"#NewYork’s Festival #Sefarad — which is inspired by the Festival Séfarad de #Montréal, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last month — will include robust programming with more than 40 events, including #Shabbat dinners, #book talks, #tours, #workshops, #films and #concerts.

“#NewYorkCity is home to one of the most diverse and dynamic #Jewish communities in the world,” the American #Sephardi Federation, one of the lead organizers of the festival, said in a statement. “After the atrocities of #October7, the need for creating communal, intellectual, and cultural connections that bring all #Jews together has never been greater.”

https://www.jta.org/2025/06/05/ny/nycs-first-ever-month-long-celebration-of-sephardic-jewish-culture-is-now-underway

From JIMENA:
Sontinuity: The Tree and the Web

The scientific study of sound explains how Sephardic Jews have been able to transmit tradition and culture over time despite a history of traumatic rupture.
By Vanessa Paloma Elbaz

More than just a written reflection, this piece includes audio recordings that allow readers to experience the musical traditions discussed — a rare opportunity to not only read about heritage, but to hear it come alive.

Click below to read and listen to this unique exploration of Sephardic memory through sound:
https://www.distinctionsjournal.org/the-tree-and-the-web/

#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishMusic

"For seven months during WWII, the 100,000-member Jewish community of Tunisia came under direct Nazi  rule. They had already been subject to anti-Jewish Vichy laws. Now they were exposed to the whims of German SS Officers led by Einsatzgruppen commander Walter Rauff. Did Germany have a policy to annihilate all the Jews of North Africa? Although thwarted by the Allied invasion, what first practical steps were taken to implement the systematic extermination of the Jews of Tunisia?

Shaul Bartal has been gathering evidence based on interviews with survivors, contemporary songs by Tunisian Jews as well as other studies, some based on Tunisian archival sources.He is Research Associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar–Ilan University and at Instituto do Oriente (IO), Universidade de Lisboa. and has written books and several articles about the Israeli-Arab conflict and Tunisian politics."

Link: https://www.harif.org/events/

#Mazeldon #Mizrahi #Sephardi #Jewish #Judaism

"As JIMENA prepares to release three landmark studies — including a national demographic study of Sephardi Jewish Americans and two assessments of Jewish day schools and summer camps in Los Angeles and New York — we are not focused on a headline number.

Yes, our study will show that roughly 10% of American Jews identify as Sephardi, according to Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, but the real power lies in the recommendations, not the numbers: the action steps, the language changes, the cultural shifts and interventions these studies propose."

Read the [subscription required] original article: https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/jewish-demographic-research-must-be-followed-by-meaningful-action/

[Sorry, there doesn't seem to be a copy of the newsletter on the JIMENA site.]

#Mazeldon #jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishHistory

For our friends in Cincinnati:

More and more people around the world are marking the Mimouna, and putting their own stamp on the occasion. Traditionally, Jews and their neighbours celebrate with sweets and muffleta pancakes at the end of Passover. 

Click on the QR code for more info, or visit: https://www.ishfestival.org/

#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Mimouna #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA

From Jimena, for those still on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jimena_voice/?hl=en

Click on the icon that looks like this photo:

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #YomHaShoah #JIMENA #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi

From Kabbalah Experience:
Clase Especial: Estudia Cabalá Transformadora en Español

Estudia Cabalá Transformadora en Español con Steven Brandwayn

Las clases en Español se llevaran a cabo en Kabbalah Experience (presencial) y en ZOOM videoconference

Clase seminal (durante 4 semanas) los Miercoles 6pm

Fechas de curso:  4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20

Regístrate ahora en Cabalá Transformadora para hispanohablantes

Register: https://kabbalahexperience.com/soul-an-introduction-to-kabbalah-spanish/

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Sephardi #Spanish #Kabbalah

A combining of cultures or a clash of titans?

#Charoset #Mazeldon #Passover #Pesach #Ashkenazi #Sephardi

Discover Bsisa: A Pre-Passover
Tradition from Libya

Bsisa is a cherished Libyan-Jewish tradition observed in the days leading up to Passover—a symbolic ritual of abundance, renewal, and preparation.

