## *SEPHARDIC WORLD MEETING WEDNESDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2023*There is no Sephardic World meeting today, Sunday, but we have a Patrons-only meeting this Wednesday, 1 November, at the usual time, 11am in LA, 2pm in NYC, 7pm in London, 8pm in Paris/Amsterdam, and 9pm in Jerusalem. The meeting link is being emailed to patrons. If you are not yet a patron and want to support our work, please go to: https://www.patreon.com/sephardiProfessor Patricia Murrieta-Flores, Co-Director of the Digital Humanities Cen...
*Patrons Meeting: Proposed Cancellation of the Portuguese Sephardic Nationality Rule**Sephardic World, Sunday 22 October 2023*Portugal. The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) is proposing that the concession granting citizenship to people of Sephardic ancestry should end on January 1, 2024. Like us, they believe the system has been abused. Their solution is to ignore those who have cheated or gamed the system, and instead impose collective punishment on those who have followed the Portuguese gover...
## *USING FACEBOOK FOR RESEARCHING THE JEWS OF EGYPT*## *WITH JACOB ROSEN-KOENIGSBUCH*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023*We hope everyone's family and friends in Israel are safe.Researching Jews in Arab countries is often challenging as records have been destroyed, confiscated or scattered. Most of the Jewish records from Egypt survive but are effectively inaccessible to researchers, kept in the National Archives of Egypt. ***Jacob Rosen-Koenigsbuch*** has overcome this challenge, large...
## ***ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF GENEALOGY***## ***WITH PATRICIA MURRIETA-FLORES***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, THURSDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2023***Due to the Holidays largely falling at weekends, this week we are scheduling a special patrons-only meeting this THURSDAY.Sephardic researchers are at the forefront of using technology in genealogy, but we still have much to learn. This Thursday's speaker, ***Patricia Murrieta-Flores***, is a world expert and has a talent for explaining complex co...
## *UNTANGLING JAMAICAN JEWISH GENEALOGY*## *WITH STEPHEN DELGADO PORTER*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2023*In 1882 much of Kingston, Jamaica, was burnt to the ground in a great fire. Starting at a lumber yard, many of the island's records were destroyed in 'Feurtado’s Fire'.***Stephen Delgado Porter*** literally wrote the book on Jamaican Jewish genealogy. This week on Sephardic World he will discuss surviving records from which much of the genealogy can be reconstructed.Born in Kings...
## *USING DNA TO TRACK YOUR ANCESTORS: A CASE STUDY*## *WITH RAQUEL LEVY-TOLEDANO*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 20 AUGUST 2023*Classical document-based genealogy is the standard tool for identifying one's ancestors. But what options are available if the family history turns out to be inaccurate and/or if these documents are missing? Through her search for ancestors based on family lore, ***Raquel Levy-Toledano*** highlights the contribution of genetics and the study of DNA matches to reveal the hi...
In 1669 Ledisa Palache, daughter of Hazan Joseph Palache from Hamburg, won a dowry from Dotar, a society in Amsterdam that gave away dowries to young girls and orphans. In 1670 she married Rubi (teacher) Semuel Palache who lived in Sale, Morocco. After that, the hahamin and dayanim of Sale confirmed that the marriage had taken place. Apparently, Semuel could not collect the money himself, so Josua Abaz did it for him and may have used his business contacts to transfer the money to Sale. I wonder...
## ***ADAM BROWN - DNA AND JEWISH GENEALOGY***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 23 JULY 2023***In the run-up to next week's IAJGS conference in London, where ***Adam Brown*** will be speaking, we shall be discussing his interest and involvement in genetic genealogy, recent developments, and how he thinks the field will develop. What are the discoveries that have most intrigued and excited him? What was least expected?As we enter the AI Age, what are his thoughts on how different technologies includi...
