Mazal tov to Albert Murray Award Honoree Roy Niederhoffer and Omni-American Young Leaders Award Honoree Emmet Cohen who were fêted at Ginny's Supper Club in Harlem during the sold out American Excellence: The Omni-American Future Gala presented by the Jazz Leadership Project, Combat Antisemitism Movement, and American Sephardi Federation. In addition to Roy and Emmet, the audience was treated to performances by Itamar Borochov and past honoree Coleman Hughes. The Omni-American Future Project is co-directed by Greg Thomas and the ASF's own Dr. Aryeh Tepper.
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one
Subscribe ◊ Upcoming Events ◊ ASF Sephardi Shop ◊ Donate ◊ Sephardi Ideas Monthly ◊ ASF IJE ◊ ASF Sephardi House ◊ Archive
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!
Don’t miss the latest Sephardi Ideas Monthly: “L’Moledet Shuvi Roni: Asher Mizrahi’s Biblical-Zionist Romance”
“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 New York Times. This brought to mind the response of the late Ami Isseroff, A”H, 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.”
Ma’oz Tzur: An Ashkenazi Hanukkah Melody in Sephardi Style:
A menorah atop the plaque that attests (in Hebrew, Arabic, and French) to this being the spot where Elijah the Prophet anointed Elisha, Eliyahu HaNabi Synagogue, Jobar, Damascus, Syria, May 2009. Contrary to a false report, the Synagogue was destroyed in 2014.
(Photo courtesy of Chrystie Sherman/Diarna Geo-Museum of North African & Middle Eastern Jewish Life)
Singing solo, Payytan David Kadoche extends and elaborates the well-known Ashkenazi melody for the Hanukkah piyyut, Ma’oz Tzur (“How Mighty is the Rock”), with plaintive vocal Arabesques in Sephardi style.
“New Light Shed on Sephardic Sources for Hanukkah Heroes”
By Ty Alhadeff, The Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Cristofano Allori, 1613
(Photo courtesy of the Royal Trust Collection)
The Ma’ase de la Yehudit (Story of Judith) and the Megillat Antiochus are Hanukkah tales of ancient Jewish heroism. Left out of the mainstream of traditional literature, these sources were preserved in Sephardi communities until they were revived in Zionist literature. The Sephardi-Zionist connection can be seen in a 1904 prayer book authored by Rabbi Ya’aḳov Moshe Ḥai Alṭarats, in which the Scroll of Antiochus is followed by R’Altarats’ admonition (translated here from the Ladino): “From this historical incident and others like it, we may contemplate the heroism of our people, and how fearlessly we (our people) fought like lions in defense of our God, and His law, and for their land, men who glorified our nation…. From this occurrence we can understand how in our history we have such heroic women who sacrifice their hearts to save their nation.”
After Ma’ase de la Yehudit, R’Altarats wrote: “As we were saved in ancient times by the hands of heroes and heroines, so too may we be saved from this exile with the help and good will of the good and righteous kingdoms, amen, may it be Your will.”
In 2021, the ASF’s Institute of Jewish Experience, Mizrahi Dance Archive, Arevot - Women Weaving Tradition, and Matan Women's Institute for Torah Studies presented a global celebration of Eid Al-Banat (Judeo-Arabic)/Hag HaBanot (Hebrew), bringing together female Greater Sephardi talents to explore North African Jewish traditions, female leadership, music, dance, and so much more. Organized by then-ASF IJE Senior Director Dr. Drora Arussy, ASF Broome & Allen Fellow Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, Lala Tamar, Jackie Barzvi, and Former MK Dr. Aliza Lavie. Click here to watch.
~~~~~
1996, Nickel and Bronze Cast
Sculpted by renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy
1993, Aluminum Cast
Sculpted by renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy
~~~~~~~
American Sephardi Federation, Centro Primo Levi, and Dan Wyman Books present:
Bookhouse Thursdays
Bookhouse is a small place about books on the sixth floor of a Chelsea library building.
Take the elevator and discover cozy rooms softly illuminated and infused with music, filled with books and carpets, a samovar from Izmir, porcelain tea cups made in the DDR, and all sorts of lovely obsolete items abandoned and found in the streets of New York.
Come and browse, study, have a conversation, sip a sweet chai, and watch a film. You can purchase books from Dan Wyman’s inventory, check out his rotating showcase, learn about CPL Editions (books we make here at
Bookhouse), and explore the Sephardic House bookstore.
Bookhouse brings together book lovers, makers, sellers, readers, writers, and different ways to think and understand books.
If you have a book story to tell, you are welcome to share it at Bookhouse.
Next on Thursday, 2 January, 10:00- 5:00PM
Ask for Bookhouse at the door, we’ll meet you there and bring you up.
Reservations: rsvp@primolevicenter.org
or Call us at 917-606-8202
ASF-Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street, NYC
The Bookhouse, a project of The American Sephardi Federation (ASF), Centro Primo Levi (CPL) and Dan Wyman Books, is a small space for study, discussion, and creativity connected to Jewish book culture: from manuscripts to pulps, from Talmud to Yiddish Socialism, from Printers to Bookshops to Readers.
