Latino Jews, Celebrating in Cairo, Invitation to Istanbul, and Museum of Moroccan Judaism

Sephardi World Weekly October 2, 2015 3 min read
2 October 2015 
In honor of Abdullah Demirbaş, formerly mayor of the Kurdish city of Sur, Turkey, who is currently imprisoned under life-threatening conditions, for his courageous commitment to peace-building work between Jews, Kurds, Chaldeans, Armenians, Yezidis, and other Middle Eastern minorities. 
2 October 2015 
In honor of Abdullah Demirbaş, formerly mayor of the Kurdish city of Sur, Turkey, who is currently imprisoned under life-threatening conditions, for his courageous commitment to peace-building work between Jews, Kurds, Chaldeans, Armenians, Yezidis, and other Middle Eastern minorities. 
“Priceless heritage of Morocco’s Jews displayed at Museum of Moroccan Judaism”
By Saad Guerraoui, Middle East Online

 
The new Moroccan constitution, a document emphasizing Morocco’s religious and ethnic pluralism, is on display at the entrance to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca. According to the museum’s curator, Zhor Rehihil, the institution attracts some unexpected guests: “Arab tourists, who visit the Hassan II mosque, come to the museum as well, especially when they find out it is the only Jewish museum in the Arab world.”
 
Zhor Rehihil speaking at the ASF-Association Mimouna Moroccan Jewish Caravan, Congregation Shearith Israel: The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, 22 October 2014 (Photo courtesy of PAYAM Studio)
“Priceless heritage of Morocco’s Jews displayed at Museum of Moroccan Judaism”
By Saad Guerraoui, Middle East Online

 
The new Moroccan constitution, a document emphasizing Morocco’s religious and ethnic pluralism, is on display at the entrance to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca. According to the museum’s curator, Zhor Rehihil, the institution attracts some unexpected guests: “Arab tourists, who visit the Hassan II mosque, come to the museum as well, especially when they find out it is the only Jewish museum in the Arab world.”
 
Zhor Rehihil speaking at the ASF-Association Mimouna Moroccan Jewish Caravan, Congregation Shearith Israel: The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, 22 October 2014 (Photo courtesy of PAYAM Studio) Special Feature: “Sephardic Spanish Heritage: 13 Facts About ‘Latino Jews’”
By Cedar Attanasio, The Latin Times

 


Passover Seder (Photo courtesy of International Latino Film Festival San Francisco Bay)
 
For Hispanic Heritage Month, The Latin Times, an online publication focusing on “bilingual Latinos in the US,” lists 13 facts about Latino Jews. For example, “Tortillas are unleavened.  Like matzah, tortillas don’t have yeast in them. For Sephardic Jews, most corn tortillas are kosher for Passover.”
“Interview: Celebrating the Jewish High Holidays in Cairo”
By Rachel Avraham, Jerusalem Online

 
What was it like to celebrate the High Holidays in Cairo during the heyday of the Jewish community? According to Levana Zamir, the head of the International Association of Egyptian Jews in Israel, “All over the streets of Cairo, even in mixed areas, everywhere there were balconies that became sukkahs…Then, politics are politics and one day, all of this disappeared.”

 
Restored Rambam (Maimonides) Synagogue, Cairo, Egypt, 2014 (Photo courtesy of Gamal/Diarna Geo-Museum) 
“Interview: Celebrating the Jewish High Holidays in Cairo”
By Rachel Avraham, Jerusalem Online

 
What was it like to celebrate the High Holidays in Cairo during the heyday of the Jewish community? According to Levana Zamir, the head of the International Association of Egyptian Jews in Israel, “All over the streets of Cairo, even in mixed areas, everywhere there were balconies that became sukkahs…Then, politics are politics and one day, all of this disappeared.”

 

Restored Rambam (Maimonides) Synagogue, Cairo, Egypt, 2014 (Photo courtesy of Gamal/Diarna Geo-Museum) 
Ellie Cohanim, Senior Vice President & Correspondent for Jewish Broadcasting Service, interviews Enrico Macias at the 18th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (Photo courtesy of Steven Smith/Guest of a Guest)
“Legendary musician Enrico Macias to perform in Istanbul once more” 
By Zeynep Esra Koca, Daily Sabah

Turkey’s wave of government-inspired anti-Semitism hasn’t prevented Turkish music lovers from inviting Enrico Macias to perform in Istanbul. Macias of course accepted the invitation. As detailed in the latest issue of The Sephardi Report, “when… asked if he prefers to sing in any particular language Macias simply replied, ‘The best language is the music.’”

Ellie Cohanim, Senior Vice President & Correspondent for Jewish Broadcasting Service, interviews Enrico Macias at the 18th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (Photo courtesy of Steven Smith/Guest of a Guest) “Legendary musician Enrico Macias to perform in Istanbul once more” 
By Zeynep Esra Koca, Daily Sabah

Turkey’s wave of government-inspired anti-Semitism hasn’t prevented Turkish music lovers from inviting Enrico Macias to perform in Istanbul. Macias of course accepted the invitation. As detailed in the latest issue of The Sephardi Report, “when… asked if he prefers to sing in any particular language Macias simply replied, ‘The best language is the music.’”

Between Baghdad and Haifa: A Tribute to Sami Michael



October 7th-9th 

at Northwestern University
1860 Campus Drive, Crowe Hall 5-163, Evanston, Il
 
Northwestern University Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies will be holding its next Israel Studies conference from October 7-9th, 2015 entitled “Between Baghdad and Haifa: A Tribute to Sami Michael.”

A number of prominent Jewish and Israeli scholars and artists will participate and honor the work of Sami Michael and his central role in contemporary Israel literature. 
 

Please click here to RSVP
2nd Annual Concert for Daniel Pearl: “Building Bridges: From Bene Beraq to Baghdad” (Jews of Iraq Series)



October 12th at 7PM

at the Center for Jewish History 

15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 
 
Daniel Pearl, armed with a pen and a fiddle, loved to connect with people the world over, forming friendships and building a coalition of the decent. The American Sephardi Federation is proud to honor his legacy with a special concert bringing together diverse peoples and music. This concert is part of the “Daniel Pearl World Music Days” occurring in more than 60 countries throughout the month of October. A feature of this concert is a recording of Daniel’s mother, Ruth, talking about her experiences as a survivor of the Farhud, the 1941 anti-Jewish pogrom at Baghdad, Iraq.
 
Please click here to RSVP
Seth M. Siegel’s Let There Be Water



October 14th at 7PM
at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY

 
The American Sephardi Federation invites you to a conversation with Seth M. Siegel, author of Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution For A Water-Starved World. Mr. Siegel’s book treats the remarkable story and global implications of how Israel developed the world’s most sophisticated water management system. The evening will also include a special presentation on the unknown story of how Israel came to develop Iran’s water system prior to the Revolution.
 
Please click here to RSVP
Donate now and your tax-deductible contribution will help ASF “Connect, Collect, and Celebrate” Sephardi culture throughout the year with engaging programs and compelling publications. 
 

Contact us by email or phone (212-548-4486) to sponsor future issues of the Sephardi World Weekly in honor or memory of loved ones. 

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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, New York, 10011).

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


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