Most people probably tend to associate Mexico more with wide-brimmed straw hats and exotic, heavily spiced food than with Sephardic Jewish observance and culture. Yet, since Mexico City, in a relatively short time, has become a celebrated center of Jewish life, it behooves us to explore it.
Early Jewish Communities in Cairo
In 641 the Arab general Amr Ibn-el-As conquered Egypt and founded Fostat, (today old Cairo) and made it a capital of Egypt. Jews settled quite early in Fostat as it became a flourishing economic center.
With the conquest of all of Egypt by the Fatimides (969), Cairo was built north of Fostat. Jews moved to the new city and established for themselves a new quarter called Haret-el-Yahoud (Street of the Jews). In time, Cairo became the cultural center of all the Jewish communities in Egypt.
The Israelites fled Egypt in haste, but well packed: They began their exodus with their
flocks, herds and unleavened bread, as well as the jewels and garments of the Egyptians.
When Soraya Masjedi Nazarian left Iran in 1979, she left behind almost all of her possessions.
“I didn’t even have my wedding picture to show my children until nine years ago,” when she was able to get a copy from relatives in Israel, said the mother of three. “Thank G-d I brought my children and family out. And that is everything. Family is everything.”
For more than two millennia, the city of Toledo has sat on the top of a granite hill surrounded like a horseshoe by the River Tagus, just 40 miles from Madrid. The present day Alcazar (castle) stands where there was a Roman fortress. Jews were a part of Toledo’s history since the last years of the Roman occupation in 192 BCE.
The Jews existed peacefully with the Romans and were always an important part of the city. They became known as money-lenders, merchants of fine cloths and precious metals and intellectuals, and were generally well-respected by the other peoples of Toledo. For centuries, scientists, philosophers, poets and artists of widely differing backgrounds met in Toledo to exchange ideas.
It is generally believed that the Jewish community in Italy began in 161 BCE, when Judah the Maccabee sent a delegation to the Roman Emperor. Four families of Jewish nobility settled in southern Italy and were dependent on Israel for law and prayer. After the destruction of the Second Temple, when Babylonia arose as the new Jewish center, Italian Jews remained loyal to the Jerusalem Talmud.
Iraqi Jews were famous for commerce throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. They sat at the crossroads of trade routes, buying and selling, and venturing abroad to procure merchandise. Wherever they traveled, they brought Judaism with them. They also established communities in Indonesia when the country was a Dutch colony. England, of course, cannot be forgotten. Iraqi traders established their own house of prayer in Brighton (1896).
New York City, New York, April 15, 2008: Jay Feinberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah year of survival from leukemia at the Eighth Annual Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation Gala Dinner on May 15th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The highlight of the evening is witnessing the joy of three recipients when they meet their bone marrow donors for the first time in front of a live audience.
Preserving and supporting the rich cultural traditions, spirit and history of all Sephardic communities as an integral part of Jewish experience and heritage.
May 15, 2008 at 7pm
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, NYC
In 1975, during a night of unusually heavy gunfire (in Lebanon) just inches from your living room window, in a blink of an eye, with your husband by your side, you packed up three little kids, dressed in pajamas, ready for bed and left your home. You never knew then, that when we’d return, our home and everything in it would be nothing more than a pile of ashes.
Having no other choice, you took us and left the past behind. We boarded a plane taking us, “anywhere but here,” was how you remember it—and when it landed you were willing and ready to start our lives all over again.
Just three short months ago, a group of very dedicated volunteers polled the parents of the Deal community and decided it was time for our children to have something wonderful to do on Sundays. Shortly thereafter, Sunday Mania was born! Tons of research and hundreds of phone calls were made to find outstanding workshops in order to develop a quality seven-week program for Pre-K through 6th graders.
The volunteers anticipated that they might attract 100 children but never could have imagined that over 170 kids would sign up during their Superbowl Sunday bash alone! A couple of weeks later, over 280 children were signed up and ready to have the time of their lives!
If you’re looking to better your business skills, take note of the next event in The Angel Fund’s Executive Seminar Series.
Recently, over 100 attendees made their way past the regal façade to the gilded interior of midtown’s Haeir Building. Ian Macdonald, business consultant and founder of the firm Corporate Lifecycles, entertained and educated the guests and helped them to determine what it takes to get their business to its optimal level and prevent it from going downhill once it gets there.
Purim night, always a happy and joyous occasion, was especially festive this year at Congregation Magen David of West Deal. Community members from all over the Deal area joined together to participate in the synagogue’s annual Purim Dinner and Celebration.
Parents of the community have spent a lot time worrying and searching for special education programs for their 5-year-olds who have aged out of preschool programs, yet are not quite ready for the kindergarten or pre-1A classes in their local yeshivahs.
“I am having such a difficult time finding a place for my son next year. What school has a class set up that will adequately meet his needs as a 5-year-old?”
Israel’s 60th Anniversary Celebration arrives at Radio City Music Hall on May 7, 2008! There will be a mix of all star talent commemorating Yom Ha’Atzmaut, including Israeli stars David Broza, Idan Raichel, Rami Kleinstein and Habanot Nechama, top American performer and Hasidic reggae phenomenon Matisyahu, as well as other top entertainers and prominent Israelis.
The gala events will also include a moving tribute to Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror as part of Israel’s Memorial Day.
