In Honor of Martin Elias, a Distinguished Member of the American Sephardi Federation’s Board of Directors and Executive Producer of the 24th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, which is dedicated to Ike, Molly, & Steven Elias
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 Conversation with Mrs. Maisel’s Caroline Aaron”
By Abe Friedtanzer, Jewcy
Caroline Aaron
(Photo courtesy of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Wiki/AeliaNaqwiDesigns)
The ASF’s New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival returns this year from 3-7 April with movie premières, award ceremonies, filmmaker Q&As, a fashion show with Elie Tahari, and live music. Recipients of this year’s Pomegranate Award (sculpted by Oded Halahmy, the world-renowned, Baghdad-born artist) include Caroline Aaron, the original Ms. Maisel from Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” who will be recognized for her “Lifetime Achievement in Acting.” In this recent interview with Jewcy, Aaron talks about “what it’s like to work on the show, the way Jewish content is incorporated, and her own Jewish background” and especially her Sephardic heritage. (Video interview)
Join us in honoring Caroline Aaron on Opening Night of the 24th New York Sephardic Jewish film Festival at the Moise Safra Center (130 East 82nd Street, NYC). Reserve your passes or tickets now.
Feature: Neta Elkayam’s Muhal Ninsa (“I won’t forget him…”)🎙️🎶
Neta Elkayam performing at the Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques in Essaouira, Morocco. The Festival was founded by André Azoulay, Senior Advisor to Morocco’s King Mohammad VI and recipient of the Pomegranate Award for Lifetime Achievement
(Photo courtesy of Association Essaouira Mogador – Soufiane Bouhali)
Neta Elkayam, the dynamic Moroccan-Israeli vocalist who is breathing new life into forgotten forms of North African music, will receive the Pomegranate Award for Musical Achievement as part of the ASF’s upcoming New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (April 3-7). This week’s video features Elkayam singing Muhal Ninsa (“I won’t forget him”) with a group of friends and locals at Jerusalem landmark cafe, “Jimmy’s Parliament.” The passion, pathos, and control of Elkayam’s voice, together with her rich and, in this particular case, haunting sound, demonstrate why she deserves the recognition.
Join us in honoring Neta Elkayam on Closing Night of the 24th New York Sephardic Jewish film Festival at the Moise Safra Center (130 East 82nd Street, NYC). Reserve your passes or tickets now.
📚“Stories of Mizrahi and Sephardi women”
By Jessica Abelsohn, The Times of Israel
Book cover: The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage
The Jewish story, by definition, includes the history and traditions of each and every Jewish community that has emerged during the course of 2,000 years of exile. Too often during the 20th century, however, that story was only partially told, both in Israel and America. Writing in The Australian Jewish News, Jessica Abelsohn remembers how “everything I was taught” in her Jewish education, “was Ashkenazi Judaism. Going one step further, when Judaism is portrayed on screens, it is Eastern European.” Which is why Abelsohn was so happy to receive a copy of Loolwa Khazzoom’s updated anthology, The Flying Camel, a collection of personal stories from North African and Middle Eastern women. For Khazzoom, it’s as if each writer is saying, “pour yourself a cup of tea and let me tell you about my life.”
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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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Our Story: The Jews of Sepharad; Celebrations and Stories
By Lea-Nora Kordova Annette and Eugene Labovitz
Celebrations and Stories, a special publication of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education with the American Sephardi Federation, is an essential work that enhances the teaching of Sephardi history, traditions, and cultures.
The life cycle and calendar sections are designed to horizontally connect to the teaching of customs and ceremonies from the Spanish & Portuguese, Syrian, Judeo-Spanish, and Moroccan traditions. Other sections include translations of classic texts and poetry, tales of our history’s heroes, and classroom activities.
Jewish Women from Muslim Societies Speak
Published by the American Sephardi Federation and Hadassah International Research Institute on Jewish Woman at Brandeis University
Jewish women from Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran were invited to share their personal stories. It could be said that these women's voices are from the last generation of Jews to have an intimate personal knowledge of the Muslim world, the enormous diversity within and among Middle Eastern Jewish communities.
We hope that these essays, told through the medium of vivid personal stories, will stimulate discussion about contemporary dynamics in the Muslim world and raise awareness of Jewish women’s history in North Africa and the Middle-East.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The ASF’s Sephardi House presents:
The Jews of South Asia
(3 Part Series)
Join us for an exciting exploration of South Asia’s eclectic Jewish history.
Our first session will feature renowned multicultural Bene Israel artist, lecturer, and two-time Fulbright Fellow Siona Benjamin, introduced by Dr. Ori Soltes, editor of Growing Up Jewish in India and professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization.
The second session will feature Dr. Navras Aafreedi, Assistant Professor of History at Presidency University in Kolkata, whose courses in Jewish Studies and the Holocaust are the only ones of their kind in South Asia.
We will conclude the series with educator Thapan Dubayehudi. As one of the few remaining Malabari Jews in Kochi, he helps preserve Jewish life in the city.