## *A SEPHARDIC CASE STUDY - THE BARUCH LOUSADA*## *WITH JULIAN LAND*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 25 JUNE 2023*It is thirteen years since Julian Land started researching his Baruch Lousada ancestors. As well as conducting original research, he has visited many of the places historically associated with his family. He has now written a book as a permanent record of this heritage. In celebration, we shall be talking to him both about what he discovered and the techniques and methodologies employed....
## ***A NAÇÃO HEBRAICA*** **UNLOCKS THE EARLIEST TREASURES OF THE LONDON SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY**Among the few manuscript sources to have survived between the Resettlement in 1656 and the erection of Bevis Marks in 1701 are the Annual Account Books. Bevis Marks’ legendary Haham and historian, Moses Gaster (1856-1939), remarked that if he hadn’t been limited by his work, he would print excerpts of the Annual Accounts, and that this “*would form a most beautiful chapter and a most eloquent testimony ...
## *THE PORTUGUESE AND SPANISH NATIONALITY LAWS - WHAT WENT WRONG?*## *WITH DAVID MENDOZA*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 28 MAY 2023*In 2015 both Portugal and Spain passed laws granting citizenship to people of Sephardic ancestry. The goals of these nationality concessions were not totally clear and the standards of evidence were poorly defined. The Spanish scheme closed prematurely. Changes to the law in Portugal mean that their offering is closing in fact, if not in law. The Portuguese nationalit...
*Your Problems Answered: Sephardic Genealogy Q&A**With David Mendoza and Ton Tielen**Sephardic World, Sunday 14 May 2023*It is over a year since we last came together to help people break through genealogical brick walls. That session was very popular, so this week we are returning to the scene of the crime. Let us know what genealogical problems keep you awake at night. Also, please join us to help others find answers.If you have questions, please send them to us in advance. Priority will be gi...
## ***THREE YEARS OF SEPHARDIC WORLD. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?***## ***WITH DAVID MENDOZA AND TON TIELEN***## ***SUNDAY 30 APRIL 2023***Happy third birthday to us! The first edition of Sephardic World broadcast in May 2020, as the world was entering the first COVID lockdown. One annoyance has gone, but we're still here! This seemed a good moment to reflect on what we have learned and to highlight gaps in our knowledge.In the last three years we have shared over 150 hours of discussion on Sephardic ...
## ***THE SEPHARDIC JEWS OF BARBADOS (1627-1934)***## ***WITH SIMON KREINDLER***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD***There is a wealth of published information about the early British history of the Caribbean island of Barbados and its sugar industry. Considerably less has been published about the three-century Sephardic history. This week's speaker, ***Simon Kreindler***, will tell the story of the island's Sephardic community, and discuss some of its fascinating members.In 2017, Simon published “Peddlers A...
## ***THE ALMOSNINO FAMILY***## ***WITH NATHANIEL FAROUZ***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 16 APRIL 2023****The Almosnino family* has roots in medieval Spain, specifically in Aragon. Since some members of the family oversaw the Tzedaka (charity) institution in Jaca, it is thought that the family name "Almosnino" derives from this responsibility. After 1492, one branch of the family – probably the most famous one – moved to Saloniki and then expanded across the Balkans. Another branch settled in Fe...
## *RESEARCHING JEWISH ANCESTORS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE*## *WITH DAVID MENDOZA*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 2 APRIL 2023*The Ottoman Empire existed for almost 500 years, at one time stretching from the gates of Vienna to the Nile cataracts. It was a place of refuge for Jews exiled from the Iberian Peninsula, and home to a diversity of other Jewish communities. As the empire declined it was replaced by nation-states in Europe and other empires in the Middle East and North Africa. Most of the Jewish...
## *ANATOMY OF TORTURE: TORMENT AS A TOOL OF THE SPANISH INQUISITION*## *WITH PROFESSOR RON HASSNER*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023****Professor Ron Hassner***’*s *new book, Anatomy of Torture, studies how the Spanish Inquisition used torture as a tool to extract information from their prisoners. Torture was used to force victims to divulge crucial and truthful information that they would not otherwise have revealed. It was not an end in itself. His research focuses mainly on 16th Cent...
