## *Sephardic World*## *No meeting this Sunday, Tisha b’Ab*## *3 August 2025*Tisha b’Ab starts on Saturday evening, and overlaps with our normal meeting times. Out of respect for this important day, we are not holding a meeting this Sunday. Among Western Sephardic congregations, Tisha b’Ab [Portuguese-Jewish spelling] is marked with the formal dignity characteristic of the Spanish and Portuguese tradition. The liturgy is concise and restrained, with Eikhah chanted in the distinctive Western Sephardic melody and selected kinot composed by classical Iberian poets. Sermons and prayers often reflect the layered nature of mourning—not only for the destruction of the Temples, but also for the upheavals of 1492 and 1497, seen as part of a continuous historical arc. These communities preserve a unique blend of Iberian liturgical precision, historical consciousness, and classical Hebrew style. On Tisha b’Ab, the atmosphere is sombre but never theatrical; the focus is on continuity and decorum. The service reflects a worldview shaped by loss, return, and preservation—rooted in Sefarad but fully alive in the present.Below is a recording of Shearith Israel’s Tisha b’Ab service, recorded in New York during the pandemic.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAu4SGfuCPE ***Sephardic Horizons magazine***Sephardic Horizons is a free online journal focused mainly on the history and culture of those Sephardim who created communities across the former Ottoman Empire and North Africa. While rooted in the Iberian tradition, the journal explores the wider Sephardic experience, especially where it reflects shared liturgical, linguistic, and historical continuities.Published several times a year, Sephardic Horizons features articles on history, literature, the arts, and communal life, with particular attention to Ladino language and culture. It brings together academic and lay contributors and serves as a platform for new research and creative work. [https://www.sephardichorizons.org/](https://www.sephardichorizons.org/) ***Share your Sephardic Family Story!***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) ***Support the Sephardic Genealogical *****Society ****The Sephardic Genealogical Society is now the largest producer of educational material in the Sephardic world — and we rely on your support to keep going.**If you value our free lectures and wider work, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $5/month via our Patreon page. Your support directly funds new content, events, and research. We are also seeking major donors to help us expand key projects. If you are in a position to help, we would be pleased to hear from you.[https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi](https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi) ***From the Sephardic Archives***David Mendoza describes the Spanish Inquisition's Madrid Auto da Fe of 1680. This was the grandest auto da fe in Spanish history, and marked the occasion of the marriage of the Spanish king to a French princess. Members of David's family were amongst the prisoners accused of 'judaising'.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9eWJzoz3KM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9eWJzoz3KM) *Best wishes**Ton and David **Sephardic World **Image: Congregation Shearith Israel & the ASF Present Tisha B'Ab Evening Services*