In Honor of the Modern Maccabees—Americans, Israelis, Ukrainians, and our allies on the frontlines of freedom—whose virtues (patriotism, intelligence, integrity, & courage) are the lights that daily defeat the darkness of tyranny.
Read a special Letter from the Land of Israel: “What do Honeycombs have to do with Hanukkah? A Sephardi Sage on Ideal & Real Judaism”
The ASF’s Hamas War Resource Page features the latest appearances and articles by ASF Sephardi House Fellows!
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one
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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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📣“Letter to an Anti-Zionist Idealist”
By Roya Hakakian, Sapir Journal
Roya Hakakian speaking at the ASF and World Jewish Congress North America’s “Remembering the Forgotten Jewish Refugees,” Moise Safra Center, 28 November 2023
(Photo courtesy of Zakaria Siraj)
In a piece written before Oct. 7th but whose harsh clarity speaks to present concerns, the Iranian-born, American Sephardi poet and writer, Roya Hakakian, aims to awaken a progressive American-Jewish cousin to the unforgiving realities of the Islamist world: “‘When your presidents were addressing the nation about improving the quality of K–12 education, Iran’s supreme leaders were promising paradise to the youth willing to die for the cause of ‘jihad’ and supplying plastic keys to soldiers on the front lines to open its gates.’” Hakakian and her family fled the murderous mullahs of Iran, but their influence remains: “‘On our televisions, we see the Palestinian civilians square off with a well-armed Goliath that is the IDF. Widen the lens just a little. Take in the region, and see how David grows beside the powerful and intractable parties who define themselves by their desire to annihilate Israel and, as far as Khomeini and his successors are concerned, even Western civilization.’” As for the argument that Israel is a colonial regime, observes Hakakian, “ ‘I cannot name any colonialists who have been second-class citizens nearly everywhere in the world, including in Palestine under the Ottomans, the very land where the ruins of their own ancient kingdom still stand.’”
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Feature: “R’ David Bouzaglo’s Hanukkah Piyyut: “My Faithful People!”” 🕎🎶🙌
Rabbi David Bouzaglo’s portrait by Boris Carmi, 22 July 1966
(Photo courtesy of the Music Before Shabbat/National Library of Israel)
The great Moroccan-Jewish payytan, R’ David Bouzaglo (1903-75), wrote his Hanukkah piyyut, Am Ne’emani (“My Faithful People”), as a prayer-poem of praise and thanksgiving for the miraculous Hasmonean victory over the Greeks. In this 2019 recording, an all-star lineup of Israeli musicians performs the piyyut in modern Mizrahi Israel style, with the spicy Mizrahi electric-guitar sound and a darbuka-driven backbeat. At the same time, the lively melody is sung according to a traditional Syrian-Jewish mode.
The American Sephardi Federation wishes you and yours a Hag Hanukkah Same’ah!
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✡️“I survived a pogrom in Iraq 82 years ago. I know where Hamas’ extremism will lead today”
By Joseph Samuels, Jerusalem Post/JTA
A slide from Joseph Samuels’ presentation at the ASF and World Jewish Congress North America’s “Remembering the Forgotten Jewish Refugees,” Moise Safra Center, 28 Novemeber 2023
(Photos courtesy of Joseph Samuels)
Hamas’ Oct. 7th attack awakened personal memories for the Jews of Baghdad. They know first-hand the murderous effects of Islamism, which the Nazi-supporting mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, brought to Iraq in the late 1930s. As Joseph Samuels recalls: “‘When I was just 10 years old…. on June 1 and 2, 1941, two months after a pro-Nazi coup that plagued Baghdad, mobs — aided by the police and soldiers — broke into Jewish homes, raping women and girls and murdering Jews mercilessly in a rampage that came to be known as the “Farhud.””
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Please 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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Hanukkah in Eight Nights: Bring the Past to Light
By Marian Scheuer Sofaer
Celebrate a family Hanukkah with dramatic readings about the feats of the Maccabees! In addition to the candle lighting blessings, Hanukkah songs, recipes, and sevivon game rules, this book incudes excerpts from ancient sources and vivid read-aloud stories by Moshe Pearlman for each night that will bring the riveting events of 164 B.C.E. to life. Good for school age children through adults.
My Life and Work: Chanukah Lamps
By Oded Halahmy
The Hebrew word Hanukkah means "dedication" and symbolizes freedom; Oded Halahmy has dedicated himself to honoring his Jewish roots and culture through artwork related especially to this holiday.
Oded once hosted a holiday party and invited many friends to light Hanukkah candles. Every year since, he has kept up the tradition of making a new Hanukkah lamp.
Over the years, other ancient Middle Eastern symbols from Oded's Iraqi heritage began to appear in his lamps: the pomegranate, Hamsa (hand), lion, palm tree, palm frond, crown, and horseshoe.
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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 December 2023
@ 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 December 2023
@ 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.