Abudaraho, also known as bottarga, is a unique delicacy among the Jews of the Ottoman Empire Abudaraho, made from salted and cured fish roe, has a centuries-old history. Research on this delicacy reveals that abudaraho was produced by the Phoenicians more than 3,500 years ago.  Ancient Egyptians were curing mullet roe (called al-butarikh by the Arabs) as early as the 10th century BCE in Egypt’s Nile Delta.  The name abudaraho, one of many Sephardic spellings, was likely origi

Turkish Haroset In all honesty, I have never met a haroset I didn’t like, and there are probably nearly as many different haroset as there are Jews!  I always have three or four at my Seder and sometimes a guest brings their own favorite.   Haroset is that mixture at Passover Seders that is evocative of the mortar and bricks the Israelite slaves made and used to erect Pharoah’s warehouses and other buildings (although probably not the pyramids, but that’s another story). The

An original handwritten fragment of Maimonides’ Mishne Tora , held at  Cambridge The Greek word mythos , from which we get ‘myth’, ultimately means ‘storytelling.’ It embodies a more emotional experience. Such impassioned retelling contrasts with logos , rational thought. Myths are stories that are accorded a higher significance by people’s belief in them, factual or not. The Jewish tradition is full of mythic stories, from the biblical to the contemporary, and the communal t

Welcome from Eitan Danon, DC Chapter President, at the Inaugural DC Ladino Day Our newest Brotherhood chapter has been busy this fall and winter with some exciting programs. Our inaugural DC Ladino Day was a fantastic success! We held a joyful celebration in November of Sephardic language, culture, and community, bringing together more than 100 attendees for an unforgettable day of learning and connection. The program featured engaging presentations on the basics of Ladino, a

The cover from the 1917 Brotherhood Gala brochure (Courtesy of David Saffan) The common answer today is: Yes. Even the Brotherhood’s own website indicates that the organization was established as a “volunteer mutual aid and burial society.”   But Ladino publications of the era tell a slightly different story.   During the early twentieth century, economic challenges, political changes, and war compelled many Sephardic Jews to leave the Ottoman Empire. Between 1908 and 1924, a

The Ladino-speaking Jewish community of Rhodes was once a world of vibrant color and intimate tradition. Moving between pre-war La Juderia and the present, The Girl in the Oil Painting follows a mother’s fragmented memories and a son who slowly uncovers the trauma she never spoke aloud. Through family kitchens rich with familiar aromas, sea light over Mandraki Harbor, Shabbat songs, and recipes passed down like treasures, the book brings back to life a community whose world w

Benoun Torah Crown from the Kehila Grande of Rhodes For decades, artifacts and photographs related to the Jewish community of Rhodes have been carefully collected as part of a personal and communal mission to preserve its rich history for future generations. And despite the tragic deportation and murder of nearly all its Jews to Auschwitz, it is our role as their descendants to honor and remember their life stories, thus preserving the community’s legacy now and forever.  Tha

Participants touring the Central Synagogue of Thessaloniki, Greece. What an incredible journey it has been! This summer, 21 members of...

Republished with permission from the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust Photograph of Rabbi Leon J. Pessah...

Next month, Stanford University Press will publish The Jews of Edirne: The End of Ottoman Europe and the Arrival of Borders . Written by...

We Sepharadim – and many other people around the world – love our feta. But few people know the long, fascinating history of feta.   The...

Newly catalogued archives of the Jewish Community of Izmir, Turkey On December 17, 2024, an invaluable treasure of Jewish heritage was...

Interior of the Kahal Shalom Synagogue of Rhodes The story of the Jewish community in Rhodes is a powerful testament to faith, loss, and...

Mazal Bueno of Regina Algranti Soriano, passed down to to her great granddaughter, Rachel Pearle Hasson It was one of those Sunday...

A Jewish couple in Salonika in 1942 or 1943 (US Holocaust Museum). Judith Baumel coined the term “double jeopardy” to explain the double...

Sephardic recipes call this dish apyo which is the Ladino word for the main ingredient, celeriac, also known as celery root or celery...

Greek-Jewish boxers Salamo Arouch, above, and Jacko Razon, photo below, both of Thessaloniki, were forced to fight other prisoners in...

Sunday was my father’s day to get into the kitchen and relax by cooking wonderful dishes, including Sephardic favorites from his family...

Dedicated to my great-grandparents, Bulisu and Şapat Menda *A note to the reader:In Turkish, the letter “Ş” is pronounced “sh” and the...

There once was a female rat who lived in a library, and having read all the books at her disposal, decided to start composing romansas....