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This episode introduces Amsterdam's Jewish culture. There's a little historical context, beginning with the arrival of Jews fleeing from other parts of Europe in the 16th century and ending in today's city where Jewish culture is centred around the Jewish Quarter. Then there's a description of some of the most significant places to visit, focussing especially on the Portugese Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The holocaust will be dealt with in the next episode. Links for this post National Holocaust Museum Hollandsche Schouwburg Portuguese Synagogue Jewish Museum City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Trigger warning: this episode contains references to sexual violence. October 7 reminds Jews of what happened in Hebron on August 24, 1929. In her book "Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict," Yardena writes: On that morning, 3,000 Muslim men armed with swords, axes, and daggers marched through the Jewish Quarter of Hebron. They went from house to house, raping, stabbing, torturing, and in some cases castrating and burning alive their unarmed Jewish victims...Infants were slaughtered in their mothers' arms. Children watched as their parents were butchered by their neighbors. Women and teenage girls were raped. Elderly rabbis and yeshiva students were mutilated. Sixty-seven Jewish men, women, and children were murdered, and dozens more wounded...The British High Commissioner of Mandatory Palestine, Sir John Chancellor, wrote in his diary, “I do not think history records many worse horrors in the last few hundred years.” Those attacks were not limited to Hebron, the most ancient place of Jewish settlement in the land of Israel, where Abraham purchased the cave of Machpela as a burial place. Those attacks were in Jerusalem and spread to other cities, as well. Why should these stories matter? Because, to coin a phrase: what happened in Hebron has not stayed in Hebron.
Pavla Niklová has been the director of the Jewish Museum in Prague, one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the world, for around a year and a half. When we spoke at her office on the edge of the city's Jewish Quarter, the conversation took in everything from Niklová's own background to whether the museum has been much impacted by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the center of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem stands the Beit-El Yeshiva. Established nearly three centuries ago, with the lofty goal of exclusively engaging in the study of Jewish mysticism, the institution was and continues to be largely shaped by the legacy of Rav Shalom Sharabi (c.1720-1777). Known as the Rashash, as a young immigrant from Yemen in the mid-18th century, he studied in and later led the holy community of Beit-El. An innovator of Kabbalistic concepts, the Rashash not only influenced the entire study of Jewish mysticism for generations to come, he also elevated the institution which he headed to the premier institution dedicated to the study of Kabbalah. In the ensuing centuries, Beit-El would be successively led by personality's influential in this field of study, and this storied academy would develop as an important component of the history of Yerushalayim. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: yehuda@yehudageberer.com
Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Healing Traditions: A Hanukkah Miracle in Jerusalem Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2024-12-23-08-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: ברחובות ירושלים העתיקה התהלכו אנשים בחורף הקר של חג החנוכה.En: In the streets of Jerusalem the ancient, people walked in the cold winter of Hanukkah.He: נרות השמן דלקו בחלונות הבתים ואורם המרצד חימם קצת את הלבבות הקהלים.En: Oil candles burned in the windows of homes, and their flickering light warmed the gathered hearts a bit.He: אבל האווירה הפכה כבדה יותר, כי מחלה מסתורית תקפה את העיר.En: However, the atmosphere became heavier as a mysterious illness attacked the city.He: בעלה של נועה, מרפאה מסורתית ומוערכת, אחז בידה בעת שהיו בלב הרובע היהודי.En: The husband of Noa, a respected traditional healer, held her hand while they were in the heart of the Jewish Quarter.He: "צריך למצוא פתרון," אמרה נועה בהחלטיות.En: "We need to find a solution," Noa said decisively.He: היא הייתה מוכרת בשירותיה לזולת, והיכרתה את הצמחים והתרופות העתיקים.En: She was known for her services to others and knew about ancient plants and medicines.He: על ידה עמד אחיה הצעיר, אמיר, ילד בן חמש-עשרה עם רעיונות גדולים.En: Beside her stood her younger brother, Amir, a fifteen-year-old with big ideas.He: "נועה, קראתי על תרופה מבטיחה," אמר כשהתבונן בנרות החנוכה שהאירו את הרחובות.En: "Noa, I read about a promising remedy," he said while looking at the Hanukkah candles lighting up the streets.He: "צריך להיות זהירים," השיבה נועה, "המסורת עזרה לנו בעבר, ויש לה הרבה חוכמה.En: "We must be cautious," Noa replied, "tradition helped us in the past, and it holds much wisdom."He: "עסוקים בניסיון להבין את המחלה, הם ביקרו בבית דורים שנפלו עליה.En: Busy trying to understand the illness, they visited a household that had succumbed to it.He: נועה נשמה עמוק.En: Noa took a deep breath.He: "ננסה את מה שאנחנו מכירים," אמרה כשהתקרבה לחולה רוחנית.En: "We will try what we know," she said as she approached the spiritually afflicted.He: במשך הלילות הבאים, ניסו נועה ואמיר את התרופות המסורתיות.En: Over the following nights, Noa and Amir tried the traditional remedies.He: אבל המחלה לא פחתה.En: But the illness did not lessen.He: הייאוש צבר תאוצה.En: Despair gathered momentum.He: חג החנוכה היה צריך להיות שמח, והלחץ להתמודד עם המצב גבר.En: Hanukkah was supposed to be joyful, and the pressure to deal with the situation increased.He: לבסוף, אמיר העלה הצעה.En: Finally, Amir came up with a suggestion.He: "נועה, נוכל לשלב את מה שבידינו עם מה שקראתי," אמר בתקווה.En: "Noa, we can combine what we have with what I've read," he said hopefully.He: "זה עשוי להביא לשינוי.En: "This might bring about a change."He: "נועה הייתה ספקנית אך גם קיוותה.En: Noa was skeptical but also hopeful.He: היא הסכימה לנסות, שנתנה לאמיר ליצור תערובת חדשה לחלוטין, הכוללת את הצמחים שהכירה יחד עם התוספות שלמד.En: She agreed to try, allowing Amir to create an entirely new mixture, incorporating the plants she was familiar with along with the additions he had learned about.He: עם ליל חנוכה האחרון, המחלה החלה לסגת.En: By the last night of Hanukkah, the illness began to recede.He: החולים קמו על