American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House 
presents    

The Jews of Spain: Past and Present   

A year-long program made possible through the generous support of  the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation.
ASF is grateful for the invaluable assistance
of the Consulate General of Spain in New York.

Spring 2010 Lectures

In collaboration with, and with the support of, The Catalan Center at NYU, an affiliate of the Institut Ramon Llull

Wednesday, April 28 at 6:30pm

Daughters of Sara, Mothers of Israel: Jewish Women in Medieval Girona 
The names of the Jewish women who lived in medieval Girona were
Astruga, Dolça, Esther, Mairona, Preciosa, Rahel, Sara. They were born in the city, and they gave birth there. They worked and did business there. Some of them, often under duress, gave up the faith of their fathers. Others professed to be the fervent heiresses of the ancestral law. In this talk Sílvia Planas, Director of the Institut d’Estudis Nahmanides and the Museum of Jewish History of Girona, will endeavor to rediscover these women and honor their legacy and their memory.

Free for ASF members and students.  $5 General admission at the door.
Reservations requested. Phone: 212-294-8350 ext. 0, or e-mail at info@americansephardifederation.org

Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 4:00pm

A History of Jewish Catalonia
This beautifully illustrated book traces the rich and fertile history of the Jews in Catalonia from the time of the late Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages, until the drastic decree of expulsion by the Catholic Monarchs. It captures their wedding songs, the smells from their cooking pots, and reconstructs the soaring intellectual edifice they created despite the difficulties of a daily life fraught with religious persecution and social degradation.  The authors, Sílvia Planas and Manuel Forcano, will talk and engage with the audience. 

Book sale and signing follows.  Free for ASF members and students.  
$5 General admission at the door.
Reservations requested. Phone: 212-294-8350 ext. 0, or e-mail at info@americansephardifederation.org    

Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30pm

Traces of Esther: The Jewish Presence in Contemporary Catalan Literature
Manuel Forcano, Ph.D. in Semitic Philology, poet and essayist, will offer a Catalan perspective on Jewish culture as reflected in the writings of the great 19th and 20th century Catalan authors. Offering rich passages from the literature, Dr. Forcano will guide us from the negative stereotypes of the 19th century, through the fascination with Israel as both a religious and political inspiration, and the Bible and the Talmud as references, to the emergence of a modern, nuanced view of the place of Jewish culture in Catalonia.

Free admission.  Event takes place at the King Juan Carlos Center, 
53 Washington Square South (bet. Sullivan & Thompson Streets).
Reservations requested. Phone: 212-294-8350 ext. 0, or e-mail at info@americansephardifederation.org    

    All events take place at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16^th Street, NYC, unless otherwise noted.
For reservations:  212.294.8350 ext.0, or e-mail at info@americansephardifederation.org