Sephardi Soul from Jerusalem to Japan and the Sassoons to Sun Yat Sen
The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi Ideas Monthly (SIM) by Dr. Aryeh Tepper is a continuing series of essays and interviews from the rich, multi-dimensional world of Sephardi thought and culture that is delivered to your inbox every month.
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The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi Ideas Monthly (SIM) by Dr. Aryeh Tepper is a continuing series of essays and interviews from the rich, multi-dimensional world of Sephardi thought and culture that is delivered to your inbox every month.
N.E.B. Ezra (1883–1936) was one of the most remarkable figures of Baghdadi Jewish Shanghai. Deeply traditional, culturally receptive, and politically active, Ezra founded the Shanghai Zionist Association in 1903 and served as editor of the association’s official mouthpiece, Israel’s Messenger (IM), until his passing. By today’s standards a kind of hybrid publication—a journal in the form of a newspaper—IM was Ezra’s platform for winning souls for Zionism.
On the diplomatic plane, Ezra used IM to pioneer diplomatic contacts for the Zionist movement across East and South Asia. In Prof. Meron Medzini’s recently published Japan, the Jews and Israel (Hebrew-language, 2023), Medzini explores how Ezra advanced the Zionist cause in the Land of the Rising Sun; he played a similar role across the region. The feather in Ezra’s diplomatic cap was a 1920 letter in support of Zionism published in IM by Sun Yat Sen, the revered father of Chinese nationalism. In 1933, Ezra provided a platform for Madame Sun Yat Sen in IM to make her case for anti-Nazi agitation.
On the intellectual-spiritual level, Ezra offered IM as a stage for Muslim, Christian, and Hindu writers. IM’s high point of cultural exchange was its extensive coverage of the 1924 meeting in Shanghai between Rabindranath Tagore, the Noble-prize winning poet of Asia, and R’ Dr. Ariel Bension, the Renaissance Man and Zionist emissary from Ottoman Jerusalem. As recorded in the pages of IM, Tagore and Bension articulated an aspirational vision of Asian identity that embraced the Zionist movement.
On the national-religious plane, IM featured essays and articles by Jewish writers on Judaism and Zionism. Ezra was especially sensitive to the fate of Sephardi Jewry, and he considered Zionism to be a force for reviving Judaism in general, and Sephardi communities in particular. In the pages of IM he featured two graduates of Ottoman Jerusalem’s flagship educational institution, Tiferet Yerushalayim, who likewise saw Zionism as a force for religious-cultural renewal: the previously mentioned Bension, and Bension’s childhood friend and later Sephardi Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel, R’ Ben Zion Meir Hai Uziel (Ouziel). It’s worthwhile examining R’Uziel’s first letter to IM, as the modest document is a window to the 20th c. crisis of Sephardi Jewry and R’Uziel’s response to that crisis.
Ezra featured R’Uziel’s first letter to IM on April 3rd, 1925 under the heading, “Chief Rabbi Bension Ouziel’s Outlook on Sephardi Jewry.” R’Uziel opens his letter by thanking the Chinese Zionist Organization for its assistance in establishing a secondary school in the Land of Israel, an enterprise that “deserves appreciation by all friends of the complete revival of the entire Jewry [sic] in general and of the Sephardi Jews in particular.” R’Uziel shares that “‘It is already a long time since I aspired to this goal and I long to see its actualization.’” The problem?
The bitter ‘Galuth’ dispersed the Sephardi communities in various places, where a lethargic sleep fell upon them tearing them away from all the Jewish communities in Europe, this having been the essential cause of the great spiritual degeneration of this portion of Jewry.
The claims are eye-opening. Sephardi communities suffer from “lethargy” and “great spiritual degeneration.” In a single sentence, R’Uziel’s shatters a commonly held, contemporary misconception that only Ashkenazi Jewish communities and thinkers were responding to a sense of spiritual crisis at the beginning of the 20th c.