It’s a beautiful example of the unique ways Jewish communities across the Middle East and North Africa mark this sacred time.

Click to view the full post on Instagram and learn more: https://www.instagram.com/jimena_voice/p/DH_76fqzARA/?hl=en

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Jewish #Judaism #Pesach #Passover #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA

From JIMENA:
These traditions—while beautifully varied—are also deeply interconnected, much like the Jewish people themselves. Our shared stories of resilience, liberation, and celebration unite us across geography, language, and time.

The guide features:
Traditional and contemporary Passover recipes from across the MENA region
Rituals and customs from countries like Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, and beyond
Links to stories, videos, and cultural content to deepen your holiday experience

PDF Link: https://www.jimena.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mimouna.pdf

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Judaism #Jewish #Pesach #Passover #Seder #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #Kosher

From Harif UK:
EIGHTY YEARS SINCE THE 1945 TRIPOLITANIA POGROM
WITH VIVIENNE ROUMANI-DENN

TUESDAY 6 MAY 2025
7:00 pm UK/ 11:00 am PT/ 2:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm Europe / 9:00 pm Israel
PLEASE NOTE EARLIER TIMES
Info: https://www.harif.org/event/the-little-known-tripolitania-riots-of-1945/

It is 80 years since 130 Libyan Jews were brutally killed during three days in November 1945 in Tripoli and elsewhere in Tripolitania. Shops and homes were looted, synagogues burnt down, such as the Zawia synagogue shown here, and property destroyed. This tragic episode, which is hardly known, was followed by a second pogrom in 1948. Over 90 per cent of Jews participated in the Aliyah starting in 1949.

What happened exactly and what were the root causes? Oral historian Vivienne Roumani-Denn has made a study of these terrible events and gathered survivors’ testimonies.

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishHistory

From Harif UK:
CAN WE PRESERVE JUDEO-ARABIC
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION?
WITH SAMANTHA ELLIS

TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2025
7:30 pm UK/ 11:30 am PT/ 2:30 pm ET / 8:30 pm Europe / 9:30 pm Israel

Samantha Ellis’s mother tongue is dying out. An urgent need to find out more becomes an expansive investigation into how to keep hold of her culture – and when to let it go.

Info: https://www.harif.org/event/can-we-preserve-judeo-arabic-for-the-next-generation/

Available in the UK (so far) or online: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452893/chopping-onions-on-my-heart-by-ellis-samantha/9781784745028

The daughter of Iraqi Jewish refugees, Samantha grew up surrounded by the noisy, vivid, hot sounds of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. A language that’s now on the verge of extinction.

She will be in conversation with Lyn Julius about her new book ‘Chopping onions on my heart’ (The Judeo-Arabic equivalent of ‘Rubbing salt in the wound’).

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #Jewish #Judaism #JewishHistory

From Harif UK:
As we approach Passover, the festival which marks the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and celebrates their freedom, three Jews talk about their personal exodus from Arab countries – Lisette Stalbow, forced to flee from Egypt in 1956, David Gerbi, who fled from Libya in 1967, and Nadia, who left Iraq in 1951.

More Info: https://www.harif.org/event/my-exodus/

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishWomen #JewishHistory

For our friends in SF:
JIMENA + JCCSF Present
Our Annual Mimouna Celebration
Moroccan Sweets, Live Music, Dancing, and Community

Join us to celebrate the beginning of spring and the end of Passover at JIMENA’s annual Mimouna, a joyful and meaningful Moroccan Jewish tradition.

In partnership with JCCSF, this beloved event brings together Moroccan sweets, live music, dancing, and community in a warm and welcoming atmosphere that honors heritage, tradition, and connection.

