Curaçao’s Sephardi Paradise, Spain’s Second Most Visited Museum, and Israel’s Mizrahi Happiness Revolution

4 September 2015  In Memory of Moshe Lazar, A”H, Sephardi Scholar, Israeli Soilder, and Holocuast Survivor

“Israel’s Happiness Revolution”  By Matti Friedman, Tablet   Mizrahi music, a mix of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Western elements, was long relegated to Israel’s margins. No longer. Today it’s the mainstream sound of Israeli pop, musically projecting a classic Middle Eastern identity that seamlessly blends the sacred and the secular: “Here is a world of innocent love, of dancers on tables and… a place near the sea where Arabic and Hebrew mix, where Judaism is everything and no big deal and God just another part of life, like sunshine and cigarettes.”

Eden Ben-Zaken’s Mizrahi-style video,“Queen of Roses,” has been viewed over 7 million times on Youtube, more than the number of native Hebrew speakers in the world (Photo courtesy of The X Factor Israel)

“Israel’s Happiness Revolution” 
By Matti Friedman, Tablet

Eden Ben-Zaken’s Mizrahi-style video,“Queen of Roses,” has been viewed over 7 million times on Youtube, more than the number of native Hebrew speakers in the world (Photo courtesy of The X Factor Israel)

A Moorish-style structure built in the 14th century, the Sinagoga El Tránsito has served as a church, and was a military head-quarters during the Napoleonic Wars (Photo courtesy of David Adam Kess/Wikimedia)

“Renovation complete at Toledo Sephardic Jewish museum”  Spanish News Today Spain’s relationship to Jews seems to be shot through with contradictions. Even as the government extends citizenship to the descendants of Sephardi exiles, Spanish activists recently subjected Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu to an Israel-themed inquisition. So whether it signals an interest in Jewish history or in generating tourist revenue, or both, renovations were just completed at the Sinagoga del Tránsito in Toledo’s Museo Sefardí, Spain’s second most visited museum.

A Moorish-style structure built in the 14th century, the Sinagoga El Tránsito has served as a church, and was a military head-quarters during the Napoleonic Wars (Photo courtesy of David Adam Kess/Wikimedia) 
  “Renovation complete at Toledo Sephardic Jewish museum” 
Spanish News Today

Spain’s relationship to Jews seems to be shot through with contradictions. Even as the government extends citizenship to the descendants of Sephardi exiles, Spanish activists recently subjected Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu to an Israel-themed inquisition. So whether it signals an interest in Jewish history or in generating tourist revenue, or both, renovations were just completed at the Sinagoga del Tránsito in Toledo’s Museo Sefardí, Spain’s second most visited museum.
  Song of the week (Video): “Ya Ribbon Olam” 

“Visit a centuries-old Jewish community in paradise” By Melissa Halper, JTA The enchanting Caribbean island of Curaçao hosts a tiny but proud Jewish community that dates back to Sephardi Jews who arrived in 1651 and is home to the oldest continually-used synagogue (which features a white sand covered floor) in the Western hemisphere. While many islanders don’t know much about the Jews in their midst, “to avoid violating Jewish law, a man from the local Adventist church plays the organ on Shabbat.”

Courtyard of the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, Willemstad, Curaçao (Photo courtesy of Dolly442/Wikimedia)

“Visit a centuries-old Jewish community in paradise”
By Melissa Halper, JTA

The enchanting Caribbean island of Curaçao hosts a tiny but proud Jewish community that dates back to Sephardi Jews who arrived in 1651 and is home to the oldest continually-used synagogue (which features a white sand covered floor) in the Western hemisphere. While many islanders don’t know much about the Jews in their midst, “to avoid violating Jewish law, a man from the local Adventist church plays the organ on Shabbat.” 

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Copyright © 2015 American Sephardi Federation, All rights reserved. Thank you for opting (on our websites, at an event, or by email) to receive American Sephardi Federation Programming Updates and Publications. We apologize if this message was sent in error. The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi House is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, NY., 10011). American Sephardi Federation | http://www.AmericanSephardi.org | info@Sephardi.House | (212) 548-4486 unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Copyright © 2015 American Sephardi Federation, All rights reserved.

Thank you for opting (on our websites, at an event, or by email) to receive American Sephardi Federation Programming Updates and Publications. We apologize if this message was sent in error.

The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi House is located at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, NY., 10011).

American Sephardi Federation | http://www.AmericanSephardi.org | info@Sephardi.House | (212) 548-4486


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