Projecting the trajectory forward, R’Uziel writes
[W]hen I look deeply into the near future with all its true colors, a shudder is passing through all my limbs and a deep questioning is animating my soul: Will this Jewry live when deprived of its soul? [Italics in the original]
R’Uziel refers to his own soul and the soul of Sephardi Jewry. He then goes on to use the term “soul” two more times in quick succession, referring to “the soul of our Sephardi brethren… thirsting for Zion” who find “no response to the aspiration of their soul” and so “remain nailed to their places.”
This four-fold appeal to the soul was not accidental. When the first volume of R’Uziel’s two volume work on Jewish Thought, Hegyonei Uziel, was published in 1950, R’ Uziel introduced a theme in the Introduction that is also, he claimed, Judaism’s ultimate object of study: the human soul and the soul’s connection to God. The emphasis on the soul in Hegyonei Uziel was both R’Uziel’s response to the “great spiritual degeneration” of his time and central to his understanding of the Torah of the Land of Israel. It was this soulful power that R’Uziel believed was destined to revive Judaism. Revival won’t come via a new way of understanding texts, but through the appreciation, understanding, and cultivation of our own souls. In R’Uziel’s 1925 letter in Israel’s Messenger, we see early hints of what would become R’Uziel’s mature emphasis on the soul as integral, not only to the revival of Sephardi Jewry, but to universal human redemption.
We have N.E.B. Ezra to thank for this window into R’Uziel’s thinking. Amazingly, the first biography of Ezra still waits to be written. Anyone familiar with the man and his work will agree that he is entirely deserving. A future issue of SIM will feature Sun Yat Sen’s 1920 letter to Ezra in support of Zionism. Before then, however, SIM will feature interviews with Dr. Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah (Groningen Univ.) and Prof. Joseph Sassoon (Georgetown Univ.) about Flora Sassoon, the great businesswoman, scholar, philanthropist, and the remarkable Sassoon dynasty. In the meantime, SIM is happy to introduce our readers to “Chief Rabbi Bension Ouziel’s Outlook on Sephardi Jewry” from the April 3rd, 1925, edition of Israel’s Messenger.
For another angle on the soul, you’re invited to view the recent episode of “Straight Ahead: The Omni American Podcast,” dedicated to “Machiavelli and the Soul”
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2008, Aluminum Cast
Sculpted by renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy
The Wolf of Baghdad (Memoir of a lost homeland)
By Carol Isaacs
In the 1940s a third of Baghdad’s population was Jewish. Within a decade nearly all 150,000 had been expelled, killed or had escaped. This graphic memoir of a lost homeland is a wordless narrative by an author homesick for a home she has never visited.
Transported by the power of music to her ancestral home in the old Jewish quarter of Baghdad, the author encounters its ghost-like inhabitants who are revealed as long-gone family members. As she explores the city, journeying through their memories and her imagination, she at first sees successful integration, and cultural and social cohesion. Then the mood turns darker with the fading of this ancient community’s fortunes.
This beautiful wordless narrative is illuminated by the words and portraits of her family, a brief history of Baghdadi Jews and of the making of this work. Says Isaacs: ‘The Finns have a word, kaukokaipuu, which means a feeling of homesickness for a place you’ve never been to. I’ve been living in two places all my life; the England I was born in, and the lost world of my Iraqi-Jewish family’s roots.’
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum presents:
Greek Jewish Festival
Sunday, 19 May 12:00-6:00PM EST
(280 Broome Street, Lower East Side, NYC)
Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Jews of Greece!
Experience a feast for the senses including authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing and live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, Sephardic cooking demonstrations, and much more!
The ASF is once again proud to be a Festival Sponsor.
Learn more at www.GreekJewishFestival.com
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American Sephardi Federation presents:
The 26th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival
Dedicated to Ike, Molly and Steven Elias
Join us as we kick off a week-long cinematic journey of untold stories of tolerance and diversity within the vibrant Sephardic cultural mosaic.
Celebrate our 26th edition together with Reymond Amsalem, Alexandre Arcady, Stella Levi, Enrico Macias and John Turturro, promising an unforgettable experience filled with exclusive screenings, insightful discussions and captivating performances.
