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Sephardi Mizrahi Studies Caucus Discussion List - March 19, 2001

Association for Jewish Studies Sephardi/Mizrahi Studies Caucus
Discussion List
Week of March 19, 2001


Index

1. Association for Jewish Studies: Call for Papers, Student Travel Grants, etc. (Katchen)

2. Announcement: Judith Cohen in Concert (Fein)

3. Query: Sephardim as Racially Superior to Ashkenazim During Holocaust (Ben-Ur)

4. Query: Seeking Lina Kohen Albukrek's *87 Anios Tengo* (Ben-Ur)

5. Twelfth British Conference on Judeo-Spanish Studies (Summerfield and Kahn-Zajtmann)

6. IVRI-NASAWI Calendar for March/April 2001 (Elgrably)

7. New Publication: *Biographical Dictionary of the Sephardim of Hamburg: Based on Funeral Inscriptions* (Halévy)

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1. Association for Jewish Studies: Call for Papers, Student Travel Grants, etc. (Katchen)

From: Aaron L. Katchen <ajs@brandeis.edu>
Date: Friday, March 16, 2001 2:15 PM

Dear Colleague:

Please excuse this broadcast message as our means of notifying you of the
revised due date for proposals for our December 2001 conference in
Washington, DC. We have many exciting sessions and events planned and we
look forward to seeing you there. Your proposal will enhance the scope and
quality of the conference and we look forward to receiving it.

We are not, however, sending out the forms in hard copy this year, since we
have placed all necessary forms and instructions on our web site at
http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/2001AJS33.html. They are available there in
three different formats, Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Web (.html), and plain old
text (.txt). Please go to the web site and download and print out a set for
yourself. It saves AJS postage and printing costs to have you do so. It
would also facilitate matters for you as well as for our office if you use
the downloaded form as a template and fill in the form on your word
processor. This promotes legibility and will minimize errors. Please note
that all proposals are to be sent in duplicate to the AJS office. Proposals
are not to be sent to section coordinators.

Please do take note of the suggested themes and topics for 2001. The web
page is http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/Section%20Coordinators%202001.html. The
listed themes are to be understood as suggestions and their listing does
not by any means preclude your submitting a proposal on some other topic,
as long as it falls under the general rubric of the section. Please direct
any general questions to this office. Should you have specific questions
about a proposal or a session you are developing, please feel free to
contact the section coordinator, but please be guided first by the general
guidelines for proposals and the general description of what falls under
each specific section.

A note to students: please take note of the travel awards that we will be
granting this year; awardees of grants by the AJS (graciously sponsored by
the Dorot Foundation) will be chosen from all students whose papers are
selected, without separate application. The awards by the Women's Caucus
and the ASSSJ do, however, require separate applications; please see the
guidelines at
http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/Call%20for%20Papers%202001.html#anchor541982.
Students are reminded that only those students working on their
dissertations may submit proposals and that they need to secure the
recommendation of their advisor.

All presenters are asked to be sure that all fees are paid along with the
proposal. Proposals with insufficient payment and/or documentation (see the
checklist at
http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/Checklist%20for%20Submissions%202001.html) will
not be considered.

On other AJS matters, we apologize for the production delays for Vol 25,
No. 1 of the AJS Review and for the next issue of AJS Perspectives. We
expect to have them available and sent out shortly to your address of
record. Please let us know if you have moved recently. We also will be
pleased to send bills to those members who have not brought their accounts
current and who have not yet renewed for 2000-2001, but we would appreciate
it greatly if you would download the renewal forms from our web site at
http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/member.html and save us the expense and effort
involved in billing.

Once again, we look forward to receiving your proposal and to having you
with us in the nation's capital in December.

Cordially yours,

Aaron L. Katchen
Executive Director

**************************************************************
Association for Jewish Studies
Lawrence H. Schiffman, Ph.D., President
Aaron L. Katchen, Ph.D., Executive Director

MS 011 email: ajs@brandeis.edu
Brandeis University Voice: (781) 736-2981
P.O. Box 549110 FAX: (781) 736-2982
Waltham, MA 02454-9110 http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs
**************************************************************

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2. Announcement: Judith Cohen in Concert (Fein)

From: Harfein@aol.com
Date: Monday, March 12, 2001 5:32 PM

SONGS OF THE SEPHARDIM

Ethnomusicologist Judith Cohen, with her daughter Tamar Ilana Cohen
Adams, performs music of the Sephardic diaspora using traditional instruments
on Sunday, April 1, at Harvard Hillel.

If you wish to make reservations for the pre-concert bagel brunch
($8.00) at 11:15 AM., contact Harriet at harfein@aol.com. The concert is at
12:30 PM and is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Worship
and Study Minyan of Harvard Hillel.


