In honor of the courage, ingenuity, and integrity of the IDF, whose safety, swift and decisive success will be prayed for in synagogues around the world this Shabbat
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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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📰“I Said Hamas Raped and Beheaded. The Yale Daily News Issued a Correction”
By Sahar Tartak, The Washington Free Beacon
Sahar Tartak
In an Oct. 12th op-ed written for the Yale Daily News, ASF Sephardi House Fellow (’22-’23) and Yale undergrad Sahar Tartak called attention to “the student group Yalies4Palestine” blaming the Israeli victims for their plight and arguing that “the Israeli Zionist regime [is] responsible for the unfolding violence.” Yalies4Palestine even obscenely urged the Yale community “to celebrate the resistance’s success.” The Yale Daily News in turn proved itself to be a platform for the “resistance” by censoring Tartak’s piece, adding a note that her column had been “edited to remove unsubstantiated claims that Hamas raped women and beheaded men.” Concludes Tartak:
I wish I could write off my classmates’ foibles as youthful stupidity, but I see professional journalists making the same mistakes. It’s not an accident: The Yale Daily News is their breeding ground, and in a few years, the editors who wrote and approved that correction will go on to careers in the mainstream press.
[Note: The public backlash to censoring Tartak compelled the Yale Daily News to retract their “correction.” The editor’s labyrinthine explanation can be read here].
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Feature: Sahar Tartak on Standing Up to Antisemitism on Campus 📣🛑🙌
Sahar Tartak interviewed “On Balance” with Leland Vittert
(Screenshot courtesy of News Nation/Youtube)
ASF Sephardi House Fellow (’22-’23) Sahar Tartak has been fearlessly battling antisemitism at Yale. In this segment from NewsNation’s “On Balance,” Tartak argues that post Oct. 7th , “a strong and loud minority” politicized Hamas’ savagery by positioning Israel as “the oppressor.” Along the way, they fired “insults and accusations at the Jewish people and their allies.” While many “are afraid to stand up,” Tartak is fearless. Hazaq u’Barukh!
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✈️“Russia’s dwindling ‘Mountain Jews’ in spotlight after Dagestan airport riot”
By Reuters
Video footage of the Antisemitic Russian riot
(Screenshot courtesy of the New York Times)
Dagestan is a southwestern province of Russia in the North Caucasus Mountains lying along the Caspian sea. Last week, an antisemitic mob stormed the international airport in Makhachkala, enflamed by the Putin regime’s antisemitism and support for Hamas’ barbarism against Israel, and went looking for Jews to murder. Makhachkala is known to be a center of Islamist activity. In 2012, two suicide bombers killed twelve people in the city, and it was the childhood home of the 2013 Boston Bomber, who felt that he “belonged” there. Dagestan is highly heterogenous with fourteen officially recognized languages and twelve substantial ethnic groups. Jews constitute part of this cultural mosaic and combustible mix. While most of the Jewish community left for Israel, around 300-400 Jewish families still live in the “ancient city of Derbent on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, on an old north-south trade route skirting the Caucasus mountains.” Colloquially referred to as “Mountain Jews,” the Jews of Derbent “speak a dialect of the Farsi or Persian language spoken in Iran.” Says Shneor Segal, a rabbi from Azerbaijan, Dagestan’s southern neighbor, the rampaging mob at Makhachkala’s airport demonstrates that "‘even in our region, the Caucasus, where Jews have already been all but decimated, antisemites will use any excuse ... to terrorise the dwindling numbers of us that still remain.’”
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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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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.
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.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
Itamar Borochov: Arba Album Release
Tuesday, 7 November 2023 at 9PM EST
@Joe’s Pub
“Raised in the cosmopolitan port city of Jaffa, now a significant presence on the New York and international jazz scenes, award-winning trumpeter Itamar Borochov takes inspiration from the stirring melody-driven Middle Eastern sounds which have surrounded him since his childhood by the Mediterranean, tracing his journey to the energy-infused streets of New York - a multi-cultural joyride of enchanting lyricism, exotic motifs and virtuosic expression. To celebrate the new music from his latest release, Arba, he is joined by Rob Clearfield (piano), Sam Weber (bass), and Jay Sawyer (drums).”
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The American Sephardi Federation is proud to co-present:
JewCE!
The Museum and Laboratory of the Jewish Comics Experience
“This dynamic exhibition is a joint effort by all Partners at the Center for Jewish History, which includes the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the Center for Jewish History itself. Together, we aim to bring to life the fascinating world of Jewish comics, showcasing the powerful fusion of Jewish culture, history, and artistic expression.”