## ***BOOKS EVERY SEPHARDIC GENEALOGIST SHOULD KNOW***## ***WITH DAVID MENDOZA AND TON TIELEN***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 19 MARCH 2023***In an increasingly online world, we should remember the resources that are only or principally available in books. Whether building your own research library or looking for sources to inform your genealogy, some books are regular companions. Ton and David will discuss those they find most valuable.The meeting will review a representative sample of books fr...
## ***Y-DNA AND THE JEWS***## *WITH WIM PENNINX*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 5 MARCH 2023*Y-DNA is passed from father to son, normally unchanged from generation to generation. This means that if two men share the same Y-DNA, they share a common paternal ancestor. Y-DNA testing can reveal the migration patterns of a person's paternal line, including when and where their ancestors moved over time. Many of us only have a vague understanding of the subject. This week we have an expert introduction.**...
## ***THE BEVIS MARKS SYNAGOGUE STORY - CELEBRATING OVER 300 YEARS***## ***WITH MARILYN SCOTT***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2023***Supported by the UK's National Heritage, a major new development at London's Bevis Marks synagogue includes a new visitor center. Marilyn Scott, the project's heritage advisor, is charged with both preserving the fabric and collections of the three hundred-year-old synagogue while making it accessible to a general audience. She will discuss the unique c...
## *SEPHARDIM AND THE ALLURE OF NOBILITY*## *WITH TON TIELEN*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2023*The Sephardim have a complex relationship with nobility. During the 16th and 17th Centuries, Sephardic Jews were elevated to the nobility in several European countries including Portugal and Spain. Francisco Lopes Suasso, a wealthy merchant and financier was granted the title of Baron by the King of Portugal. In the Netherlands, Abraham Teixeira de Mattos served as a court banker to the Prin...
## ***JUDAH TOURO AND THE TOURO SYNAGOGUE OF NEW ORLEANS***## ***WITH ADRIEN GENET***## ***SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2022******Adrien Genet*** shares the history of Sephardim in the Deep South of the United States. New Orleans' Touro Synagogue results from a union between two original congregations, Congregation Gates of Mercy and Congregation Dispersed of Judah. Gates of Mercy was wa founded in 1828. It followed the Ashkenazi rite, leading some Portuguese members to separate and form ...
## *IN CONVERSATION WITH MARK PONTE*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2023****Mark Ponte*** is best known for his research on slavery and black Amsterdammers, but this is just part of his work on the history of Amsterdam, the early modern Sephardim, and the Dutch Atlantic empire, including Brazil, Suriname, and Curaçao. This week we shall discuss this history. It is an opportunity to listen to and put your questions to Mark, who is on track to become a leading academic in the field.***Mark ...
## *SEPHARDIC AND ASHKENAZI GENEALOGY: CHALK AND CHEESE?*## *WITH DAVID MENDOZA*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023*What can Ashkenazi and Sephardic genealogy learn from each other, and do these very different pursuits belong under a single umbrella? ‘Jewish genealogy’ is often seen as a synonym for Ashkenazi genealogy, especially in the United States. ***David Mendoza*** researches his ancestry in Lithuania and Poland, but mainly focuses on the Sephardic side of his family. He compares ...
## *JEWISH BULGARIA: A VIRTUAL SEPHARDIC JOURNEY*## *WITH JOSEPH BENATOV*## *SEPHARDIC WORLD, SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2023*Join us for a dynamic interactive trip through Bulgaria’s rich Jewish heritage. We will focus on notable moments and individuals from the rich and varied history of Sephardic life in Bulgaria. Our virtual tour will start with the arrival of Iberian Jews to the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the first Sephardic communities in towns such as Nikopol, Sofia, Plovdiv, Pazardzh...