Dear Friends,

Boas vindas! Bienvenida! Bienvenue! Benvenuto! Shalom shalom!  Following are some items we hope you will enjoy reading in advance of the Pesach holiday.

Best Wishes,

S&P Central
www.sandpcentral.org

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NEWS

Bayonne
Synagogue Closed to Repair Major Damage, Assistance is Welcome

The historic synagogue of Bayonne, France, was struck this past year by a termite infestation and has had to close until proper repairs can be made. To date, the ceiling has been repaired but additional work is needed to complete the project. If you would like inquire about assisting the synagogue, please write to Caroline Bentolila (carolinebentolila@yahoo.fr) or aci.bayonne@club-internet.fr.

The Bayonne community was established in the 16^th Century by Spanish & Portuguese Jews fleeing the Inquisition. The current synagogue building was built in 1837. You can read more about the community here: http://www.sandpcentral.org/#!bayonne/c1cq5

Brazil

Online Magazine for Spanish & Portuguese Jews Launches

A new magazine in Portuguese debuted in February. The first issue contains articles on Purim, a profile of Sa’adia Gaon, the evolution of Ladino as well as some recipes for Pesah and other interesting articles. For those that are interested in viewing it, you can read the magazine here as well as subscribe to receive it: http://hazaqa.org/2016/02/26/ano-1-numero-1/

Livorno

Livorno Jewish Community Releases New CD of Melodies

The Comunita Ebraica di Livorno has released a new CD of melodies, Niggun Livorno – Cento Anni di Composizioni Ebraiche a Livorno [Livorno’s Niggun – a Century of Jewish Music from Livorno], in memory of Rav Elio Toaff  z’l (1915-2015). The melodies are sung by Hazan Daniele Bedarida and the Ernesto Ventura Choir directed by Maestro Paolo Filidei and include a significant selection of choir pieces by Jewish Livornese composers in the past hundred years. The CD is available for purchase ($15) by writing to comunitaebraica.livorno@gmail.com

New York

Prestigious Harvard Fellowship Awarded to Rabbi Richard Hidary

Rabbi Dr. Richard Hidary, Distinguished Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation Shearith Israel, was selected for the Henry Starr Fellowship in Judaica at Harvard University. Rabbi Hidary, who is Associate Professor in Jewish History at Yeshiva University, will focus on the topic of Jews in the Classical World. You can read more here:

http://blogs.yu.edu/revel/2016/02/16/prof-hidary-lands-prestigious-fellowship-at-harvard/

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RECENT EVENTS

Amsterdam

Young Adults from around Netherlands Gather for Shabbaton

In March, members of the Bendigamos Amsterdam community, led by Hazzan Nachshon Rodrigues Pereira, joined with three other Jewish organizations for a fun-filled Shabbaton in Garderen, Netherlands. Over 230 mostly young adults enjoyed various lectures, entertainment, and singing of melodies, including Bendigamos after the meal. Launched last year, Bendigamos Amsterdam provides religious services, classes, and events. Read more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bendigamos/NT

Azores

Festivities Mark One-Year Anniversary of Synagogue’s Reopening

In early April, a special ceremony was held to mark one year since the reopening of Portugal’s oldest post-Inquisition synagogue, Sahar Hassamain, which was built around 1820. Joining the celebrations were the leadership of Philadelphia’s Mikveh Israel, Rabbi Albert Gabbai and Parnas Eli Gabay. Also in attendance were many local families whose ancestors were Sephardic Jews and who still retain some of their customs. Read more here:

http://www.cjnews.com/living-jewish/travel/oldest-existing-synagogue-portugal-reborn

New York

British Chief Rabbi Delivers Talk at Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue

In his visit to New York Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, delivered two talks at Congregation Shearith Israel, including a conversation with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on the future of Jews in Europe. He gave an additional talk the following day on rabbinic leadership in the 21^st century.  You can read more here:  http://shearithisrael.org/chief-rabbi-luncheon

Venice
Ghetto Celebrates 500^th Anniversary

A ceremony on March 29 marked the 500^th anniversary of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, established by decree of the Venetian Senate in 1516.  Paolo Gnignati, president of the Jewish community of Venice, said the anniversary was an opportunity to “emphasize the capacity and steadfastness of a group that, in spite of adverse conditions, and against all reasonable expectations, succeeded in making the ghetto a place where Jewish tradition could grow.” The ceremony begins a year of performances, conferences and other cultural events related to the anniversary.

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/199037/ceremony-in-venice-marks-the-500th-anniversary-of-the-first-jewish-ghetto

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Jerusalem

Sha’are Ratzon Celebrates Pesah with S&P Congregants from Abroad

On the 7th day of Pesach, Congregation Sha’are Ratzon will once again host visiting members of the S&P community from New York and elsewhere. Services at the Istambuli Synagogue in the Old City will be followed by a reading of Shir Hashirim by the young women of the community. For more details, please check the Sha’are Ratzon website (www.sandpjerusalem.org) or contact them at shaare_ratzon@yahoo.com.

