In Memory of Lawrence D. Ackman, a philanthropist and “Titan of Industry” who helped shape NYC’s skyline.
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
👸“‘Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’ joins short list of TV and movie shows featuring Ladino”
By Gabe Friedman, The Times of Israel
Author Sarit Yishai-Levi spoke at the ASF in November 2016 about her award-winning novel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.
“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” an Israeli drama that began streaming on Nettflix last week, tells the story of a Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jewish family living in Jerusalem during the first part of the 20th century. Ladino, “the centuries-old language sometimes referred to as Judeo-Spanish that combines medieval Spanish, Hebrew, Aramaic, Turkish, Greek, Arabic and other influences,” is relatively rare in T.V. and movies, but every now and then it appears on large and small screens. For example, Tom Hanks starred in, “Every Time We Say Goodbye” (1986), the story of an, “American pilot serving in the British Royal Air Force before World War II who is forced to recover in a Jerusalem hospital — where he falls for a local Sephardic beauty.” Or, “The Club” (2021), a Turkish miniseries that, "takes an unvarnished look at how the country’s nationalists mistreated and marginalized Jews and other minorities in 1950s Istanbul."
Feature: R’Haim Louk Sings a Shavuot Piyyut 🎶
The great Moroccan-Israeli payytan Rabbi Haim Louk
(Photo courtesy of R’ Haim Louk)
The New Jerusalem Orchestra, featuring the great Moroccan payytan, R’ Haim Louk, performs a stirring version of Abraham Ibn Musa’s 17th c. piyyut, written especially for Shabu’ot, Nirdi Natan Reicho (“My perfume sent forth its fragrance”). The piyyut retells the story of God’s awesome revelation Mt. Sinai (Exodus, ch. 19-20) as an enchanted meeting between two lovers, God and His beloved people, Israel.
🎻“For First Time in 40 Years, Israeli Orchestra Plays Middle Eastern Music in Egypt ”
By Sharon Wrobel, The Algemeiner
Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and Christian musicians from Israel perform at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo in May 2022
(Photo courtesy of Israeli Embassy in Egypt/The Algemeiner)
Israel is a center for Arab-Islamic cultural preservation. From the 2,000 manuscripts in the Israel and Middle East Collection at Israel's National Library, to Jerusalem’s Museum for Islamic Art, Israeli institutions celebrate different aspects of Arab-Islamic culture that, in many cases, impacted and shaped the contours of Jewish culture in Islamic lands. So it’s not such a surprise that Israel’s Independence Day was celebrated this year in Cairo with, “Firqat Alnoor, an orchestra of Jewish, Muslim, Druze and Christian musicians from across Israel (that) performs classical Arabic and Middle Eastern music.” Firqat Alnoor, “is… one of the few existing orchestras to play music from across the Arab world…” The orchestra’s performance was enthusiastically received.
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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
From Generation to Generation: a Legacy of Faith and Tolerance
By David S. Malka
From Generation to Generation: a Legacy of Faith and Tolerance is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Shlomo Malka. It honors his memory as a Jewish scholar, a spiritual leader, and a great humanitarian.
David S. Malka is publishing this text as his personal contribution to legacy of Malka family, in the hope that this generation will re-discover their patriarch's teaching and advance his message of faith and compassion on to the next generation.
From Generation to Generation: a Legacy of Faith and Tolerance is a message of love, tolerance, and pride in one's heritage.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Bringing Jewish Law to the People: The Moroccan Approach
Rav Yosef Messas was born in Meknes, Morocco. He served as the Rabbi of Tlemcen, Algeria and later as the Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Haifa. Rav Messas sought to improve the halakhic attitude to the questions of modernity and the changes of time. Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis will discuss Rav Messas’ history, some stories about his life, and present some of his most impactful rulings.
On Sundays at 12:00PM EST
19 June
“On Wine & Peace”
Rabbanit Mirvis will present Rav Messas’ approach to those who don't keep Shabbat and our positive relation to them.
26 June
“On Women & Jewish Practice”
Rabbanit Mirvis will present Rav Messas’ approach to women learning Torah, prayer and keeping the mitztvoth.
*Registration is required for each session
(Ticket per session: $10)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis is the Rabbanit of the Shirat HaTamar congregation in Efrat. Prior to that, she was a Fellow at Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Institute for Halachic Leadership where she became certified in the topics of Shabbat, Niddah, Chuppah and Kiddushin, Brachot, and Issur V’Heter. In addition to being Rabbanit of Shirat HaTamar, she is involved in the community as a member of the city council's education committee, a member of the mikvah committee, volunteers for the “Chevra Kadisha” (burial committee), and answers halachic questions. At the same time, Shira manages a Vlog called “Daf MiShelahen” on the topic of Daf Yomi in collaboration with the Hadran organization in addition to a podcast about the weekly Parsha called “Parsha Mishelahen” with Makor Rishon. Shira is a member of the Beit Hillel Rabbinical Organization and takes an active part in the Meshivat Nefesh website in responding to halachic questions. Shira is a Fellow in the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Informatics from Bar Ilan University and lives in the Tamar neighborhood in Efrat with Shlomo and their five children.
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)
Sign-up Now!
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)
Sign-up Now!
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)
Sign-up Now!
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