Registration is required for each session
(Complimentary RSVP)
Session 1:
Siona Benjamin (introduced by Dr. Ori Z. Soltes): History of Bene Israel Jews and Siona’s work as a multi-cultural Indian-American-Jewish artist
Monday, 21 March at 12PM EST
Sign-up Now!
Session 2:
Dr. Navras J. Aafreedi: A survey of South Asia’s Jewish communities and their interactions with broader society
Thursday, 24 March at 11AM EST
Sign-up Now!
Session 3:
Thapan Dubayehudi: History and present status of the Cochin Jews
Thursday, 31 March 31 at 11AM EST
Sign-up Now!
This series is a student-led community project by Sephardi House Fellow Elizabeth Danon. The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi House Fellowship is a year-long learning, leadership development, and enrichment experience that immerses university students in the multifaceted history, traditions, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardic world.
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Kavkazi, Georgian, and Bukharian Jews: At the Crossroads of Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-Speaking Worlds
(3 Part Learning Series)
The histories and cultures of Bukharian, Kavkazi (Mountain), and Georgian Jews are situated at the unique intersection of Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-Speaking Jewish (RSJ) identities. Through this 3-part learning series, we will explore the multilayered and rich stories of these millennia-old communities in Central Asia and the Caucasus—discovering the ways in which they have developed their mosaic cultures through dynamic interactions 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.
Tuesday, 22 March at 12:00PM EST
(Part 3)
(Ticket: $10 per session)
Sign-up Now!
About the Speaker:
Ruben Shimonov is an educator, community builder, and social entrepreneur with a passion for Jewish diversity. He previously served as Director of Community Engagement and Education at Queens College Hillel. Currently, Ruben is the American Sephardi Federation’s National Director of Sephardi House and Young Leadership. He is also the Founding Executive Director of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network and Director of Educational Experiences & Programming for the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. He is an alumnus of the COJECO Blueprint, Nahum Goldmann and ASF Broome & Allen Fellowships for his work in Jewish social innovation and Sephardic scholarship. He has been listed among The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" Jewish community leaders and changemakers. Currently, he is a Jewish Pedagogies Research Fellow at M² | The Institute of Experiential Jewish Education. Ruben has lectured extensively on the histories and cultures of various Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. He is also a visual artist specializing in multilingual calligraphy that interweaves Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Lior Sternfeld
Join us for New Works Wednesdays with Associate Professor Lior Sternfeld as he discusses his book Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran
Wednesday, 23 March at 11:00AM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the book:
"Between Iran and Zion" offers the first history of this vibrant community over the course of the last century, from the 1905 Constitutional Revolution through the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Over this period, Iranian Jews grew from a peripheral community into a prominent one that has made clear impacts on daily life in Iran.
About the author:
Lior is an associate professor of history and Jewish Studies. He is a social historian of the modern Middle East with particular interests in the histories of the Jewish people and other minorities of the region. His first book, titled Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran (Stanford University Press, 2018) examines, against the backdrop of Iranian nationalism, Zionism, and constitutionalism, the development and integration of Jewish communities in Iran into the nation-building projects of the last century. He is currently working on two book projects: The Origins of Third Worldism in the Middle East and a new study of the Iranian-Jewish Diaspora in the U.S. and Israel. He teaches on the modern Middle East, Iran, Jewish histories of the region, and Israel-Palestine related classes.
For more about the book: “Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran.”
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
The Evolving Nature of Humanity in the writings of Hakham Eliyahu Benamozegh (1822-1900)
(3 Part Series)
Join us for the final part of the series “Insights from our hakhamim by students of The Habura”.
Thursday, 24 March at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Ohad Fedida attended the Talmudic University of South Florida. He is now completing a B.S in Psychology from Florida International University and is a research assistant at the TIES Lab. He is working toward a Clinical Psychology, PhD. Ohad is also a student at TheHabura.com
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
New Works Wednesday with Lars Fischer
Join us for New Works Wednesday with Lars Fischer as he discusses his book “Jews in Old Postcards and Prints”.
Wednesday, 30 March at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the book:
“Jews in Old Postcards and Prints”, a collection of vintage postcards and antique prints annotated by Lars Fischer. The book sheds a thoughtful light on the history of Jews in Europe and around the Mediterranean, mainly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and invites readers to reflect on the ways in which both Jews and non-Jews used postcards and prints to portray Jews, their communities, culture and institutions. Above all, the book celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of Jewish life and culture in the “golden age” of the postcard, of a world largely extinguished by the Shoah and the expulsion of Jews from Northern Africa.
About the author:
Lars Fischer’s scholarship and publications focus on the history and conceptualization of antisemitism, Jewish/non-Jewish relations, and Frankfurt School Critical Theory. Fischer has taught at UCL, King’s College London and the University of Cambridge and served as Secretary of the British Association for Jewish Studies and Councillor of the Royal Historical Society.