Dan Wyman Books will be exhibiting a rotating collection of approximately 300 rare and important books related to these topics, all of which will be available for browsing and purchase.
~~~~~~~
Upcoming Events or Opportunities
Our friends at Qesher present:
Jewish Salonica, the Sephardi Metropolis
“As Sephardi Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, Salonica (Thessaloniki, now Greece’s second-largest city)—grew into a vital center of Jewish life and culture, earning titles such as ‘Madre de Israel’ (‘Mother of Israel’) and the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” For over 400 years, it was the largest Sephardi city in the world and the heart of Sephardi Jewry in Europe, offering refuge to persecuted Jews from across Europe and the Mediterranean.
This vibrant city became one of the great centers of the Diaspora, developing a unique cultural heritage that remains significant today. We will trace the history of this remarkable Jewish community from its origins to the present, exploring the rich traditions and distinctive qualities that made Salonica an indispensable chapter in the story of the Jewish people.”
Sunday, 29 December at 3:00PM EDT
Sign-up Now!
Tickets: $9-$18
About the speaker:
Joseph Michael Vardakis was born in Athens, Greece. He has a B.A in Psychology, an M.A in Psychobiology and is currently completing his M.Sc in Clinical Psychology. He has lived and studied in the UK, South Africa and Israel and is currently residing in Athens. He has been a student counsellor for the Ministry of Absorption for new immigrants to Israel and has also worked in an educational framework for the Jewish community in South Africa before his studies. On his spare time, he offers themed tours in Athens, including sites of Jewish interest.
~~~~~~~
Our friends at Qesher present:
Kavkazi “Mountain Jews”: Ancient Hebrew and Persian roots at the border of Azerbaijan and Russia
This talk will feature an overview of Kavkazi Jewish origins, history, and the efforts of the diaspora to preserve their heritage today.
Sunday, 12 January at 3:00PM EDT
Sign-up Now!
Tickets: $9-$18
About the talk:
“The Jewish community of the Caucasus, the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas, is known by many names. The term ‘Kavkazi,’ derived from the Russian word for Caucasus, and ‘Mountain Jews’ have been used interchangeably. Traditionally, however, this community has called themselves ‘Juhuro,’ meaning ‘Jews’ in their ancestral language Juhuri, a Judeo-Persian dialect.
Kavkazi Jews primarily lived in Azerbaijan and the Russian Republics of the North Caucasus—Dagestan, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia. Their history dates back to the Babylonian Exile of the Jews in 586 BCE and their subsequent integration into the Persian Empire after its conquest of Babylonia. Over time, some Jewish communities migrated north into the Caucasus mountains, where they established settlements.
These communities remained under Persian cultural and political influence until the early 19th century, when the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) and Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828) transferred control of the Caucasus to Tsarist Russia. Later, the region was fully incorporated into the Soviet Union following the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian Civil War.”
About the speaker:
Valeriya Nakshun is a Kavkazi Jewish culture writer, community organizer, and marketer based between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Born in the Republic of Dagestan, a constituent republic of Russia, she immigrated with her family to the United States as a refugee in the late 1990s. She serves as a Community Outreach Fellow at Sephardic Heritage International DC (SHIN-DC), an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Sephardic and broader Jewish heritage.
She previously performed as a company dancer with the Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC), where she specialized in traditional dances from Silk Road cultures. As part of her work with SRDC, she has performed at the Embassies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Tajikistan, as well as at the Japanese Ambassador's Residence.
Valeriya also founded the ‘Kavkazi Jewish History and Culture’ Facebook group, which aims to explore and share resources about Kavkazi-Mountain Jewish heritage while fostering connections across the diaspora. She graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) with a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication Studies and Art History.
~~~~~~~
The Museum of the Bible presents:
The Afghan Liturgical Quire Speaker Series - Jewish History in Afghanistan
Join us to learn more about Afghanistan's ancient Jewish community and its heritage and customs. Nestled on the Silk Roads, the Jews of Afghanistan lived in this mountainous land for as many as 2,700 years. Throughout its history, this small community's livelihood was based on long-distance trade. Unusual domestic patterns developed to allow for long periods of time when men were away and women maintained households on their own. Influenced by the many peoples who surrounded them, Afghan Jews preserved their own distinct traditions and way of life.
This discussion will be led by ASF Board Member Osnat Gad, an Afghan Jewish community leader who has worked to preserve Jewish holy sites in Kabul and Herat, Dr. Sara Koplik, author of A Political and Economic History of the Jews of Afghanistan, and Jason Guberman, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation.
Sunday, 12 January at 3:30PM
Sign-up in-person!
Tickets: $24.99-$29.99
Sign-up on Zoom!
Tickets: $4.99-$9.99
These lectures will be held at the museum and on Zoom. Tickets for the event include general admission to the museum for those who want to see the Afghan Liturgical Quire on exhibit.