Saturday, 11 November at 6:00PM EST
JEWCE Preview Night JEWCIE Awards
Sign-up Now!
Sunday, 12 November at 10:00AM EST
JEWCE The Jewish Comics Experience
Sign-up Now!
In-Person Event
@The Center for Jewish History
If you have questions about accessibility, please contact Gabriel Sanders at gsanders@cjh.org or or (212) 294-8301.
“JewCE! The Museum and Laboratory of the Jewish Comics Experience brings together an impressive collection of original artworks, historical artifacts, and interactive installations. These exhibits celebrate the rich tapestry of Jewish narratives depicted through the lens of comics and graphic storytelling. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to witness the evolution of Jewish themes in comics over time, from classic newspaper comic strips to contemporary graphic novels.
This exhibition will feature the works of renowned Jewish comic writers and artists across the generations, allowing us to delve into the transformative power of Jewish storytelling. It is an immersive experience that aims to engage audiences of all ages and backgrounds, forging connections between visitors and Jewish history, culture, identity, and the captivating lore of comic books.”
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Jewish Art Salon, Jerusalem Biennale, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, and American Sephardi Federation present:
Jerusalem Biennale in New York
“The Jerusalem Biennale, scheduled to open on 9 November in Israel, has been postponed due to the war.
Instead, it will open some of its scheduled exhibitions internationally on 9 November in the home cities of its artists and curators, including Rome, London, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, and New York.”
Opening:
Thursday, 9 November at 5:00PM EST
Opening remarks & performance
Sign-up Now!
ID is required for attendance
@Dr. Bernard Heller Museum
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
One West Fourth Street, New York
The Heller Museum will feature works by:
Siona Benjamin, Yona Verwer, Joan Roth, Chelsea Steinberg-Gay,
Goldie Gross, Ronit Levin Delgado, curated by Hadas Glazer
and Archie Rand, curated by Samantha Baskind
*On View 9-16 November, Monday -Thursday 9AM-6PM
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Hannah Senesh Community Day School presents:
Multicultural Fall Family Fest
“Join us for a morning full of family fun activities as we lift up and celebrate the customs and traditions of our global Jewish community!
Enjoy live klezmer music, a Middle Eastern drum circle, read-alouds of Jewish stories from around the world, a fun variety of arts & crafts tables, a special calligraphy station, yard games, yummy snacks, and more to be announced!”
Sunday, 12 November at 10:00AM EST
In-person @Hannah Senesh Community Day School
342 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Sign-up Now!
RSVPs in advance are strongly requested. Security will be on premises.
This event is held in partnership with: American Sephardi Federation, AsefaMusic, Be'chol Lashon, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, B'ShERT, Encore Music, Flatbush Jewish Center, JCC Brooklyn Summer Camp, JIMENA, Kane Street Synagogue, New York Andalus Ensemble, Park Slope Jewish Center, PJ Library, Sephardi Mizrahi Q Network, Sprout Brooklyn, and The Multitudes.
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The Yeshiva University Museum, the Center for Jewish History, and American Sephardi Federation present:
A Maimonidean in India: The Perils of Jewish Healing
“Sir Simon Schama will discuss his new book, Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations, and address the Maimonidean enterprise of reconciling medical science, philosophy and Judaism.
The lecture follows the epic path of the micro-biologist Waldemar Haffkine, who achieved brief fame as an originator of vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague, but after becoming a casualty of a miscarriage of medical justice, ended as a champion of orthodoxy.”
Wednesday, 15 November at 7:00PM EST
In-person @the Center for Jewish History & Livestreamed on YouTube
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Optional tours of Yeshiva University Museum’s current exhibition, The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries will be offered before and after the lecture at 5:45 pm and 8:00 pm.
About the Speaker:
Sir Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University. He is author of 20 books, and writer-presenter of over 50 documentaries on art, history, and literature for BBC television. Sir Simon has been awarded numerous prizes and honors including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature; the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement, and the Premio Antonio Feltrinelli Prize in historical sciences from the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome. His work has been translated into 23 languages, and his 20th and most recent book Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations, was published in September 2023.
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The Jewish-American Hall of Fame, Combat Antisemitism Movement, B’nai B’rith International, American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, and Jewish Heritage Alliance present:
2023 Honoree: Photographer, Artist, Explorer, Author, and Inventor
Solomon Carvalho (1815-1897)
A dozen experts will describe the accomplishments of this 19th century Renaissance man
Sunday, 19 November at 12:30PM EST
Zoom ceremony
Sign-up Now!
