New York Ladino Day 2021

Join us for the American Sephardi Federation’s 4th Annual Ladino Day! Ladino is a bridge to many cultures. It is a variety of Spanish that has absorbed words from Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, French, Greek, and Portuguese. The mother tongue of Jews in the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, Ladino became the home language of Sephardim worldwide. In this program you’ll hear from speakers about growing-up with Ladino; from students on learning the language; and music from celebrated singer Daphna Mor. Since 2013, International Ladino Day programs have been held around the world to honor the Ladino language, also known as Judeo-Spanish. While the number of Ladino speakers has sharply declined, distinguished Ladino Day programs like ours celebrate and preserve a vibrant language and heritage. These programs are, as Aviya Kushner wrote in the Forward last January, “Why Ladino Will Rise Again.” You’ll also hear from Ruth Azaria, actor Hank Azaria’s mother; Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé (Executive Director of Sephardic Brotherhood) on expressions we love; and renowned writer Myriam Moscona (Mexican Journalist) on writing in Ladino. The program was introduced by Jane Mushabac (Professor of English, CUNY) and was hosted by Bryan Kirschen (Professor of Hispanic Linguistics, SUNY-Binghamtom). The main sponsor of this event was the American Sephardi Federation. This is a ZOOM program that was sent to JBS electronically.