In Honor of Mr. Albert Devico, A”H, “a good friend, President of the Moroccan Jewish Community of Meknes, and an Advisory Board Member of Mimouna Association. Mr. Devico was always supportive of Mimouna’s work since our founding. May he rest in peace” ~Elmehdi Boudra, President of Mimouna Association and an ASF Advisory Board Member
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
🏓“Maternal Lessons in Politics from a Jewish Iraqi-American Ping Pong Champion”
By David Bernstein, Quillette
“The author’s mother, Amira Bernstein (Shohet), left, playing in the University of Baghdad ladies’ table tennis championship final round in 1962”
(Photo courtesy of Quillette)
David Bernstein’s maternal family emigrated to the U.S. from Iraq. Seasoned by suffering that is difficult for Westerners to digest, Bernstein’s grandmother, “blind and feeble and in her late 90’s,” would, during Passover, “wish a different plague on Bashar Assad and other notorious Arab leaders.” When Bernstein shared a lesson learned at his American Hebrew school, “we take a drop of wine out of the cup when reciting each plague so as to lessen the joy we feel because of the suffering of the Egyptians who’d enslaved our forebears,” his grandmother simply shrugged, “That wasn’t how we did the plagues in Iraq.” As for regime change, the Iraqi side of Bernstein's family saw things with a harsh Middle Eastern clarity, “If these idiots think they’re going to install a democracy in Iraq, they’re crazy.”
Feature: The ASF’s Sephardi Playlist: Maghrebi (North African) Edition 🎼 🎶 🎧
The ASF Sephardi Playlist, a curated collection of classic and contemporary tracks, comes in different flavors: Mediterranean (Greek, Turkish, Balkan), Babylonian (Iraqi), Piyyutim, Spanish & Ladino, Mizrahi, and Sephardi Jazz. This week we are featuring the Maghrebi (North African) Playlist, featuring 9 1/2 hours on Spotify of Jo Amar, Salim Halali, Emil Zrihan, Mike Karoutchi, Smadar Levi, Orchestre Andalou D’Israel, and many more!
🎴“Writing from Fear”
By John Natan, The Jewish Chronicle
Playwright Josh Azouz
(Photo courtesy of The Jewish Chronicle)
Playwright Josh Azouz came up with a familiar title for his latest production: Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia. Why riff on, “Sergio Leone’s spaghetti classic Once Upon a Time in the West?” Says Azouz, “‘When I was reading memoirs from the camps in Tunisia, the Nazis had names like Grandma and Little Feller and Memento. It was their nicknames coupled with the landscape — mountains and deserts full of cacti — that made me think of a Western.’” Behind the absurdity, however, lies a serious aim: “‘There are very few Sephardi British Jewish voices… So I am interested to explore those stories.’” A critic's verdict? “[I]t might just be possible that a major new voice has arrived on the British stage.”
🌟“Meet Mayor Tal Ohana”
By Anat Silverman Peretz, The Jerusalem Post
Yeruham Mayor Tal Ohana in her office: “‘I keep this picture here to remind me where I came from and where I’m going.’”
(Photo courtesy of Eliyahu Hershkovitz/Haaretz)
Tal Ohana, 37, is a fourth-generation native of Yeroham, a small town in Israel’s southern Negev region. Her great-grandparents made Aliyah from Morocco in the early 1960s, “and Morocco is never far from her thoughts.” Indeed, Ohana proudly notes: “‘I’ve been to Morocco 35 times since the age of 24.’” Tal Ohana is also in her third year serving as mayor, and she has earned high marks around Israel for successfully leading the local fight against Covid, bringing hi-tech to the city, and solidifying relations with the local Bedouin community.
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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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Iraq’s Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon
Edited by Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, and Robert Shasha
Iraq’s Last Jews, a National Jewish Book Award Finalist, is a collection of first-person accounts about the once-vibrant, 2,500 year-old Babylonian Jewish community and its disappearance in the middle of the 20th century. This book tells the story of the last generation of Iraqi Jews, who both reminisce about their birth country and describe the persecution that drove them out, the result of Nazi influences, growing Arab nationalism, and anger over the re-birth of the State of Israel.
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 Sephardi House Fellowship (now in its second year) is a year-long learning, leadership development, and enrichment experience that is designed to immerse Jewish college students in the multifaceted history, traditions, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardic world, as well as advance Jewish unity on campus. Apply Now! Deadline: 17 October at 4PM!