Montreal

S&P Women’s Learning Group Launches Spring Lecture Series

The Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue’s Women’s Learning Group has launched its 14^th lecture series, covering a variety of topics. Among those still ahead: a talk on the Jewish pirates of the Caribbean by Canadian journalist Erol Araf (May 4) as well as talk on the history of the Jews of Italy by the synagogue’s Rabbi Schachar Orenstein (May 25). For the entire lecture series, please see here: http://womenlearning.weebly.com

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LEARNING

London

New Jewish Educational Video Series Launched

Senior Rabbi Joseph Dweck of the London Spanish & Portuguese Community has begun a video series, “Perspectives,” offering 1-3 minute meditations on fundamental concepts in Judaism. Themes include: faith, charity, sin, mitzvoth, God, man’s purpose, prayer, suffering, and Torah. The aim is to “offer unique approaches to familiar themes, to challenge preconceptions, and to deliver inspirational food for thought for everyday life.” You can view them here:

http://www.sephardi.org.uk/perspectives/

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HISTORY

Barbados

Article: A Visit to the New World’s Oldest Synagogue

Among the far-flung places to which Spanish & Portuguese Jews made their way were the sandy beaches of Barbados. Rabbi Shalom Morris of Bevis Marks Synagogue in London paid a visit to this Caribbean island in February and reports on the Jewish community’s history, notable members, as well as preservation efforts by devoted members of its present-day community. You can read more here:

https://shalommorris.com/2016/03/29/nidhe-israel-bridgetown-barbados/

Novel: The Portuguese Merchant 

This new thriller by Natalie Mizrachi bridges New York, the Caribbean, Spain and Israel, and connects the Portuguese Merchant, a frightened refugee hiding from the Inquisition, with Mike Franco, a contemporary New Yorker who who steals a 17th century journal and finds himself involved in a web of international danger. Mizrachi was previously the author of a successful nonfiction series on the history of Sephardic Jewry published in the Qol Ha-Qahal Sephardic community journal.

http://www.nataliemiz.org/the-portuguese-merchant.html

http://www.amazon.com/The-Portuguese-Merchant-Natalie-Mizrachi/dp/1508555540

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TRAVEL
RECENT EVENTS

Spain / Portugal

Explore History and Challenges of Anusim in Spain and Portugal

This excursion (conducted in Hebrew) will focus on the experience and history of the Iberian Anusim. The itinerary, which accommodates Shabbat observance, includes: evening lectures; meetings with prominent personalities, including the Israeli ambassadors to Spain and Portugal; encounters with descendants of Anousim; musical and cultural events. Tour departs Tel Aviv on 17 May 2016. For details, please see here:

http://www.netanya.ac.il/ResearchCen/IntInstitute/Activities/Pages/Following-the-secret.aspx

Israel / Greece

Sephardi Birthright Trip to Israel Now Offered

Sephardic communities in New York, Miami, and Seattle are joining forces to create a Sephardic Birthright trip to Israel from August 7th to 17th. The free 10-day trip for those between ages 18 and 26 will tour all around Israel. An optional extended portion to Greece is also being planned. To register, go to  https://www.israelfreespirit.com/app and use the organizational referral code «Sephardic Trip.» No final commitment is necessary. Or for more info, write to: sephardicisraeltrip@gmail.com.

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MELODIES

Pesah Melodies recorded by Rev. Abraham Lopes Cardozo z’l 

With Pesah approaching, below are several melodies recorded by the late Rev. Abraham Lopes Cardozo, an invaluable repository of the Spanish & Portuguese / Western Sephardic tradition, having been born in Amsterdam to a family who served the community there for many generations until his entire family was lost in the Holocaust. Rev. Cardozo’s life was saved only because he went to serve as Hazzan in Surinam.

Rev. Cardozo went on to serve for more than 50 years as Hazzan at the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue in New York, teaching many hundreds of Bar-Mitzvah students and was known to all as a kind and gentle man. You can read more about him here:

http://mikvehisraelhistory.com/2013/01/30/reverend-abraham-lopes-cardozo/

Ma Nishtana (New York version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrheeDsfJZE&index=43&list=PLVLuBXFXNkq5gVQCRyUaMYlVCHvF1z0We

Ma Nishtana (Amsterdam version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruEvaE6ICtM&list=PLVLuBXFXNkq5gVQCRyUaMYlVCHvF1z0We&index=42

Ha Lahma Anya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC9I1VKO2k4&list=PLVLuBXFXNkq5gVQCRyUaMYlVCHvF1z0We&index=41

Hodu Ladonai ki Tob
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftLTXsPqlQ&list=PLVLuBXFXNkq5gVQCRyUaMYlVCHvF1z0We&index=50

For additional recordings by Rev. Cardozo, please see here:

http://www.jewishmusic.com/products/sephardic-songs-of-praise-ebook-mp3

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RECIPES    

This issue’s recipe comes from Hanna Abreu, whose ancestors arrived to the Dominican Republic from Valladolid, Spain, at the end of the 1700s. Abreu, who now resides in Florida, describes herself as “mother, chef, pastry cook and cooking enthusiast for as long as I can remember. I was first introduced to Mediterranean cuisine through Italian cuisine and it was love at first sight. Since then, I have done exhaustive research on the gastronomy of the Sefardi communities of the Mediterranean and Middle East and I try to recreate these delicacies especially for the Sabbath table and Festivals.”   Enjoy!

Caribbean Haroset 

• 2 red apples, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup black raisins soaked in 1/4 cup of wine or raisin juice for an alcohol free version.
• Honey or maple syrup for a vegan version, to taste if one wishes to add more sweetness.

Soak the raisins in the wine for 5 minutes. Then make it into a paste with a food processor or a blender.

Remove from blender and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Let it rest preferably overnight.

Notes about the recipe:

• It is preferable to make this recipe the day before Pesah in order for the flavor of the ingredients to concentrate thoroughly.
• If you don’t have a blender, you can make a more rustic paste by finely chopping  the raisins and then mixing with the other ingredients