse sources as medieval cookbooks, Inquisition trials, medical treatises, poems, and literature. Original sources ranging from the thirteenth century onwards and written in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Occitan, Italian, and Hebrew, are here presented in English translation, bearing witness to the culinary diversity of the Sephardim, who brought their cuisine with them and kept it alive wherever they went. Jawhara-Piñer provides enlightening commentary for each recipe, revealing underlying societal issues from anti-Semitism to social order. In addition, the author provides several of her own recipes inspired by her research and academic studies.
Each creation and bite of the dishes herein are guaranteed to transport the reader to the most deeply moving and intriguing aspects of Jewish history. Jawhara-Piñer reminds us that eating is a way to commemorate the past.
A Pizmonim: Sephardic-Hebrew Songs of the Middle East, Volume 1
By David Elihu Cohen
Pizmonim, a unity of poetry and song, have been an integral part of the Jewish People and may be traced in the Bible to the very beginning of our history.
The twelve selected Pizmonim contained in this booklet serve to perpetuate the Greater Sephardic culture and tradition of singing praise to the Lord on all joyous occasions.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The American Sephardi Federation, the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, the Sephardic Foundation on Aging, and Shearith Israel League Foundation proudly present:
Bendichas Manos:
The 7th Annual New York Ladino Day
Curated by Jane Mushabac and Bryan Kirschen
Featuring:
Rabbi Marc Angel, author and editor of 38 books, and a 2023 International Sephardic Gala Honoree for his decades of remarkable community leadership.
Rachel Amado Bortnick, teacher and founder of the renowned online group, Ladinokomunita, now in its 25th year with 1500 Ladino-speaking members worldwide.
Elizabeth Graver, author of the groundbreaking 2023 Sephardic novel Kantika, and long celebrated for her prize-winning fiction.
Sarah Aroeste, singer/songwriter, and Susan Barocas, foodwriter/story-teller, a duo whose “Savor” program of songs and talk about Sephardic cuisine is garnering raves here and abroad.
Sunday, 21 January at 2:00PM EST
In-Person @the Center for Jewish History
Sign-up Now!
Tickets:
Early Bird General Admission $20 (regular General Admission $25)
VIP $36 (includes VIP seating and reception)
(Early Bird offer expires on 17 December)
Since 2013, Ladino Day programs have been held around the world to honor Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish. January 21st marks New York’s 7th Annual Ladino Day hosted by the American Sephardi Federation.
Ladino is a bridge to many cultures. A variety of Spanish, it has absorbed words from Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, French, Greek, and Portuguese. 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 ours celebrate and preserve a vibrant language and heritage. These programs are, as Aviya Kushner has written in the Forward, “Why Ladino Will Rise Again.”
© Ioannina, mid-19th century Sephardi & Romaniot Jewish Costumes in Greece & Turkey. 16 watercolours by Nicholas Stavroulakis published by the Association of the Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens, 1986.
Please support the New York Ladino Day with a generous, tax-deductible contribution so we can continue to cultivate and advocate, preserve and promote, as well as educate and empower!
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The American Sephardi Federation presents:
Convergence: Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian Calligraphy in Conversation
Featuring the multilingual art of Ruben Shimonov Convergence creates a visual world where Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian languages interact with, and speak to, one another; a world where stylized letters and words dance together on the page; a world where cultures, religions, communities, and philosophies intersect.
Juxtaposing cognates from these ancient West Asian languages, artist Ruben Shimonov encourages the viewer to explore the deep-rooted connections between these tongues, as well as the multilayered and transnational identity of the artist himself.
On View in the Leon Levy Gallery
through 31 May 2024
@ the Center for Jewish History
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The American Sephardi Federation and Mimouna Association’s Rebuilding Our Homes Project present:
Re-Creation: Judaica by Moroccan Muslim Artisans
Explore the exhibition of Judeo-Moroccan art, Moroccan Judaica, cultural and religious objects, including Menorot, Mezuzot, Yads, Shabbat Candleholders, Seder Plates, Hallah Covers, and much more.
On View through 31 May 2024
@ the Center for Jewish History
As Moroccan Jewish populations largely left the mellahs (Jewish quarters) in the latter half of the 20th century, there was a danger that not only designs but even the traditional artisanal techniques needed to create them would be lost. Passed down from one artisan to another and perfected over time, these designs and techniques. ranging from vibrant patterns to intricate metalwork and soulful wood carvings, are expressions of Moroccanity and reflect the individual character of each city. The materials and craftsmanship of Rabat are different than Fez, and Essaouira is distinct from both.
Mimouna Association and the American Sephardi Federation’s Rebuilding Our Homes Project, a multi-year USAID-supported New Partnerships Initiative, brought three notable experts-Ms. Zhor Rehihil, Ms. Deborah Koenigsberger Gutierrez, and Ms. Meryem Ghandi to train Moroccan Muslim artisans in the history of Judeo-Moroccan art and guided them in re-creating Moroccan Judaica, which encompasses a diverse array of cultural and religious objects, including Menorot, Mezuzot, Yads, Shabbat Candleholders, Seder Plates, Hallah Covers, and much more.