Jerusalem – The City of Sir Moses Montefiore
A beloved Israeli children’s song honors the long and productive life of Sir Moses Montefiore. Released by Yehoram Gaon in 1969, the song imagines a conversation between Sir Moses, the renowned […]
Tag Archives: Synagogue
Bemidbar – Making Census of the S&P
ב שְׂאוּ, אֶת-רֹאשׁ כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, The rabbinic name for Sefer Bemidbar is the same as its English name, ‘Numbers.’ The rabbis called it Sefer Hapikudim, ‘The Book of Countings,’ as […]
Naples, Pompeii and Amalfi – Two Millenia of Jewry
One of my more interesting heritage visits was to the city of Naples and its Western Sephardic community. Sephardic exiles moved there in 1492, however, when Spain took control in […]
Holland Park Synagogue – London
The Spanish & Portuguese congregation of Holland Park, London built their beautiful synagogue in 1928. I had the pleasure of celebrating its 90th anniversary on 10 March 2019. Despite my […]
Sha’are Ratzon – Jerusalem, Israel
I recently visited one of the world’s newest S&P congregations, and it couldn’t be located in a better place! The congregation’s home is the Istanbuli Synagogue in the historic ‘Four Sephardi Synagogues’ […]
Yerushalayim – When Jerusalem Was Sephardic
Yerushalayim used to be a Sephardic town. Following the ravages of the Crusades, Sephardim led the way in restoring the Holy Land’s Jewish character. In the wake of the Spanish […]
Genoa, Italy – Columbus, Cinque Terre, and Sephardim
Up the Italian coast from Pisa is Liguria. This region encompasses the historic Republic of Genoa. Genoa was a major banking centre in the 16th century, and it maintained close […]
Pisa, Italy – Yup, Sephardic Too!
When you think Pisa, you think one thing and only one thing. To my delight, I discovered that Pisa should also be known for something else, and that is its […]
Florence, Italy – Sephardic Transcendence
I was deeply moved by my visit to Florence. Of course, no one would be surprised by that reaction, but for me it wasn’t a result of the city of […]
Livorno, Italy – The Forgotten Sephardic City
As much as I love discovering the communities of the Western Sephardim, I’ve come to realise that sometimes travel isn’t enough – some things are only preserved in the pages […]
Shalom Says Hello 