Sephardi Jewry and the Rise and Fall of Ladino

Ladino was the vernacular Jewish language of the Sephardim in the Ottoman Empire, emerging after the expulsion from Spain in 1492. Initially closely tied to translations from Hebrew in print form, it eventually became used in the production of original religious works in the 18th century, and of secular publications in the 19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, Ladino newspapers and works of literature were significant expressions of a rich Ladino culture that formed the core identity of the Ottoman Sephardim. The end of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of new nation-states, and the Holocaust did not prove kind to the language, which is now struggling to survive. Professor Rodrigue will provide an incisive overview of this history.

This program is in conjunction with the Jewish Community Library’s One Bay One Book program, which is a year-long conversation connecting Bay Area readers through discussions and events centered around a single title and its themes. This year’s selection is Elizabeth Graver’s novel Kantika, about the journey of a Sephardic immigrant in the early 20th century.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Aron Rodrigue is the Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University. He teaches courses in modern Jewish history, the history and culture of Sephardi Jews, the Jews of modern France, and the Ottoman Empire. His writings on Sephardi Jewry are among the most influential in the field, including the books Jews and Muslims: Images of Sephardi and Eastern Jews in Modern Times; French Jews, Turkish Jews: The Alliance Israelite Universelle and the Politics of Jewish Schooling in Turkey 1860-1925; and Sephardi Jewry: A History of the Judeo-Spanish Community, 14th-20th Centuries (co-written with Esther Benbassa).

Prof. Aron Rodrigue

The founders of Ladino journalism in Salonica, Saadi Halevi, and his wife.

Ladino text in Sephardi cursive.

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