A New World: An American Sephardic Memoir, by Rabbi Marc Angel

Rabbi Angel draws on his memories and the lessons he learned growing up in the Sephardic community of Seattle, Washington. While offering anecdotes about the immigrant generation, the book outlines the generational transitions of the Americanization process. The book is personal…but has universal relevance.

«In a creative blend of narrative, nostalgia and personal memoir, Rabbi Marc. D. Angel transports us back to the once-upon-a-time world of the Ladino-Sephardic community of his upbringing in Seattle, where Sephardic immigrants seamlessly blended religion, family traditions from the old country and modern-day values to create a joyous and uplifting Jewish way of life, one that could still serve as a model to emulate for our communities today.»

– Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, International Director of the Sephardic Educational Center“A beautiful family memoir and an unforgettable contribution to Sephardic-American letters… a window on the little-known world of Seattle’s Sephardic Jews.”

– Jonathan D. Sarna, author of American Judaism: A History “Rabbi Angel’s absorbing memoir of growing-up in Seattle, Washington, is an ode to the Ottoman-Sephardic culture and Judeo-Spanish language in which he was raised. Though it has gradually faded among subsequent generations, its beauty and lasting meaning, too valuable to lose…”

– Rachel Amado Bortnick, Founder of Ladinokomunita “This memoir of growing up in a close-knit Sephardic immigrant community is poignant and a pleasure to read. It’s also sharp and provocative. It pushes us to figure out how, in our vexed, complicated world today, we can provide our children with a natural sense of belonging and joy.

– Jane Mushabac (a.k.a. Shalach Manot), author of His Hundred Years, A Tale