In Honor of Jewish Refugees Day (30 November), which the ASF Institute of Jewish Experience observed with a first-of-its-kind virtual global event, “Reclaiming Identity: Jews of Arab Lands & Iran Share Stories of Identity, Struggle, & Redemption.” The five-hour event featured: Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, the ASF's President David Dangoor, Hakham Albert Gabbai (Rabbi of Mikveh Israel), Hakham Elie Abadie (Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates/Rabbi of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities/Chair of the ASF's Council of Sephardic Sages), Former US Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor & Combat Antisemitsm Ellie Cohanim, Egyptian Public Intellectual Tarek Heggy, Dr. Shimon Ohayon (Director of the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Center for Culture, Society and Education in the Sephardic Heritage at Bar-Ilan University), musicians Shani Oshra and Naama Perl Zadok, Ashley Perry, and many more… Hazaq u’Barukh to the ASF IJE’s distinguished Director Dr. Drora Arussy!
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!
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🗣️“Challenges Facing Iran’s Jewish Minority Attract Scrutiny After Rabbi’s US Visit”
By Michael Lipin, VOA
Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami with Chabad Lubavitch of Northern Virginia’s Director, Rabbi Sholom Deitsch, Fairfax, Virgina, 14 November 2021
(Photo courtesy of Michael Lipin/VOA)
The Iranian regime’s Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami recently ended a five-week tour of U.S. Jewish communities. In his only public appearance, the rabbi noted the community’s financial difficulties (i.e., all civilian Iranians suffer from sanctions while the regime continues funneling public funds to its terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons program) and made clear that Iranian Jews consciously steer clear of politics. Or at least politics of a certain kind. R’Gerami paid a condolence visit, which was well-publicized on regime-controlled media, to the family of the deceased US-designated terrorist, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Qassem Solimani (Y-sh’’U). While R’Gerami estimated “the Jewish population at 20,000… a U.S. State Department report published in May estimates only about 9,000 Jews in Iran, citing the Tehran Jewish Committee.” Why do Jews remain in a country whose leaders, as former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Ellie Cohanim, notes, “‘go so far as to host Holocaust cartoon competitions, if one could imagine something so vile’”? Offers Karmel Melamed, an Iranian American journalist, “‘Their thinking is: ‘This has been our home for years and years. We have familiar friends. We have familiar language. And we’re willing to put up with this regime. We’re willing to put up with the status of a third-class citizen.’”
Feature: Am Ne’emani: R’ David Bouzaglo’s Rousing Hanukkah Piyyut 🕎🎶
Emile Zrihan
(Photo courtesy of Alex Balcazar/BMradio)
R’ David Bouzaglo (1903-1975) is universally considered to be the greatest Andalusian payytan (composer/singer of piyyutim, i.e., liturgical soul music) of his generation. His piyyut, Am Ne’emani (“Nation of My Loyal Ones”), celebrating the Maccabees’ miraculous victory over the Assyrian Greeks, remains especially popular among Moroccan Jews today. In this week’s feature, Emile Zrihan, a popular Moroccan-born, contemporary Israeli payytan, offers an impassioned version of Bouzaglo’s rousing original.
🕎“The Hitchens who stole Hanukkah”
By Ami Isseroff, ZioNation
The menorah has become a symbol of liberty, Chalkida, Greece, 2016
(Photo courtesy of Joseph Samuel/Diarna: Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life)
Is Hanukkah really a celebration of, “tribal Jewish backwardness”? That’s what the passionate anti-theist Christopher Hitchens claimed. A less sophisticated version of his old argument appeared in the NY Times. This brought to mind the response of the late Ami Isseroff, a progressive Zionist, courageous advocate for peace, and editor of the MidEast Web for Coexistence, who struck some traditionally American themes in arguing otherwise: “Hanukkah was a victory for Jewish political as well as religious freedom over the imperialist government of Antiochus IV and his Seleucid [D]ynasty. Perhaps the Jews did not invent the ideas of freedom, self-determination and religious toleration, but the revolt of the Maccabees struck a blow for all of these.”
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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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By Devorah Michael
Talavera is a colorful, handmade style of artisan pottery present in Spain and Mexico. Authentic Talavera pottery originates in only two places: Talavera de la Reina in Spain and San Pablo del Monte in Mexico.
In order for Talavera to be deemed authentic, not only must it originate from the previously mentioned places, but it can only be produced in six colors: blue, yellow, black, green, orange, and mauve. Such colors can only come from natural pigments.
These authentic, handmade, beautiful Judaica items were shaped and manufactured by expert artisans in San Pablo del Monte Mexico and highlight the important role of women in both Sephardic and Mexican cultures.