2- 9 June
@the Center for Jewish History
Please reserve your tickets promptly as our auditorium is intimate and there are also exclusive opportunities.
VIP Sponsorship Festival Package – $500
VIP Sponsorship Festival Package, access to All Events (including Opening & Closing Night Private Meet & Greet Receptions) and VIP seating at all Movie Screenings; Name listed as Festival Sponsor in the Catalog.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Includes Opening and Closing Night Ceremonies, all Movie Screenings, Q&As, and Special Daytime Events
Includes Opening Night Awards Ceremony, Performance by Enrico Macias, and light reception
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American Sephardi Federation presents:
The Trial of Adolf Eichmann
Adapted on stage by David Serero
Inspired by actual events, this powerful drama takes audiences on a haunting journey through one of the most infamous trials in history, examining the depths of human evil and the quest for justice.
Don’t miss this compelling and thought-provoking theatrical experience as the world premiere of “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann” opens in July 2024 at the Center for Jewish History, inviting audiences to reflect on the lessons of history and the enduring struggle for justice and reconciliation.
21 July at 7:00PM EST
22 July at 8:00PM EST (Premiere)
23 July at 3:00PM EST
25 July at 8:00PM EST
@the Center for Jewish History
Sign-up Now!
Tickets: $26-$36
For questions and more details please call 855.688.7277 (ext.1)
The play revolves around the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the principal architects of the Holocaust, who orchestrated the systematic murder of millions of Jews during World War II. Set in Jerusalem in 1961, the story follows the trial of Eichmann, a former Nazi officer captured by Israeli agents in Argentina and brought to Israel to face justice. As the courtroom drama unfolds, audiences are confronted with the moral dilemmas faced by the prosecution, defense, and the international community. Eichmann’s unapologetic defense, which hinges on his claim of “just following orders,” sparks intense debates about responsibility, collaboration, and the nature of evil. The play delves into the legal and ethical complexities of the trial, exploring how the pursuit of justice can intersect with the need for closure, healing, and reconciliation in the aftermath of unspeakable atrocities. David Serero’s masterful writing combines historical accuracy and dramatic tension to create a riveting theatrical experience. “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann” challenges its audience to grapple with profound questions about humanity’s capacity for cruelty and the enduring quest for accountability in the face of unimaginable horror. With a talented ensemble cast, David Serero’s direction, and meticulous attention to detail, this Off-Broadway production promises to be a thought-provoking and emotionally charged exploration of a pivotal historical moment. “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann” is a timely reminder of the importance of remembering the past and seeking justice, even when the wounds are deep and the scars are still fresh.
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The American Sephardi Federation presents:
“The Golden Age of the Jews of Alandalus” | “La Edad de Oro de los judíos de Alandalús”
On View in the Paul S. And Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall
through 14 June 2024
@ the Center for Jewish History
The Jewish community of Alandalús gave the world extraordinary thinkers like Maimonides, diplomats like Ibn Shaprut, and poets like Ibn Gabirol and Judah Halevi, whose wisdom, works, and accomplishments resonate through the ages. 820 years after his death, the RAMBAM’s contributions to medicine, philosophy, diplomacy, and Jewish law continue to inspire wonder and influence till today. Across the Mediterranean in Fustat (Cairo) about two hundred thousand documents accumulated in the Ben Ezra Synagogue’s Genizah—a room or grave where obsolete sacred documents are respectfully discarded—over the course of nearly a millennium.
The geographical location of Egypt, a natural bridge between the Islamic East and Christian West, made it possible for many of these documents to be of Andalusian origin. This exhibition, curated by the University of Granada Professor José Martínez Delgado, takes us on a journey from the origins of this important community to its exodus and extinction in the XIX century. Although subsequently scattered all over the world, Sepharadim have maintained connections to their past by perpetuating traditions, the Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) language, and exemplifying a seriously Jewish yet cosmopolitan worldview.