For more about the book: https://www.vintage-press.co.uk/shop/p/jews-in-old-postcards-and-prints
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Torah and “Secular” Studies in the writings of Hakham Yosef Qafih (1917-2000)
(3 Part Series)
Join us for Part 1 with David Hazan: “Insights from our hakhamim by students of The Habura”.
Thursday, 31 March at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
David Hazan has studied and taught in yeshivot in Israel and England. Committed to finding ways of helping the Jewish community remain inspired and connected with its universal mission and unique spirituality, David looks to further his training and experience in different areas such as Meditation, counselling and mental health. He holds a Diploma in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the Open University and a certificate in Jewish Education from London School of Jewish Studies. David currently attends a programme of Rabbinical training (RTA) and officiates as a Sephardic Hazan in different synagogues. He is also a student of TheHabura.com.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The 24th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival
Five Days, Six Pomegranate Award Honorees, & Six Première Films!
Passes & Tickets | Lineup | Trailer | Sponsorship Opportunities
The New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF) returns this year, celebrating its 24th anniversary, with movie premières, award ceremonies, filmmaker Q&As, a fashion show with Elie Tahari, and live music!
This special edition, dedicated to Ike, Molly, & Steven Elias is being presented in partnership with and at the beautiful Moise Safra Center (130 E 82nd St) from 3-7 April 2022
ASF Pomegranate Award Honorees in attendance:
André Aciman (Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Caroline Aaron (Lifetime Achievement for Acting)
Lainie Kazan (Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting)
The Blacklist’s Amir Arison (Achievement Award for Acting)
Neta Elkayam (Achievement Award for Music)
Violeta Salama (Ronit Elkabetz, A”H Rising Star)
The Pomegranate Award—sculpted by Oded Halahmy, the world-renowned, Baghdad-born artist—recognizes extraordinary achievements in the arts. Past recipients include Tunisian-born French sociologist & giant of Sephardi literature Albert Memmi, Senior Counselor to the King of Morocco André Azoulay, French-Algerian recording legend Enrico Macias, filmmakers Lisa Azuelos, Zeva Oelbaum, and Elie Chouraqui, courageous Tunisian film producer Said Ben Said and Kuwaiti singer Ema Shah, fashion designer Elie Tahari, and legendary actors Ronit Elkabetz and Sasson Gabay.
Reserve Passes & Tickets on Eventbrite
(Includes Opening Night, Closing Night, All Screenings, Q&As, and After Parties):
$140/$200 (VIP Seating)
20% off for ASF Pomegranate Card Members
Members should email at info@americansephardi.com to get a discount code
Opening Night and Award Ceremony
$75/$100 (VIP Seating)
Opening Night - From Baghdad to Bollywood
SHALOM BOLLYWOOD
(Opening Night and Award Ceremony): $75/$100 (VIP Seating)
Persian-Israeli-American Fashion Night with Elie Tahari
THE UNITED STATES OF FASHION DESIGNER ELIE TAHARI
$50/$75 (VIP Seating)
Antisemitism in Focus
WET DOG
$25/$35 (VIP Seating)
Brooklyn Tango Night
TANGO SHALOM
$40/$50 (VIP Seating)
From Jerusalem to Tangier & Tinghir: Moroccan Closing Night
IN YOUR EYES, I SEE MY COUNTRY
$50/$75 (VIP Seating)
SINGLE SCREENING: $13/$15 (VIP Seating)
Discuss Sponsorship or Advertising: Yves@AmericanSephardi.org
Email Inquires: info@AmericanSephardi.org
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The Department of Anthropology & Archeology at the University of Calgary, Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, Brandeis University and Belzberg Program in Israel Studies, University of Calgary, & the American Sephardi Federation present:
Sephardi Thought and Modernity 2022 Webinar Series
Continuity and Rupture in Sephardi Modernities
(Second Edition)
On Wednesdays at 1:00PM EST
(10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK / 8pm Israel / 9:30pm Iran)
(Complimentary RSVP)
13 April
(10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm UK / 7pm Israel / 8:30pm Iran - note time - US Daylight Savings)
Julia Philips Cohen (Vanderbilt University) and Devi Mays (University of Michigan) Middle Eastern and North African Jews in Paris: A Forgotten Chapter
11 May
(10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm UK / 7pm Israel / 8:30pm Iran - note time - US Daylight Savings)
Vanessa Paloma Elbaz (University of Cambridge) Rhizomic networks of unruptured continuity from 16th c. Italy to 21st c. Casablanca: Music, Power, Mysticism and Neo-Platonism
In this second edition of the Sephardi Thought and Modernity Series we will focus on the question of continuity and rupture as a way to deepen our dialogue about the different forms that modernity has adopted throughout Sephardi history. We will discuss questions such as the meaning of the concept of “modernity” in non-European contexts such as the Levant and/or the Arab world. We will explore how non-European Jewish societies developed ways of life and practices that synthesized tradition, change and cultural diversity throughout time. We will delve into Sephardi intellectual life, cosmopolitanism, cultural belongings, language, translation and mobility.
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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