By Devorah Michael
Devorah Michael focuses on offering high-quality, Mexican Judaica products which represent the beauty of both cultures. All products are 100% Mexican 100% Jewish and 100% unique!
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Eid Al-Banat
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience and the Mizrahi Dance Archive invites you to a unique global celebration of Eid Al-Banat!
This year for the North African holiday of Eid Al-Banat (The Festival of Daughters, in Judeo-Arabic), or Hag HaBanot (Hebrew), we are bringing together female Greater Sephardi talents to virtually celebrate North African Jewish traditions, female leadership, music, dance, and so much more.
Sunday, 5 December at 12:00PM EST
Sign-up Now!
This festival honors the story of Jewish heroines like Judith and Queen Esther and the important role of women in Jewish life until today. It is customary to sing, dance, and light the night’s menorah candle and focus on bringing together generations of mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters and the extended community. Women would traditionally get together to bake sweet treats and give gifts to each other. They would sing piyyutim and pray for the health and wellbeing of the women in their lives. It is a celebration of women, past and present.
In this year’s celebration, we will be featuring musician Lala Tamar, a world-renowned Israeli singer, who will be streaming a concert from Morocco accompanied by local female musicians. Lala is known for her bold and feminine style where she incorporates her Moroccan roots and the ancient Judeo-Spanish language of Haketia.
Jackie Barzvi will be leading us in celebratory dance to Jewish Moroccan music, where anyone can follow along, without any previous dance experience. Jackie is a professional Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) instructor and performer and the creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive.
Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, author of Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora from the 13th Century to Today will be sharing a new recipe created uniquely for this program that incorporates the historical and modern significance of the day in the context of specific food items.
Now also featuring Former Member of Knesset Dr. Aliza Lavie!
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
A Bukharian Jew in Uzbekistan
Manashe Khaimov was born in a city along the Silk Road, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where his ancestors lived for over 2000 years. Join Manashe as he will explore the story about being a Bukharian Jew in Uzbekistan. He will discuss his experience in the Uzbekistan school system, his education in the underground yeshiva, and his relationship with his family mikvah (ritual bath), the only mikvah in Samarkand at that time.
Thursday, 9 December at 12:00PM EST
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Manashe is a fourth generation community organizer, serial entrepreneur, and social innovator who builds and consults organizations on Jewish diversity.
At his previous role as a Director of Community Engagement and Development at Queens College Hillel, he focused on building a real diverse Jewish community, creating Sepharadi and Mizrahi Leadership pipeline while expanding Sephardi and Mizrahi student life programs at five CUNY Hillel campuses.
Currently, Manashe is an Adjunct Professor in Jewish Studies, with a specialty in the History and Culture of the Central Asian Jews at Queens College. He is the founding president of SAMi Sephardic American Mizrahi Initiative that focuses on the Leadership Development of under-served Jewish communities on college campuses. In 2021 Manashe was appointed by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz as a member of the Jewish Advisory Council. Manashe also just accepted a position with Moishe House as their new Eastern Community Manager.
Manashe is founder of the Bukharian Jewish Union, an organization for the young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s, the founder of AskBobo.org, the only Bukharian online dictionary and the founder of The Jewish Silk Road Tours ™ an initiative that helps to introduce NYers and tourists from around the world to the diversity of NYC.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Kickstart your Memoir: Heirlooms
Join award-winning author Gila Green in a hands-on workshop where we will talk about how we can use objects from the past in memoir writing.
Sunday, 19 December at 11:00AM EST
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Canadian author Gila Green is an Israel-based writer, editor, and EFL teacher.
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.
Monday, 10 January at 12PM EST
Tour the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Or Yehuda
Sign-up Now!
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 American Sephardi Federation, the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, and the Sephardic Foundation on Aging proudly present:
Salud i Vida: The 5th Annual New York Ladino Day!
Featuring scholar Eliezer Papo
Sephardic Nonagenarians: A Panel by Bryan Kirschen
Estreyikas d’Estambol Children’s Choir “Kantiga,” a Ladino Short Story by Jane Mushabac
Trio Sefardi: the Musical Finale!
Sunday, 30 January at 2:00PM EST
Sign-up Now!
(Early Bird price ends on 15 December)
Ladino is a bridge to many cultures. It is a variety of Spanish that 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 wrote in the Forward, “Why Ladino Will Rise Again.”
Since 2013, International Ladino Day programs have been held around the world to honor the Ladino language, also known as Judeo-Spanish. January 30th marks New York’s 5th Annual Ladino Day curated by Drs. Jane Mushabac and Bryan Kirschen for the American Sephardi Federation.
Print © loannia, mid-19th c. 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. (Scan courtesy of the Jewish Museum of Greece)
Sponsorship opportunities available:
info@americansephardi.org