Dr. Judith Cohen specializes in Judeo-Spanish („Ladino‰) Sephardic
songs, Her repertoire grows out of a broad and varied fieldwork experience
that includes collecting in the Balkans, in the Crypto-Jewish regions of the
Portuguese-Spanish border, in Israel, in the Moroccan Sephardic community of
Toronto, where she lives, and elswhere. She was a founding member of
Gerineldo, the acclaimed Moroccan Judeo-Spanish ensemble, which has produced
three CDs. Her daughter Tamar Ilana Cohen Adams often performs with her.
For more information about Judith Cohen‚s background and recordings, and
for her overview of Sephardic music, see her Web site: http://www.yorku.ca/
judithc

Directions: Harvard Hillel is at 52 Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge,
about five minutes‚ walk from the Harvard Square MBTA station. From the
station, walk one block down JFK Street., toward the Charles River. Go left
on Mt. Auburn St. and continue to the corner of Mt. Auburn and Plympton,
where Harvard Hillel is located. The performance is on the second floor, in
the Smith Room.
If you are planning to drive, allow extra time, as parking anywhere
near Harvard Square is difficult.


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3. Query: Sephardim as Racially Superior to Ashkenazim During Holocaust (Ben-Ur)

I am seeking sources for the Hitlerian idea that Sephardic Jews were racially superior to Ashkenazim (though still slated for genocide since they too were Jews). I was first alerted to this concept by Solomon Vas Diaz's article in *Studia Rosenthaliana*.

Recently, David Chagall has published a book arguing that the Nazis targeted primarily Ashkenazi Jews, and that Sephardim and Mizrahim were, and I quote from the website) "relatively unmolested" (*Target: Special Victims of the Holocaust*). (I was interested in purchasing this book, but the toll-free number listed in the advertisement does not work, and no publisher or date of publication was available).

Does anyone have additional sources about this specific theme, or reactions to David Chagall's publication? Many thanks.

Dr. Aviva Ben-Ur
Assistant Professor
Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies
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4. Seeking Lina Kohen Albukrek's *87 Anios Tengo* (Ben-Ur)

Dear colleagues:
I am trying to acquire a copy of Lina Kohen Albukrek's *87 Anios Tengo (Poemas)*. A friend of mine, who has a copy of this book, informs me that the author's daughter, Beki Bardavid, sold him a copy years ago. According to the book, the ISBN is 975-95392-4-1. I think the publisher is Gozlem Gazetecilik Basin Ve Yayin A. S. (with some letters with special Turkish alphabet marks that my friend could not reproduce via email). The person's name and address associated with the publisher is:
Prof. Dr. Orhan Ersek Sok. Mola Apt.3/2 Nisantasi- Istanbul
There's a telephone number: 240 41 44-247 3082, but before I try it, I wondered if any of you might be able to confirm the address (which a Turkish-speaking friend tells me appears to be a misprint).

Many thanks in advance.

Dr. Aviva Ben-Ur
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5. Twelfth British Conference on Judeo-Spanish Studies (Summerfield and Kahn-Zajtmann)

From: Departmental Administrators - HJS <hjs-judeospanish@ucl.ac.uk>
Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 5:55 AM

Twelfth British Conference on Judeo-Spanish Studies: Sunday 24 June to Tuesday 26 June 2001


Here is the latest update on the Conference:

We have arranged a very full and varied programme. This year's Estreya Aelion Lecture will be given by Professor David Gitlitz (University of Rhode Island) and the Cynthia Crews Lecture by Professor David Bunis (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem). We are honoured to welcome the President of the National Authority for Ladino, Mr Yitzhak Navon, who will address us on ëThe Characteristics of Sephardic Jewry. Of particular interest will be the optional private visit to the British Library, thanks to Ilana Tahan the Curator of Hebrew Documents, on Tuesday 26 June,
at 5.45 p.m.

Registration will commence at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday 24 June in the South Cloisters, University College London, Gower Street and the programme of papers and lectures will begin at 11.00 a.m.

All sessions will take place in the Chadwick Building, next to the main entrance in Gower Street and directly across the courtyard from the South Cloisters. A College map will be provided.

Bed and breakfast accommodation has been booked at Ramsay Hall, Maple Street, London, W1, very near to the main University building. This is a provisional booking and we need to inform Ramsay Hall of precise bookings by 15 April. We cannot guarantee that bedrooms will be available after that date.

Accommodation consists of single rooms with wash-hand-basins and communal bathrooms. If you would like to stay for any additional nights (i.e. other than Sunday 24 June and Monday 25 June) you should mark the dates on the enrolment form. (Additional nights should be paid for at Ramsay Hall on arrival). Ramsay Hall is centrally located within a short walk of the main University buildings, the British Library, the British Museum, Regents Park, Oxford Street, and many other tourist sites.

The residential and non-residential fee includes all meals as listed overleaf (breakfast will be at Ramsay Hall). Both fish, vegetarian and Kosher options will be available; please mark your preference on the enrolment form attached. A list of local vegetarian restaurants and facilities for Kosher food will be provided. There are many restaurants and supermarkets in the immediate vicinity.

Departmental Administrators:
Juliet Summerfield (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) x7171
Lia Kahn-Zajtmann (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) x7171

Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 7171
Fax: +44(0)20 7209 1026
E-mail: jewish.studies@ucl.ac.uk
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hebrew-jewish/
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6. IVRI-NASAWI Calendar for March/April 2001 (Elgrably)

From: Jordan Elgrably <Ivrinasawi@aol.com>
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2001 9:48 PM

Founded in 1996, Ivri-NASAWI celebrates Sephardi/Mizrahi arts and cultures
through education, scholarship, advocacy and entertainment. In December 2001, Ivri-NASAWI will become the Levantine Center for Sephardic & Middle Eastern Cultures. To subscribe, return a reply with your name, city, and email address

Nasawi News & Views
March/April 2001
Sephardi/Mizrahi cultures
http://www.ivri-nasawi.org


Sunlight & Shadow, The Jewish Experience of Islam, by Lucien
Gubbay . Reviewed by David Shasha

When Being Jewish Means Ashkenazi. By Loolwa Khazzoom

The Author as Martyr, or the Story of Suleika: The Road to Fez, a novel by Ruth Knafo Setton. Reviewed by Jordan Elgrably

Theology for Atheists: An Appreciation of Yehuda Amichai. By Stephen Kessler

Sephardic Women Poets: A Metered Tradition. By Rahel Musleah

A Sephardic Survival List: 52 Essential Titles. By David Shasha

Artist Joyce Dallal

New Sephardic Library in L.A. Art Benveniste

go to http://www.ivri-nasawi.org/nvmarch01.html to read articles

March Calendar

immediate events in SF Bay Area and Los Angeles include

March 15, Thurs., 8 pm, L.A.
***Levantine Project Middle East Community Workshop, at Beyond Baroque,
681 Venice Blvd., Venice 90291. Open discussions for Arabs/Muslims, Jews
and others concerned about the issues and cultures of the Middle East.

March 17, Sat., 8 pm, S.F.
***Yair Dalal Performs with Hamza El Din, Jewish Music Festival, Tix $25,
Wheeler Auditorium, Univ. of California Berkeley, http://www.brjcc.org

March 18, Sun. 5-7 pm, L.A. (Culver City address)
Open Tent Middle East Coalition meets to discuss organizing of May 20
conference at UCLA May 20. Call (323) 650-3157 for directions. Open to
all, organizers/facilitators needed.

March 20, Tues., 7/8 pm., L.A.
***Yair Dalal Performs with Houman Pourmehdi in a Concert Benefit for Peace
Proceeds fund Open Tent's UCLA conference on the Israeli/Palestinian crisis.
7 pm artist reception with Lidia Shaddow and others. 8 pm concert. $25 general
admission, $20 members of Ivri-NASAWI, Open Tent, Levantine Center, $25
at the door, $30 limited Preferred seating. RSVP (323) 650-3157.

March 29, Thurs., 7:30 pm, L.A.
***Conversations on Roots & Identity: Iraq, with multimedia artist Joyce
Dallal, fiction author Lev Hakak and essayist Salaam Yousif. At Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291. Tix $7 general, $5 members of Ivri-NASAWI and Beyond Baroque. Refreshments served. RSVP (323) 650-3157.

for complete details visit www.ivri-nasawi.org
also Open Tent's web site at www.opentent.org

Jordan Elgrably
Ivri-NASAWI
New Assn. of Sephardi/Mizrahi Artists & Writers Int'l.
www.ivri-nasawi.org
1033 N. Orlando Ave
Los Angeles CA 90069
(323) 650-3157

Los Angeles
New York
SF Bay Area
Washington, DC-Baltimore
----------------------------------------------------------------------------7. New Publication: *Biographical Dictionary of the Sephardim of Hamburg: Based on Funeral Inscriptions* (Halévy)

From: Mihalevy@aol.com
Date: Monday, March 19, 2001 12:25 AM

Karos amigos,

Kero darvos informasion del lansamento del muevo livro de Michael Studemund
Halévy (iskrito en aleman) —Diksionaryo biografiko de los sefarditas de
Hamburgo - bazado sovre las inskripsiones funerarias (Hamburgo 2000, Editura
Christians, 927 pág. kun 20 págs. ilustrasyones)

Michael Halévy

[Note from Editor/Moderator Aviva Ben-Ur: The Discussion List sends its warm congratulations to member Michael Halévy, on the publication of his new book. The following is my translation from the Judeo-Spanish]

Dear friends,

I would like to give you information of the publication of the new book by Michael Studemund Halévy (written in German) *Biographical Dictionary of the Sephardim of Hamburg-Based on Funeral Inscriptions* (Hamburg, 2000: Christians Publishers, 927 pp., with 20 illustrated pages).