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Mizrahi Dance Series with Jackie Barzvi
Join the ASF Institute of Jewish Experience and Jackie Barzvi, creator of the Mizrachi Dance Archive, for a three-part series highlighting the history and movements of Mizrahi dance! Jackie will focus on three different Greater Sephardi styles: Moroccan, Bukharian, and Yemenite dances.
Each session will be both a lecture and dance class, and participants will learn about the history of each community, gain insight into how dance was included in their traditions, listen to Jewish music from each region, practice traditional movements, and so much more!
The workshops will be held via Zoom and all are welcomed.
No previous dance experience required.
On Sundays
10 October
17 October
24 October
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
Sign-up Now!
About Jackie Barzvi:
Jackie Barzvi is a professional raqs sharqi (belly dance) performer and instructor. She recently created the first ever Mizrachi Dance Archive to highlight specific Jewish dances from the Middle East and North African regions. Jackie was also the IACT Israel Programs Coordinator at Northeastern University Hillel in Boston, and has led over a dozen organized trips to Israel. Jackie is passionate about helping others find their unique Jewish identity and creating environments where people can dance, connect, and build community. To learn more about her work visit the archive at mizrachidancearchive.com
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with
Bart Wallet and David Wertheim
Join us for a New Works Wednesday with Bart Wallet and David Wertheim, two editors of the new book “Reappraising the History of the Jews in the Netherlands.”
Wednesday, 13 October
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
Sign-up Now!
(Free Admission, registration required)
About the book:
The two decades since the last authoritative general history of Dutch Jews was published have seen such substantial developments in historical understanding that a new assessment has become an imperative. This volume offers an indispensable survey from a contemporary viewpoint that reflects the new preoccupations of European historiography and allows the history of Dutch Jewry to be more integrated with that of other European Jewish histories. Historians from both older and newer generations shed significant light on all eras, providing fresh detail that reflects changed emphases and perspectives.
In addition to such traditional subjects as the Jewish community’s relationship with the wider society and its internal structure, its leaders, and its international affiliations, new topics explored include the socio-economic aspects of Dutch Jewish life seen in the context of the integration of minorities more widely; a reassessment of the Holocaust years and consideration of the place of Holocaust memorialization in community life; and the impact of multiculturalist currents on Jews and Jewish politics. Memory studies, diaspora studies, and postcolonial studies all play their part in providing the fullest possible picture.
Available at liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk
About the Editors:
Bart T. Wallet is Professor of Jewish History at the University of Amsterdam.
David J. Wertheim is the director of the Menasseh ben Israel Institute for Jewish Social and Cultural Studies, Amsterdam.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Museum Mondays:
The Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem
Tour the Museums from the comfort of your own home with Nachliel Selavan, the Museum Guy.
On Mondays
18 October
The Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem
Sign-up Now!
8 November
A Hanukah Tour Through Ancient Greece - Greek Exhibits in Museums Around the World
Sign-up Now!
10 January
Tour the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or Yehuda
Sign-up Now!
(Registration required for each session)
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
About Your Tour Guide:
Nachliel Selavan created and delivered an integrated learning and museum tour program for both school and adult educational settings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has hosted similar pilot visits to a dozen museums in North America, and a few museums in Europe and in Jerusalem. He also teaches and engages audiences through virtual tours and social media. He has recently completed a year long Tanach Study podcast called Parasha Study Plus, delivering a weekly episode of Archaeology on the Parasha, and is now on his second podcast and a new video series reviewing every book in Tanach, called Archaeology Snapshot.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
The World Should Know:
First Steps in Writing Your Memoir
Each of us has a story to tell, we just need the impetus to get started!
Join award-winning author Gila Green in a hands on workshop to begin writing yours or your family’s story.
Writing a memoir is both for you and for future generations.
Begin today!
Thursday, 21 October
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
Sign-up Now!
About Gila Green:
Canadian author Gila Green is an Israel-based writer, editor, and EFL teacher.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The American Sephardi Federation, the Jazz Leadership Project, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement present:
Combating Racism and Antisemitism Together:
Shaping an Omni-American Future
Join artists, thinkers, and musicians who will offer perspectives on how to build a shared “Omni-American” future free of racism and antisemitism.