“Arthur Maserjian, Chief of Staff and Director of International Affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, as well as Deputy Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame is the moderator and will tell how the Jewish-American Hall of Fame has been fighting antisemitism since 1969. Mel Wacks, Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, will talk about the other Sephardi Jews in the Hall of Fame ― from Spanish Biblical scholar and statesman Don Isaac Abravanel to Statue of Liberty poet Emma Lazarus. Sam Asher, Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum will unveil the Solomon Carvalho plaque in the museum’s permanent exhibit of Jewish-American Hall of Fame honorees. Keith Atkinson, whose wife is Solomon Carvalho’s granddaughter, will talk about the family tree. Carvalho’s time in Charleston in general, and his paintings of the historic synagogue in particular will be the topic of Anita Rosenberg, past president, of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, Historian and Chair of Museum, Archives and Fine Arts Committee. Dr. Ava Kahn, who authored the introduction to “Incidents of Travel and Adventure in the Far West with Colonel Frémont’s Last Expedition, by Solomon Nunes Carvallo, will describe Carvalho’s adventures on the trek between Missouri and California, across mostly unexplored territory to identify a viable route for a transcontinental railroad along the 38th parallel. Dr. Michael Hoberman, author of “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America” and “A Hundred Acres of America: The Geography of Jewish American Literary History,” will cover Carvalho’s time in Los Angeles, based on his article “100 Years of Sephardic Los Angeles.” Dr. Micah Christensen, a partner at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques in Salt Lake City and an expert on Solomon Carvalho’s paintings, will discuss his artistry. Steve Rivo, producer of TV series “Death Row Stories,” The Hunt with John Walsh,” “Disappeared,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy,” will talk about his documentary “Carvalho’s Journey,” and show an excerpt. And rounding out the all-star lineup of speakers, will be Jerry Klinger, the president and founder of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, revealing his efforts in trying to get the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to name the famous formation of the Three Sisters Obolisks in the Capital Reefs National Park (Utah) after Carvalho. The induction ceremony will also include remarks by Gemma Birnbaum, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, David Dangoor, President of the American Sephardi Federation, and Dan Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith International.”
For any questions about the Jewish-American Hall of Fame contact Mel Wacks at directorjahf@yahoo.com.
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The American Sephardi Federation presents:
Maimonides in Times of Crisis
A Conversation with Rabbis Marc Angel and Yamin Levy about the Rambam’s legacy in today’s times, moderated by Joshua Benaim
Monday, 27 November at 6:30PM EST
@The Center for Jewish History
Sign-up Now!
Talk will be followed by book signing, refreshments, and tour of Yeshiva University Museum's exhibition on Maimonides
Rabbi Yamin Levy is a practiced educator, rabbi, author, and academic administrator. Rabbi Levy has devoted his career to teaching and preserving Sephardic culture, law and philosophical worldview. He is the senior Rabbi of Beth Hadassah Synagogue, the Iranian Jewish Center in Kings Point NY and the founder and director of the Maimonides Heritage Center based in Tiveria, Israel and New York. He authored four books the most recent of which is titled “The Mysticism of Andalusia: Exploring HaRambam’s Mystical Tradition.” He edited two books and published numerous articles in Jewish Law, Biblical Exegesis and Sephardic Philosophy and Jewish Mysticism.
Rabbi Marc Angel has a long career of service to his congregation and community. He has served as President of the Rabbinical Council of America, the Rabbinic Alumni of RIETS, Sephardic House, and various other organizations. He is co-founder of the International Rabbinic Fellowship and its first President. He has served as an officer and board member of UJA-Federation of New York, the HealthCare Chaplaincy, American Sephardi Federation, Cancer Care and other agencies. He has won national rabbinic awards from the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations and the United Jewish Communities, and the Finkle Award of the New York Board of Rabbis. Author and editor of 40 books and hundreds of articles, he has won a National Jewish Book Award in the category of Jewish Thought for his book,The Orphaned Adult, published by Human Sciences Press; and a National Jewish Book Finalist Award in the field of Sephardic Studies for his book, Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire; and another National Jewish Book Finalist Award for Jewish Scholarship for his book Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism. The latter two books were published by Jewish Lights Publishers.
Joshua Benaim is a leading real estate investor and entrepreneur and the visionary founder of the ASF’s Sephardi House Fellowship. He is the founder and CEO of Aria, an award-winning real estate company on a mission to humanize the experience of living in our great cities. An operatic baritone who has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera and throughout the United States, Benaim lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
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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.