## *Breaking Down Brick Walls: Solving Sephardic Genealogical Mysteries*## *Sephardic World, Sunday 20 July 2025*This Sunday’s Sephardic World meeting is open to everyone on our mailing list, not just patrons. If you are facing a genealogical brick wall in your Sephardic research, we invite you to share it with the group. Whether you are struggling to trace a particular ancestor, unravel a surname, or link a family across borders, others in the community may be able to offer insights or suggest sources you have not yet considered.If possible, please send your questions in advance to:[society@sephardicgenealogy.com](mailto:society@sephardicgenealogy.com)This will help us structure the discussion more effectively.If you are not yet on our free mailing list, please sign up here: [https://www.sephardic.world/sephardic-world](https://www.sephardic.world/sephardic-world). Non-subscribers are still invited to submit questions.Please note that we are not specialists in DNA analysis, so queries of that kind are best directed elsewhere.Join us live this Sunday, 20 July 2025, at 11 noon in LA, 2pm in NYC, 7pm in London, 8pm in Paris/Amsterdam, 9pm in Jerusalem, and 4am the next morning in Sydney.*** ******Watch our previous meeting on the Sephardi Spaces project***Dr Shai Cohen’s talk at our last meeting introduced Sephardi Spaces, a research project mapping the global migrations of Sephardic families from Iberia using digital tools, especially GIS. The project explores how Sephardic identity has evolved across geography and generations, offering an interactive platform to visualise cultural continuity and change. Dr Cohen, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Miami and Director of its AI and Humanities Lab, combines expertise in early modern Iberian literature, converso studies, and digital humanities. His work integrates AI and XR to interpret and preserve Sephardic heritage.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xYiElQEmQY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xYiElQEmQY) ***Can you speak to Sephardic World?***Every Sephardic family has a unique story to tell. Do you want to share yours? If you would like to speak but haven’t given a presentation before, we are happy to provide support and to practice with you. If you don’t want to talk for a full 45 minutes, we can have a series of shorter presentations. If you are very nervous about public speaking, we can pre-record. Our only requirement is that you have archival evidence to support what you say. Send us an email at [society@sephardicgenealogy.com](mailto:society@sephardicgenealogy.com) ***Can you Volunteer or Donate?***The Sephardic Genealogical Society is looking for volunteers. If you have skills and time to spare, please complete our questionnaire. We are particularly looking for people with video editing, fundraising and web design experience.[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aFsubxSY_PtauwOJzlayxBmLTKjXL8kTzz50jmmRiHA/viewform?edit_requested=true](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aFsubxSY_PtauwOJzlayxBmLTKjXL8kTzz50jmmRiHA/viewform?edit_requested=true)We rely on the support of our patrons. If you can support our work by donating as little as $5/month, please visit our Patreon page. We have a number of projects that require more substantial support. Please let us know if you can help.[https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi](https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi) **Join our WhatsApp channel**We have set up a WhatsApp channel to better help communication with supporters. If you have WhatsApp, please follow the channel.[https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHxAjhJ93wTMhWkTF0i](https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHxAjhJ93wTMhWkTF0i) ***From the Sephardic Archives***Esther the Queen and the Brothers Buzaglo. Ali Erginsoy tells the amazing story of a Sephardic adventurer, his wayward son, the wronged widow, and the scheming brother-in-law. The great historian Cecil Roth said of Joseph Buzaglo: “If in the annals of the eighteenth century there was any career more fantastic than his, it has escaped the notice of the present writer.” The lives of three of Joseph's brothers, Moroccan Jews who emigrated to London in the 1730s, were almost as eventful. And in the shadows, the figure of Joseph’s third wife, Esther Reyna Bentubo - Esther the Queen - a woman who refused to be pushed down.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul-FH_T3bGc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul-FH_T3bGc)*Best wishes**Ton and David **Sephardic World *