24-25 October 2021
(Digital Event)
The term “Omni-American” is borrowed from the writings of Albert Murray, the great 20th century Black American thinker and writer who, together with his good friend and celebrated novelist, Ralph Ellison, extolled America’s pluralistic and “incontestably mulatto” culture. By robustly critiquing racial essentialism and strongly emphasizing the power of culture instead of race, Murray and Ellison's writings strike at the root of ideologies that foster division, manipulation, and hatred, and ultimately develop into Antisemitism and Racism.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with
Andre Elbaz and Edwin Seroussi
Join us for a discussion with three researchers featured in the book Jews and Muslims in Morocco: Their Intersecting Worlds.
Wednesday, 27 October
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
Sign-up Now!
(Free Admission, registration required)
About the book:
Multiple traditions of Jewish origins in Morocco emphasize the distinctiveness of Moroccan Jewry as indigenous to the area, rooted in its earliest settlements and possessing deep connections and associations with the historic peoples of the region. The creative interaction of Moroccan Jewry with the Arab and Berber cultures was noted in the Jews’ use of Morocco’s multiple languages and dialects, characteristic poetry, and musical works as well as their shared magical rites and popular texts and proverbs. In Jews and Muslims in Morocco: Their Intersecting Worlds historians, anthropologists, musicologists, Rabbinic scholars, Arabists, and linguists analyze this culture, in all its complexity and hybridity. The volume’s collection of essays span political and social interactions throughout history, cultural commonalities, traditions, and halakhic developments. As Jewish life in Morocco has dwindled, much of what is left are traditions maintained in Moroccan ex-pat communities, and memories of those who stayed and those who left. The volume concludes with shared memories from the perspective of a Jewish intellectual from Morocco, a Moroccan Muslim scholar, an analysis of a visual memoir painted by the nineteenth-century artist, Eugène Delacroix, and a photo essay of the vanished world of Jewish life in Morocco.
Purchase the book here!
About the Speakers:
André Elbaz is a professor emeritus of French at Carleton University.
Edwin Seroussi is a professor of musicology and director of the Jewish Music Research Centre at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
At the Crossroads:
Provençal Jewish Culture in the Middle Ages
Monday, 1 November
@ 9AM PDT ◊ 12PM EDT ◊ 5PM London ◊ 7PM Jerusalem ◊ 8PM Dubai
Sign-up Now!
The medieval Jewish community of Provence sat at the crossroads of Ashkenaz and Sefarad, a meeting place of diverse ideas and a center of innovative thought. Provençal Jews were renowned for their masterpieces of Talmudic learning as well as groundbreaking works of philosophy and science. It was in Provence that the treasures of Judeo-Arabic learning were translated into Hebrew, from which they were handed down to us today. This distinct blend of traditional and worldly knowledge characterized Provence. Its denizens saw themselves as belonging to a unique regional culture and proudly recorded its customs in books of minhagim and its version of the liturgy. With the French expulsions of the fourteenth century, Provençal Jewish culture was dispersed, but it did not come to a halt. Everywhere that members of this community went, they carried with them their distinctive approach to Jewish life, and their influence is felt into modernity.
About the speaker:
Dr. Tamar Marvin is a scholar of medieval Jewish intellectual history and a semikha student at Yeshivat Mahrat. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Literature and Journalism from New York University. Dr. Marvin has taught and developed curricula in a variety of academic and Jewish settings, including American Jewish University and Hebrew Union College-JIR, Los Angeles. She has published her work in academic journals as well as writing for broader media. Dr. Marvin’s research centers on questions of how medieval Jews reacted to and creatively adapted new forms of meaning-making in the world they encountered around them, including both philosophical reflection and Kabbalistic speculation.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
No hay boda sin tanyedera:
Ladino Music Salon
Thursday, 4 November at 10:30AM EST
Sign-up Now!
Are there “right” instruments to accompany Sephardic songs? People often remark on the instruments in the background of Judith’s online lectures and concerts. Here, Judith will use the online format to invite you to this background, her living-room, and all the stringed, wind and hand percussion instruments in it. Rather than background, the instruments, most of them hand-crafted, will be protagonists. Each one has songs and stories associated with it, and your questions and comments will help shape the order in which they’re presented.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Judith Cohen is a Canadian ethnomusicologist, medievalist, singer and storyteller specialized in Sephardic music, music among the Portuguese Crypto-Jews, and related traditions. Her presentations are based on both academic research and many years of fieldwork in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Balkans, Turkey, French Canada and wherever else her work and curiosity take her. She teaches part-time at York University in Toronto and is the consultant for the Alan Lomax Spain 1952 recordings.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org