A previous issue of la Djente  featured a review of my nonno  Alfredo’s wartime diary, “We Are Here! We Are Alive!”   (thank you Gloria Asher for the glowing review!). The diary sheds light on a network of unassuming heroes who saved my grandfather’s family from the Shoah.  Yet this diary represents only a fragment of a much larger unpublished memoir, spanning Alfredo Sarano’s childhood in Izmir to his final years in Bene Berak. The bulk of that memoir unfolds in Rhodes to wh

Dos shakás para azer reir, partajadas por Nissim Ashkenazi en Ladinokomunitá.  Editadas por Miriam Sherman i Aaron Shapiro.  Se respektó la ortografía orijinala de Nissim. Djoha kon su Azno (Djoha and his donkey) Shaká 1 Un djóvino, manseviko ermozo, se kieriya kazar, i kada ija ke presentó a su mama, diziya, “no”.  Fue ande una kazamanteria (mujer chalishkana, ke save i entiende sovre kazamientos i relasiones, matchmaker) .  Le disho al mansevo, “Deves de bushkar una ija ke

Un dia mi madre de b”m me tomo i mos huimos a vijitar ande la vizina la mas vieja ke morava en la pansyon. Le aprometi a mi madre de tomar el tefteriko i el Alfabet i kopiar unas kuantas ojas kon muncho dikkat (atansion). En fin mos huimos ande la vizina. Yo estava okupado kon mi lisyon, ma kon una oreja estava sintiendo lo ke estavan avlando. La vizina mos ofrio likum turko. Kuando le trusho el kafe turko, mi mama le demando "A Madam Ayui no la vide oy." Mme. Ayui era la pat

En 1920, askeres inglezes, en eskavando en Salhiyé, Siria, toparon paredes kon pinturias muy antikas.   Sigiendo kon su lavoro por munchos anyos, deskuvrieron la sivdad de Dura-Europos, ke fue abandonada después de un asedio en 256 o 257 kuando fue kuvierta kon lodo i arena.  Algunos yaman a esta sivdad la “Pompeya del desierto” porke esta kuviertura la konservó muy bueno. En los sigientes anyos, los arkeólogos deskuvrieron munchas fraguas ke amostran ke ayí bivían endjuntos

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

Most Ashkenazim consider Sephardic Jews to be exotic yet somewhat naive, given to colorful garb and spiced food and characterized by sincere yet simple religious devotion, with perhaps more than a dab of Kabbalistic superstition thrown in for good measure. Their rabbis, too, are mild-natured individuals, innocent of worldly knowledge and perspicacity, who may be good at rote memorization but are third-rate in intellectual depth. Not long ago, even some talmidei-hakhamim held

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

Becky Benaroya z'L Rebecca (Becky) Benaroya, the first-generation Sephardic Jewish woman whose love of the Jewish community, art, children, and the city of Seattle touched countless institutions and individuals, died on February 25th, 2026. She was 103.  Becky was born at Seattle’s Providence Hospital January 14th, 1923, the second child and first daughter to Yuda (Joe) Benoun, an immigrant from the Island of Rhodes, and Dona Adatto Benoun, an immigrant from Tekirdag, Turkey.

Campers during Israel Day at Sephardic Adventure Camp When Yitzchak Hasson arrived at Sephardic Adventure Camp this summer, he had already traveled halfway around the world — not just across oceans, but across cultures and communities.A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Yitzchak joined SAC as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) for the first time, bringing with him the warmth and pride of South Africa’s Sephardic community. “Two years ago, we had someone from Seattle visit South A

As a middle and highschooler, I have memories of my grandfather, Sol Niego z”l, a former Central Council and Scholarship Committee member, carrying around Sephardic Scholarship applications in case he had a moment to review them. He spoke highly of each applicant, in awe of all their accomplishments and happy that the future of Sephardic Jewry was in their hands. Therefore, receiving scholarships for the past two years from the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America is an en

Sephardic Community of Indianapolis member celebrating the new Sefer Torah Dedication at Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation The Sephardic Community of Indianapolis has experienced a season of remarkable growth, celebration, and spiritual strength throughout the winter and into the spring. Our year began with an especially historic and moving occasion: the dedication of a new Sefer Torah this January. The celebration brought together families, friends, and community members for

Volunteers helping to cook for the annual Sephardic Community Purim Party at Congregation Ahavath Achim A lot of exciting things have happened in Sephardic Portland this past year, and many more new things are on the horizon. 2025 was an exceptionally active and meaningful year for Ahavath Achim. What stands out is not only the volume of programming but also the consistency and intention behind it. We hosted nine community Shabbat dinners, eleven High Holiday meals, and ten H

This Spring, Sephardic life in the NYC Metropolitan Area continues to flourish with vibrant energy and meaningful connection. We closed out the winter season with wonderful Tu BiShevat Frutikas Seders across the region, including a Young Professionals Seder in New York and a Young Families Seder in New Jersey. Using the Brotherhood’s Tu BiShevat Seder booklet, participants engaged in beautiful recitations in Hebrew, Ladino, and English, celebrating our deep connection to the

The Passover Haggadah presents a dramatic format for dealing with questions relating to religious observance. It presents four children, representing different attitudes toward Jewish belief and ritual, along with the framework for how to answer each of the questioners. The "rasha" (wicked child) is antagonistic to Jewish tradition. He/she does not feel part of it, and asks: what's the point of all this ritual? Why do you do these things? The Haggadah realizes that there is l

Keridos Ermanos i Ermanas, As we welcome the season of renewal and prepare to celebrate Passover—a time that reminds us of resilience, faith, and shared destiny—I write to you with deep gratitude and pride. This year marks a remarkable milestone: the 110th anniversary of our Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America. One hundred and ten years of tradition.One hundred and ten years of service.One hundred and ten years of unity.One hundred and ten years of familya —family. Our