רגליהם, והברכה חזרה לבתים.En: The sick rose to their feet, and blessing returned to the homes.He: נועה הבינה את החשיבות של הקשבה לעתים לצעירים, ואמיר למד כי המסורת נושאת עימה חוכמה שאין לזלזל בה.En: Noa understood the importance of sometimes listening to the young, and Amir learned that tradition carries wisdom that should not be underestimated.He: כך עמדו אחים יחד מול חלונם המואר באור החנוכיה, וידעו שמצאו דרך לשלב בין המסורה למודרנה, להציע מזור לעירם האהובה.En: Thus, the siblings stood together by their window lit by the light of the menorah, knowing they had found a way to combine tradition with modernity, offering solace to their beloved city.He: העיר ירושלים נשמה לרווחה, והאחים יצאו לדרך חדשה של הבנה ושיתוף פעולה.En: The city of Jerusalem breathed a sigh of relief, and the siblings embarked on a new path of understanding and cooperation. Vocabulary Words:ancient: עתיקהflickering: מרצדmysterious: מסתוריתillness: מחלהdecisively: בהחלטיותsolution: פתרוןremedy: תרופהcautious: זהיריםafflicted: חולהsuccumbed: נפלוdespair: ייאושmomentum: תאוצהsuggestion: הצעהskeptical: ספקניתincorporating: כוללתrecede: לסגתblessing: ברכהsolace: מזורunderestimated: לזלזלcooperation: שיתוף פעולהunderstanding: הבנהembarked: יצאוwisdom: חוכמהgathered: קהליםhealer: מרפאהpressure: לחץpromising: מבטיחהmixture: תערובתmodernity: מודרנהgathered hearts: לבבות קהליםBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.
In today's episode we are in Girona, just north of Barcelona in Spain. This is a little known Spanish gem and I'm sure after this episode you will definitely want to visit. Many people do daytrips from Barcelona as it is only 38 minutes on the fast train, but we share the best 3 day itinerary for exploring this interesting city. Of course we cover the fascinating history including the most preserved Jewish Quarter in Spain, we walk the city walls after we found the entrance (thanks to a group of teenagers who disappeared before our eyes). Girona is a huge sporting city and is world famous as being the place where many teams live and train for the tour de France. Stay listening to the end to hear about the best food, the most interesting cocktail we saw but also to find out about the “red bridge”. This bridge was designed and built by an extremely famous person – who was responsible for the most recognisable structure in the world, but he built this bridge first – So please enjoy episode 121, and if you want to see the photos of Girona then click the link here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/121/girona And if you look at the picture of the red bridge – you will instantly know who built it.
In honor of Halloween, today's show is all about legends, ghost stories… and the beautiful city of Prague. My guest today is Katerina Sedlakova, one of the top guides in the city. She shares how storytelling in Prague has been a way to pass down lessons and legends for generations. We cover ghosts and ghouls as well as the history of the city and why it's a beautiful place to visit. So Insiders, I wish you a very Happy Halloween season full of spooky stories, crisp fall evenings, and dreams of travels to come. Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn
“We can't expect people to stand up for us against antisemitism if they don't know who we are. And we can't expect them to know who we are if we're not there to tell our story.” Adiel Cohen: Jewish activist, social media influencer, and Israel Defense Forces reservist, has a passion for storytelling – especially that of his beloved grandmother, Savta Sarah. She fled Yemen under harrowing circumstances to come to Israel in the mid-20th century. At just 12 years old, she left the only home she'd ever known, braving dangerous terrain, bandits, and gangs – to reach safety in Israel. Recorded live at AJC Global Forum 2024 in Washington, D.C., this conversation explores the vibrant life of Yemenite Jews and the scarred history of Jewish persecution in the country. In a candid conversation, Adiel reflects on his advocacy, both online and off, and emphasizes the importance of sharing diverse Jewish stories. —- Show notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about the series here. Song credits: Pond5: “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Meditative Middle Eastern Flute”: Publisher: N/A; Composer: DANIELYAN ASHOT MAKICHEVICH (IPI NAME #00855552512) “Suspense Middle East” Publisher: Victor Romanov, Composer: Victor Romanov; Item ID: 196056047 ___ Episode Transcript: Adiel Cohen: Because they dare to fight back, they knew that they're no longer safe, because God forbid Jews resist to oppression and to violence. And the same night, my grandma told me that her father gave her a pair of earrings, silver earrings, and he told her, ‘Sarah, take these pair of earrings and keep them safe. That's the only thing that you can take with you to Eretz Yisrael.' Manya Brachear Pashman: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in the Middle East and North Africa in the mid-20th century. Welcome to the second season of The Forgotten Exodus, brought to you by American Jewish Committee. This series explores that pivotal moment in history and the little-known Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations. As Jews around the world confront violent antisemitism and Israelis face daily attacks by terrorists on multiple fronts, our second season explores how Jews have lived throughout the region for generations despite hardship, hostility, and hatred, then sought safety and new possibilities in their ancestral homeland. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore untold family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience from this transformative and tumultuous period of history for the Jewish people and the Middle East. The world has ignored these voices. We will not. This is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: leaving Yemen. _ On the night of October 7, while Hamas terrorists were still on their murderous rampage through Israel, 26-year-old Adiel Cohen was drafted to serve in a reserve artillery corps unit and rocket division of the Israeli Defense Forces. He went directly to a base near one of Israel's borders to start working on his unit's vehicles and tools. But that is not the only battlefront on which Adiel has been serving. Adiel is a content creator on social media, creating Instagram posts and TikTok videos to counter the antisemitism and anti-Israel messages proliferating online. One way Adiel dispels some of these misconceptions is by sharing his own family's story. Adiel's grandparents on both sides were in that group of 800,000 Jews who fled Arab lands and started life anew in Israel. In 1950, they fled Yemen, making their way to Israel to help build a Jewish state. Today's special episode of The Forgotten Exodus presents an exclusive interview with Adiel, recorded in front of a live audience at the AJC Global Forum 2024 in Washington D.C. Adiel, you heard stories from your Savta Sarah who passed away only a few months ago. She was your paternal grandmother. Could you please share that side of your family story in Yemen? Adiel Cohen: Of course. So first of all, I want to thank you all for coming and listening to my story. It's my first time in this type of AJC event, especially on that scale. It's very exciting to me, and it's amazing to see this beautiful display of Jewish solidarity and strength. So I'm very, very honored to be here. Thank you. So the history of the Jewish community in Yemen dates back for as long as the Israelite Kingdom existed. It dates back all the way to King Shlomo (Solomon) and the First Temple when we had trade with the kingdom of Sh'va (Sheba), at the time that ruled Ethiopia and Yemen. And for my family, as far as we can tell, we go back all the way to that era. I do know that I have one ancestor somewhere along the line 15 generations ago from the Jewish community of Iraq that migrated into Yemen. But my ancestry for the most part is in Yemen, Yemenite Jewish. I did a DNA test. The results were nothing too revolutionary, aside from 1% Nigerian. But yeah, it just came out Yemenite Jewish. And they spent pretty much the entire diaspora in Yemen until 1950. Manya Brachear Pashman: And your grandfather was a jeweler, right? A silversmith? Adiel Cohen: He was. So fun fact: the work of silver and crafts made of silver, was a profession only done by Jews in Yemen. So you can imagine how impactful it was for the economy in Yemen. And you know, a lot of people say that Jews, like, control the economy and all these, you know, stereotypes that we know. In Yemen, we really drove a big part of the economy, because of the professions that we did that were pretty much only Jews doing them. So he used to do silver work and jewelry. He did both the traditional Yemenite jewelry which is made of thin silver wires, creating these beautiful patterns. And not just jewelry, but also Judaica, candlesticks, and all these ritual tools like the can for the b'samim (ritual spices), for the Havdalah. Beautiful, beautiful art, passed from his father and then his father, all the way, thousands of years as far as we can tell. And nowadays, my uncle, my father's brother, is preserving this tradition. He has a gallery in Tzfat, if you're ever planning to go there. Now, it's not really a good time, but definitely hit me up, and I'll send you his way. Very proud of that tradition. Definitely. Manya Brachear Pashman: That's lovely. Were they city folk? Or did they live in a more agricultural area? Adiel Cohen: They were fully city folks. They lived in Sanaa, the capital, both sides of my family. It's interesting, not a lot of people know, but there's a lot of nuance in the Yemenite Jewish community. So Yemen is a pretty big country and pretty diverse. You've got mountains and green terraces and agriculture, but you also have very, very dry desert, and you have port cities. So every Jewish community in Yemen was very unique in its culture and its essence in their professions. And in Sanaa specifically, they were more into spirituality and humanities. They were intellectuals and thinkers, a lot of philosophy, a lot of the Jewish philosophy and poetry in Yemen came from Sanaa. And this is where both sides of my family come from. Manya Brachear Pashman: Did they live in harmony with their neighbors in Sanaa for most of that time? Adiel Cohen: Yeah, so the relations between Jews and Arabs in Yemen vary. It was a roller coaster for the most part of history, and it really depended on the king and the leadership at every single time. And there were times of great coexistence and flourishing and times where, you know, you could see Jewish poetry and literature and just like in Spain, like what we hear in Spain. But there were also times of great conflict and oppression and violence. One instance that I can point out to was in the 1600s, in 1679, it was an event called the Mawza Exile. Not a lot of people know about it, which is a shame, because it is the single most traumatic event in the history of our community. It lasted one year, and during this year, the king decided that all the Jews in Yemen should be expelled to the desert. And the desert in Yemen is very, very harsh – wild animals, climate, lack of food, soil that cannot be cultivated. And of course, this also came with burning of books and literatures and archives. Yemenite Jews, up until then, kept archives of their family trees and scriptures and poetry. We don't have a lot of it left before the 1600s, because of this event. Two-thirds of the community perished during that year, there was no one to fill the jobs that Jews used to do. And at some point, the king allowed Jews to come back to their homes and live in their own ghettos. That was from the 1600s till 1950 with Operation Magic Carpet. But in the more modern, in the more recent history, we can point out the 40s as an uptick in violence and antisemitism against Jews in Yemen. A lot of people think that what happened in Europe at the time did not really affect Jews in Arab countries, but it is completely the opposite. We had Nazi emissaries visiting some Arab countries and Jewish communities trying to inspect options to transfer Jews from the Middle East to concentration camps in Europe and even building and establishing concentration camps in the Middle East for Jews. The Mufti of Jerusalem at the time, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, was also very involved in trying to transfer the Jews of Yemen to concentration camps. It did not succeed. At the time, there was a pretty friendly king. But Nazi propaganda infiltrated every single society at the time in the Middle East. The Farhud in Iraq is a great example of that, right, of Nazi involvement in the Middle East. And the same thing happened in Yemen. And I can point out to one event that was kind of like the turning point and then we can also continue to the story of my grandma's aliyah. There was a blood libel that was spread in Sanaa. Hundreds of Arabs who used to be neighbors just turned against their Jewish neighbors, started attacking them, looting their homes, raiding the Jewish Quarter of Sanaa. Manya Brachear Pashman: So did the violence reach your family directly? Adiel Cohen: My grandma's family, they used to live all in the same house. It was a big family in Yemen. It was common that the entire family, the entire clan, lives in the same house, especially if they're well off. And my family, Baruch Hashem, they were pretty well off. They were jewelers and traders, and they had a big house with the entire family. And their neighbor came, broke into their house. All the grandchildren, including my grandma, had to hide in the pantries and in the closets, and their grandfather, Saba Avraham, was there protecting the house. Their neighbor came, assaulted their grandfather, knocked him to the ground. And my grandma, when she told me this story, she told me that they were looking, they were peeking through the cracks of the door and they saw what's going on. And when they saw the assault, they decided to storm out of the pantries and the closet with pans and pots and knives and attack the neighbor. And she tells me they chased him down the street and this is how they saved their grandfather's life. And this is a story over Shabbat dinner. It's crazy, crazy stories that we used to listen to. Manya Brachear Pashman: And how long after that incident did your family say, we have to leave? Adiel Cohen: The same day, the same day. But because they dare to fight back, they knew that they're no longer safe. Because God forbid Jews resist to oppression and to violence. And the same night, my grandma told me that her father gave her a pair of earrings, silver earrings, and he told her, ‘Sarah, take these pair of earrings and keep them safe. That's the only thing that you can take with you to Eretz Yisrael.' And the same night they were packing everything that they could but not too much because they needed to walk by foot. They packed their stuff for the way, and with dawn they set to the city of Aden. In Aden, there was the transit camp, Hashed, which all Yemenite Jews from all over Yemen fled to during this time. And from there, Operation Magic Carpet commenced, but the journey was incredibly hard. My grandma used to tell me that the entire world was in the 20th century, and Yemen was still somewhere in the 18th century – no roads, camels, donkeys, sometimes Jeeps. And she told us one story which completely blew my mind. It was a few weeks before she passed away. About how she, at some point, they traveled night and day, continuously, and at some point, her donkey with her sister and her little brother, baby brother, broke off from the caravan. The rest of the family, they had to stay somewhere. And they were held up, basically. But my Savta continued with their donkey, with her sister Tzivia, and their baby brother, one-year-old Ratzon. And, you know, along the way, they had to face bandits and gangs, and it was very, very tough. They had to pay ransom every few miles. And at some point, when they broke off from the caravan, a bandit came and assaulted them. He pushed them off the cliffside and took the donkey with everything, everything they had – food, the equipment, they had nothing left. And they were left stranded on the cliffside. It was already starting to get dark. And they don't know where the rest of the family is, somewhere in the back, and they don't know if they can ever find them. And she told me that it began to get darker and darker. And at some point, they looked up and all they saw was pitch black and just night sky full of stars. And they were praying and they were singing, just hanging on a cliffside. Imagine that at the time, she was 12. Her sister was 14. And they were both holding a little one-year-old baby. And she said that when they stopped singing, they kind of lost hope already. Their brother started crying. And when he started crying, that's exactly when their family passed on the trail up on the mountain. And this is how they got rescued in the middle of the night, in the middle of the desert after being attacked and robbed. And they had to just continue walking all the way to Camp Hashed. They spent a few months there as well. Not easy months. Manya Brachear Pashman: Your grandmother was one who believed in miracles, I believe. Adiel Cohen: Yeah. Manya Brachear Pashman: Yeah, okay. Adiel Cohen: Yeah, definitely. Manya Brachear Pashman: Yes. Well, instead of going into the details of Operation Magic Carpet, or On Eagle's Wings was really the name of that operation, I encourage our audience to listen to the first season of The Forgotten Exodus, where we interviewed Israeli Olympian Shahar Tzubari. His family also came from Yemen and the details of Operation On Eagle's Wings, there's a lot of details about that in that episode. So I encourage you to go back and listen to that, so that we can move on to your family's arrival in Israel, which also was not easy. Adiel Cohen: Yeah, definitely not easy. I believe you all heard of the conditions in the transit camps in Israel. My family arrived in the winter of 1950. It was considered probably the coldest winter recorded in Israel. So cold it snowed in Tel Aviv. And that was the first time my grandma ever saw snow. They arrived at the transit camp in Ein Shemer, and they were one of the lucky families. I guess, maybe, because they were pretty well off. They didn't sleep in a tent, but they slept in a tin shack, a little tin shack. Not the best conditions, obviously. No heating, no beds, sleeping on the ground, the entire family, and, you know, passing the tough winter months. Mud, rain, everything. And, after a few months there, they were assigned a new place in Kadima, which is a small village in the Sharon, in central Israel. Agricultural community. And my family – who are all traders, jewelers, they don't know anything about farming – they lasted there for very, very little time. At some point, the head of the family, the grandfather said, we're out of here. And part of the family moved to Tel Aviv, to Kerem HaTeimanim, the Yemenite quarter, which is very, very dear to my heart. And the other half to Ramat Gan, my hometown, which is even more dear to me. This is where I was born and raised. My grandma met my grandfather there, and this is where they married. Manya Brachear Pashman: How did they plant roots in Israel? I mean, they left with hardly anything, except for a pair of, your grandmother had a pair of silver earrings in her possession. How did they start with nothing and build from there? What did they build? Adiel Cohen: There was a lot of, like, hustling and, like, trying to make things work, and moving from job to job until she got married and became, how do you call it, like? Manya Brachear Pashman: Homemaker or housewife? Homemaker, mother. Adiel Cohen: A housewife, yeah. She took care of the kids, and my grandfather, he did most of the work. He did, again, silversmith, some trading, a lot of hustle as well, in between. They really just kind of made it work somehow. Also, they were organizing a lot of events in their homes, a lot of community events and parties for the community, for the neighborhood, which is also something that looking back now that, you know, I spoke to my parents about it, it makes a lot of sense. You know, I grew up on these values of how important the community is and how important it is to be involved in the community. So it came from my grandparents. Manya Brachear Pashman: In addition to those values, what traditions have you been able to preserve that are very meaningful to you in terms of – when I say traditions, I mean, religious rituals, recipes, attire? Adiel Cohen: Yeah, so if you mention attire, I have a very, very special item in my closet that I got from my grandfather, from Saba Pinchas. It is his original Yom Kippur gown for men. It's a beautiful, white, long shirt, with golden embroidery, all the way from Yemen. And it still sits in my closet waiting for the right project to kind of show it off. I tried wearing it, I'm not gonna lie, tried wearing it. It looks weird – it's very, very archaic, but it's beautiful nonetheless. And in terms of recipes, of course, my grandma used to make all the Yemenite Jewish food from Yemenite soup, to all sorts of bread which we're very famous for. People think that Yemenites only eat bread, but it's not true. But we do have a lot of types of bread. So every Friday growing up I used to wake up and see a pile of zalabiyeh, which is kind of like a fried pita flatbread. Very amazing, like, crunchy but also soft. Every Friday morning, lahuhe, all the recipes. And if you follow my Instagram and you see sometimes when my grandma was alive, I used to post a lot of videos about her and about our traditions. She had her own recipe for charoset for Pesach. In Yemenite Jewish dialect we call it duqeh. It's kind of like the regular charoset that you know, only with a little bit of Yemenite spice mix, so it's very sweet but also has a little, like, zing to it. Very, very good. If we're talking about Pesach, then I also made a video about that. The Yemenite Seder is very, very unique in the sense that we don't have a plate; we don't have a Seder plate. All the simanim (signs) and all the food is on the table as decoration. So we use the lettuce and radish and all the simanim (signs) as kind of like a frame for the table, it looks like a whole garden on the table. And we just eat from what we have on the table. And, of course, the religious traditions, the way of pronouncing the Torah. I spent months before my Bar Mitzvah relearning Hebrew in the Yemenite dialect. It's like learning a whole new language, not to talk about the te'amim, the melody that you need to read it. You need to be very, very punctuate. All of it – it's a huge part of my identity. Manya Brachear Pashman: You must have done a wonderful job because there's also a photograph of you and your Savta at your Bar Mitzvah, and she looks quite pleased. So you must have done a fine job. Adiel Cohen: She was my best friend. Yes, we lived together in the same house. In Israel, we kind of preserved the original way of living in Yemen. So we lived in the same house with my Savta. And I was very lucky. Most of my grandparents, all of my grandparents beside her, passed away when I was very young, but I was very lucky to live with her for as long as she lived and hear all these stories, every single week. And, you know, even after I started my activism, she was my biggest supporter. I used to come back from trips to different Jewish communities and delegations and trips to Dubai and Morocco. And the first thing I did was knock on her door, sit with her for a good 20 minutes, and just share my experiences and she was so pleased. And if I can share one example: a year ago, I came, not a year ago, it was this summer, I came back from a trip to Dubai where I met a Yemeni guy that took me to a Yemeni shop owned by actual Yemenis from Yemen, with spices and honey from Yemen and jewelry and, really, everything from Yemen. And they offered me, when I told them the story of my family and I showed them pictures, they offered to give my grandma a gift. They told me, pick whatever you want from the jewelry section, and it's a gift for your grandma. And when I came back from Dubai, and I gave her that, her eyes were just lit and filled with tears, because, you know, she hasn't been to Yemen, where she was born, ever since they left. So it was really one of the most touching moments before she passed away. Oh, I'm gonna cry. Yeah, we were very, very close. And I'm very, very lucky to be her grandson. Manya Brachear Pashman: What happened to the earrings that her grandmother gave her? Adiel Cohen: Wow, I wish we still had them. They sold them when they got to Israel to make a living. It was very, very tough, especially in the 50s. In Hebrew we call it t'kufat ha'tzena (period of austerity). All of Israel was basically a huge refugee camp, and the government had to, you know, make sure everyone has enough food and, you know, supply and all that. So they, unfortunately, sold it. Manya Brachear Pashman: I do love it when you share your family stories and your heritage on your social media channels and, you know, the videos of making charoset and the language, the sharing of the vocabulary words. I'm curious what kinds of reactions you get from your audience. Are they surprised to hear that you hailed from Yemen? Are they just surprised by your family's origins? Adiel Cohen: So it's interesting to see the progression throughout the years. I started my activism and content creation in 2020. And when I just started talking about my Yemenite heritage, people were very surprised, people from our community, from Jewish communities around the world, were surprised. I heard a lot of more surprised reactions. I think nowadays and in the past few years there's a lot more awareness to different stories and different Jewish communities, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. So I'm happy to see that. And I see a lot of interest among Jews from other parts of the world. People ask me all the time to share about my traditions, to share about, you know, how we celebrate that and how do we pronounce that and all of that. And from the non-Jewish audience, I'll start with reactions from the Arab world. I managed to forge a lot of amazing connections and friendships with Yemenis, Yemeni Muslims, based on our shared traditions and commonalities between our cultures. Yemeni Jewish culture and Yemeni Muslim culture is a little bit different, even in terms of food, but there are some commonalities, of course. So it's very fun and fulfilling to be able to be a bridge between these communities who are alienated from Israel, to Israel. We're sort of a bridge between our nations. For sure, there are also a lot of hateful comments that I receive from people telling me, you're not really – the Zionists kidnapped you and you shouldn't be in Palestine, you should be in Yemen, come back to Yemen where you actually belong. They made sure that we can't come back to Yemen throughout these years, and they showed us where we really belong. So, you know, there are these comments as well. But I can definitely say that the majority of the comments and reactions are very positive, and people are thirsty for knowledge and for stories about different communities. I see it. Manya Brachear Pashman: I mean, everyone in this audience has a family story to share, has their own heritage. And I'm curious, Adiel, how does it serve the Jewish people to share our stories and where we all come from? Why is that so important to share, especially at a time like this, when there are so many false narratives out there? Adiel Cohen: This is my favorite question. Because telling stories is my whole shtick. This is my bottom line of every single, you know, speaking engagements with students and stuff like that. Two things that make telling stories, telling our stories very important. First of all, is outside of the community. People don't know who Jewish people are. Non-Jews, they don't know who Jewish people are. I see it all the time, a lot of ignorance, which I don't blame them for, right? I don't know a lot about Uyghur people in China. And we can't expect people to stand up for us against antisemitism if they don't know who we are. And we can't expect them to know who we are if we're not there to tell our story. Because unfortunately, a lot of haters love to tell our story for us. It's kind of like a tactic for them. And the way they tell their story about us is completely different, and it serves a purpose that doesn't align with our purpose. To put it in good words. So that's one important thing, telling our stories open up who we are to other audiences. When they get to know us, they can, more chances that they will stand up for us against antisemitism. And just in general, you know, just getting to know different communities and building bridges is always good. And the second important point of telling stories is within our community. I can for sure say that before I started my activism on social media and being more involved with other Jewish communities, I did not know much about Yiddish. I did not know much about, you know, Ashkenazi culture or other cultures, even those we have in Israel. Because, you know, in Israel, we don't really talk about it. It's all on the surface level. You know, Yemenites eat jachnun, Iraqis eat kubbeh. But once you get to know other Jewish communities and build bridges between these communities based on our stories, your individual Jewish identity and connection to the bigger Jewish collective would be stronger. I feel a lot more Jewish – now that I know what Ashkenazim have gone through, what Ethiopian Jews have gone through, what Indian Jews have gone through, and all throughout the world. When we build these bridges, between our communities, we bring our people and our nation to the next step in history. We've been in diaspora for 2000 years, disconnected from each other, loosely connected but generally disconnected. And now that we have Israel and now that we have social media and that we are more connected and that we have this very strong compass that points at this one land, it's easier for us to build these bridges. And when we build them, we turn from a nation that is dispersed and made of disconnected communities to a network of communities that make a bigger, better, stronger nation, together with our diversity, with our stories, with our different experiences. Manya Brachear Pashman: That's beautiful. Thank you so much. Adiel Cohen: Thank you so much. Manya Brachear Pashman: Yemenite Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century, left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations. Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Adiel for joining us at AJC Global Forum 2024 and sharing his family's story in front of a live audience. Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they'd never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to ask those questions. Find your stories. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Nicole Mazur, Sean Savage, and Madeleine Stern, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible. You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/theforgottenexodus. The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC. You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.
News, Czechia's five Olympic medals, archeologists discover remains of Neolithic settlement, Prague's Jewish Quarter
News, Czechia's five Olympic medals, archeologists discover remains of Neolithic settlement, Prague's Jewish Quarter
The Takeaway In this episode, I trace the mental and physical journey I took recently in the Netherlands to grasp the murder of more than one hundred thousand Dutch Jews during WWII at the hands of the Nazis. I wanted to move beyond the number and get to the human beings. Physically, the journey took me to several Holocaust-related sites in Amsterdam: the old Jewish Quarter, the Anne Frank House (Annex), the old Dutch Theatre, the Dutch Holocaust Memorial, and of high interest, the sidewalks of Amsterdam. And outside Amsterdam to the Westerbork transit camp. Part of my mental journey involved moving beyond the human tendency to see Anne Frank as symbolic of all Dutch Jews who were murdered. But the larger mental issue was confronting the remnants of hate I saw and how they drove me toward hate.
Follow along with Greg and Tom in this stand-alone travelogue episode as they visit several historic cities and towns in the Netherlands -- Utrecht, De Bilt, Breukelen and Haarlem -- wandering through cafe-filled streets and old cobblestone alleyways, the air ringing with church bells and street music.But of course, their mission remains the same as the past three episodes. For there are traces of Dutch culture and history all over New York City -- through the names of boroughs, neighborhoods, streets and parks.From Spuyten Duyvil Creek flowing into the Harlem River along the Bronx shoreline to New Utrecht, Gravesend and Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn. All of those place names can be traced to the Dutch presence of New Amsterdam and New Netherland.In the final Bowery Boys episode recorded in the Netherlands, Tom and Greg head to several places that have unique links to the New York City area, mostly through Dutch colonial connections made in the 17th century.Utrecht -- The medieval city with its unique canal wharves and monastery courtyards that may be the bicycle capital of the world. What are its connections to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn?Breukelen -- How did this charming, quiet old town on the Vecht River become the namesake of the borough of Brooklyn? Both places have "Brooklyn Bridges." But there are a couple of other surprising parallels.De Bilt -- The ancestral home of the Vanderbilt family, can Tom find one of their 17th-century ancestors among the stones of an old cemetery?Haarlem -- Manhattan's Harlem remains one of America's cultural centers, and the rustic Dutch city that inspired its name also has cultural riches aplenty -- from its museums to its historic windmill Molen de Adriaan.WITH -- Mysterious pharmaceuticals, pedal boat misadventures, ghostly apparitions and Aperol Spritzes!PLUS: The s pecial link between Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter and New York City's Lower East Side -- through pickles Visit the website for images of their journeyFollow Instagram to see reels from their trip
Experience the sounds and ambience of Fes in this live walking tour of the medina, during Azdean's tour in 2023. Accompanied by expert guide Moulay Hafid Alami, we start in Fes el Jdid, the 14th century quarter, learning about the Royal Palace of Fes and its seven golden doors (only created in the 1960's), and the importance of the neighboring Jewish Quarter, or Mellah, the first in Morocco. We pause to take in the quiet tranquility of the Jewish Cemetery, as Hafid tells us about the special bond between Muslims and Jews in Morocco, in Fes in particular.From there, we head over to the Burj Sud, or "southern fortress," an army installation on top of a hill that looks out over the old city. A quick drive to the top of the hill allows us to wander around the perimeter, where Hafid explains the layout of the city and the differences between its three sections: Fes el Bali, Fes el Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle. How many streets are in the old medina? How do people find their way around, and what happens when someone gets lost, especially a child? Hafid will tell you first hand from his own experience!Part One of our tour concludes with the famous Chouara Tannery, where visitors can look down on the many colored vats containing various dyes and natural chemicals. We meet another guide from the tannery and shop, Mr. Mushor, who tells us how the tanning process works. Yes, there is a special ingredient and yes, it is not particularly pleasant but Mushor explains why it makes such a difference to the finished product, and why the process remains in its original form, dating back hundreds of years. Everything is done by hand, and from this tannery leatherworks are shipped out around the world.You've heard us talk about the magic and charm of Fes in our episodes this past month, now you can close your eyes and be whisked away yourself. And all of our episodes have transcripts, which can help to make sense of some of the accents and place names. Apple users with the latest update should see the transcript on their phones. Or, you can visit the episode page to follow along with the .pdf file.The tour continues in our next episode, as we visit the craftsmen of Fes, making pottery and ceramics, rugs, woodwork and more.We hope you enjoy this immersive audio experience!Music credits: Mike Franklyn / Scorpion Dance / courtesy of www.epidemicsound Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.Download the stunning Destination Morocco magazine!Follow the podcast and help us grow.Join us for our monthly Q&A's! Live on Destination Morocco's YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 9am Pacific/12noon Eastern/6pm Central European time.
New podcast! In the latest captivating chapter of Spanish Loops, Jorge and Fran delve deep into the rich heritage of Córdoba, Spain. A city steeped in history, legacy, and unparalleled beauty. Join them on this audio journey as they uncover some iconic landmarks that make Córdoba a must-visit destination for travelers seeking to immerse in Spain's cultural heritage. In this episode, they unravel the intricate layers of Córdoba's past, from its origins as a important Roman settlement to its golden age as the capital of the Islamic Caliphate in the medieval era. Through engaging storytelling and expert insights, our hosts picture Córdoba's diverse cultural influences, from its stunning Moorish architecture to its vibrant culinary scene. Spanish Loopers will be enchanted by the recommendations for must-see sights, including the breathtaking Mezquita-Catedral, a masterpiece of Islamic and Christian architecture, the charming Jewish Quarter, with its winding alleyways and unique paatios. The exploration doesn't stop there. They also offer insider tips on the best places to savor authentic local cuisine, from traditional tapas bars to fancy restaurants. Plus, sharing recommendations for cozy accommodations that capture the essence of Córdoba's hospitality, from boutique hotels to budget lodge. Whether you're a history buff, a foodie, or simply a traveler in search of beauty and adventure, this episode of Spanish Loops is your ultimate guide to experiencing the magic of Córdoba. Tune in to discover how to make the most of your visit, from navigating the city's enchanting streets to immersing yourself in its timeless allure. ¡Bienvenidos a Córdoba!
New podcast! In the latest captivating chapter of Spanish Loops, Jorge and Fran delve deep into the rich heritage of Córdoba, Spain. A city steeped in history, legacy, and unparalleled beauty. Join them on this audio journey as they uncover some iconic landmarks that make Córdoba a must-visit destination for travelers seeking to immerse in Spain's cultural heritage. In this episode, they unravel the intricate layers of Córdoba's past, from its origins as a important Roman settlement to its golden age as the capital of the Islamic Caliphate in the medieval era. Through engaging storytelling and expert insights, our hosts picture Córdoba's diverse cultural influences, from its stunning Moorish architecture to its vibrant culinary scene. Spanish Loopers will be enchanted by the recommendations for must-see sights, including the breathtaking Mezquita-Catedral, a masterpiece of Islamic and Christian architecture, the charming Jewish Quarter, with its winding alleyways and unique paatios. The exploration doesn't stop there. They also offer insider tips on the best places to savor authentic local cuisine, from traditional tapas bars to fancy restaurants. Plus, sharing recommendations for cozy accommodations that capture the essence of Córdoba's hospitality, from boutique hotels to budget lodge. Whether you're a history buff, a foodie, or simply a traveler in search of beauty and adventure, this episode of Spanish Loops is your ultimate guide to experiencing the magic of Córdoba. Tune in to discover how to make the most of your visit, from navigating the city's enchanting streets to immersing yourself in its timeless allure. ¡Bienvenidos a Córdoba!
The Daily Quiz - Geography Today's Questions: Question 1: In which country are the largest two lakes in Central America located, including Lake Managua? Question 2: Which of these cities is in Australia? Question 3: Where would you find the city of Minsk? Question 4: In which country would you find the Serengeti National Park? Question 5: Which US state is directly south of Utah? Question 6: The "Old City" of this location is divided into four quarters — a Christian quarter, a Muslim Quarter, a Jewish Quarter, and an Armenian Quarter. Question 7: Which of these colors is included on the flag of Mali? Question 8: In which country would you find the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world? Question 9: Bratislava is a city in which country? This podcast is produced by Klassic Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this new chapter of this podcast, Jorge and Francisco embark on a fascinating journey through the city of Girona, nestled in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Their spirited conversation brings to life the city's vibrant atmosphere, rich culture, and picturesque coastal surroundings. As the hosts explore the winding streets, the chat between Jorge and Francisco unfolds, weaving a tale of Girona's history. The duo sheds light on the medieval Jewish Quarter, where narrow alleys and historic landmarks tell tales of a past era. Girona's coastal charm becomes part of the talk, with Jorge and Francisco immersing themselves in the unique blend of history and natural beauty. Listeners are taken on a virtual tour of the captivating inland city center, to the coastline, where the city's identity is shaped by the rhythmic influence and flow of the Mediterranean Sea. Culinary delights take center stage as the hosts share their experiences of savoring traditional Catalan dishes in renowned restaurants, influenced by Girona's coastal heritage. Join Jorge and Francisco in this episode of Spanish Loops as they unravel the splendor of this city, where the past meets the present against the backdrop of the Iberian Peninsula's picturesque landscapes. Happy listening!
In this new chapter of this podcast, Jorge and Francisco embark on a fascinating journey through the city of Girona, nestled in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Their spirited conversation brings to life the city's vibrant atmosphere, rich culture, and picturesque coastal surroundings. As the hosts explore the winding streets, the chat between Jorge and Francisco unfolds, weaving a tale of Girona's history. The duo sheds light on the medieval Jewish Quarter, where narrow alleys and historic landmarks tell tales of a past era. Girona's coastal charm becomes part of the talk, with Jorge and Francisco immersing themselves in the unique blend of history and natural beauty. Listeners are taken on a virtual tour of the captivating inland city center, to the coastline, where the city's identity is shaped by the rhythmic influence and flow of the Mediterranean Sea. Culinary delights take center stage as the hosts share their experiences of savoring traditional Catalan dishes in renowned restaurants, influenced by Girona's coastal heritage. Join Jorge and Francisco in this episode of Spanish Loops as they unravel the splendor of this city, where the past meets the present against the backdrop of the Iberian Peninsula's picturesque landscapes. Happy listening!
In which we discuss our journey to #Prague including flight delays and the recent shooting in #Czechia. We came to see the Christmas markets and after a few bumps in the road we definitely succeeded. We also discuss Rachel's time in Amsterdam, her newfound love of luggage gps locators, our trip through Prague's Jewish Quarter, and of course the Christmas markets! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reinitin/message
Congregation of the Living Word, a Messianic Jewish Congregation
The Fast of Tevet: The Burnt House - English only. Today, Friday, December 22, 2023, is the Fast of Tevet. We mourn the tragic destruction of the first and second Temples. In Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter, we see a striking reminder of the tragedy that consumed the city, the Burnt House. Join us as we explore this archeological testimony to the inferno. Recorded December 21, 2023.
In this episode, Gastronomica's Krishnendu Ray talks with Sean Wyer about the 21st century transformation of Rome's Jewish Quarter. Drawing on his latest research, recently published in Gastronomica, Sean considers how a range of factors – from heritage tourism and cosmopolitan innovation to religious dietary laws and diasporic migration – helped shape Jewish-Roman cuisine and the evolving character of a historic neighborhood.Gastronomica is Powered by Simplecast.
The Daily Quiz - Geography Today's Questions: Question 1: What is the capital of Lesotho Question 2: The "Old City" of this holy location is divided into four quarters -- a Christian quarter, a Muslim Quarter, a Jewish Quarter, and an Armenian Quarter. Question 3: What was the former name of Thailand? Question 4: In which country is the Calabria region Question 5: What Is The Scirocco Question 6: Which Wobbly London Landmark Was Designed By Sir Norman Foster Question 7: Which City Is The Capital Of Iceland Question 8: In Which Country Are The Sierra Madre Ranges This podcast is produced by Klassic Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prepare to embark on a journey through the vibrant energy and rich history of Marrakech in today's episode. