I am very happy to announce the release of my second book titled What is Jewish Prayer? An Introduction to…
Mizmor L’David: Psalm 23 in the Judeo-Spanish Tradition
The following is my recording of Psalm 23 (Mizmor L’David) which is sung as part of the Shabbat liturgy, as…
Spanish Village Named “Kill the Jews” Changes Its Name
For regular readers of this blog, you are well aware of the long history of Jews living in the Iberian…
Who Owns the Touro Synagogue?
There is a joke about a Jew marooned on a desert island. He is stranded for years but is eventually…
For the Moment, a Celebration of Coexistence in Turkey
In aftermath of the First World War, the once mighty Ottoman Empire was no more. In its place a Turkish state…
A Fading Shavuot Tradition from Salonika
The Spanish and Portuguese exiles from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th and 16th centuries found rest in what might…
How Can You be Jewish and Hispanic?
Several years ago, I had a conversation with a college professor. We were discussing the Muslim conquest of Spain, when…
The Order of the Pesach Seder in the Judeo-Spanish Tradition
This is another belated video for Passover. The order of the Pesach Seder is chanted in the Judeo-Spanish tradition. The…
Crypto-Jewish Sabbateans: The Donmeh
The story of Crypto-Judaism usually revolves around Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicisim between the 14th and 16th…
A Key Social Difference between Sephardim and Ashkenazim
One of the clearest differences in how Christian and Muslim society impacted Jewish communities is in the area of marriage…
B'nei Anusim Center for Education 