📅 Sunday, April 27
⏰ 7:00 – 10:00 PM
📍 San Francisco JCC

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mimouna-celebration-post-passover-community-festival-tickets-1246669093819

#Mazeldon #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #Jewish #Judaism #Pesach #Mimouna

The republican party is no friend to any non-christians and I am baffled how Jewish leaders fail to see that. They are using Jews to cosplay their end times fantasies, and nothing more.

"The Trump administration's halt to all refugee programs — except for the one serving white South Africans — has trapped more than 700 Iranian Jews who have applied for asylum as persecuted religious minorities.

Their advocates in the United States are desperately seeking a champion in Congress. But a March 15 deadline to reauthorize the Iranian religious minority program looms.

“I'm alone here in the United States and my family is in a bad situation,” said one Iranian Jew who arrived just weeks before Trump's inauguration. “I'm praying that maybe Donald Trump comes to understand the difference between Jews and minorities and everyone else in Iran. All Iranians are not the same.”

Read the Article: https://www.jta.org/2025/03/06/united-states/trump-promised-to-protect-jews-and-religious-liberty-his-refugee-ban-is-keeping-out-700-persecuted-iranian-jews

#Mazeldon #Jewish #coup #Antisemitism #MENA #Mizrahi #Sephardi

JIMENA is sharing an important new report released by our partner organization, Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC), which documents the history, heritage, and forced displacement of Iraqi Jews—one of the world’s oldest and most influential Jewish communities.

Access the full report here for the JJAC report on Iraq: https://justiceforjews.com/iraq-report/

Read the JPost article about it: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-842742

JIMENA continues to work toward truth, recognition, and justice for Jews from Arab countries and Iran. Thank you for being part of this mission.

Support JIMENA: https://buy.stripe.com/6oE7vaelbdjZasw7ss

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Jewish #JewishHistory #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA

From Hey Alma:
I Feel Most Persian at the Shabbat Table - As a Jew, it's not safe for me to visit Iran. But through my Nonna's recipes, I can still hold my ancestral home close.
By Anna Rahmanan, January 10, 2025

Article: https://www.heyalma.com/i-feel-most-persian-at-the-shabbat-table/

"Forced to abandon her life in the Middle Eastern region as a direct result of her being Jewish back in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, when the monarchy was toppled & the Islamic republic was officially established, my nonna’s fond memories of her country of origin don’t seem to be tainted by the antisemitism that has defined Iran’s politics for the past 45 years.

...Iranian dishes have, in a way, assuaged my feelings towards a society of people that I associate with heartbreak. I cannot feel tenderness for a government that so harshly kicked out my relatives because they were Jewish, especially since the politics...don’t seem to have changed..."

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Jewish #Kosher #JewishFood #MENA #Mizrahi #Sephardi

From WLCJ:
From the Desk of Israel’s Chair
Dr. Esther Javetz
Sociology

"...During the 1940’s most Middle East countries expelled their Jews. Later, it became uncomfortable for Christians to live there. A case in point is the city of Bethlehem that used to be more than 80% Christian. Right now, it is about 10% Christian. (Wikipedia).

In Israel, more than 20% are minorities, of various ethnic and religious groups. Israel has the Law of the Nation, declaring it the homeland of the Jewish people, however, as individuals all citizens and residents have equal rights. All the blame of “ethnic cleansing” is actually happening in the Arab world."

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #MENA #Mizrahi #Sephardi #JewishHistory #Jewish

Time for #Sephardi #breakfast wrap https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-best-jewish-food-in-nyc-according-to-a-jewish-new-yorker

Decades ago, we lost Syria’s vibrant Jewish community, a crucial part of our heritage. We cannot afford to lose more of our precious minorities. Together, we must work and pray for a Syria that embraces all its people, heals its wounds, and offers millions of refugees a chance to return home.

A peaceful, democratic Syria could also pave the way for our Jewish community to reconnect with the land their ancestors lived in since the days of the Bible. This is a historic moment—an opportunity to build a brighter, united future for all Syrians.

Sincerely, Hadeel Ouies

Read Struggle for Minority Rights in Syria in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDYMibcyx2h/?hl=en&img_index=1

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Jewdiverse #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishHistory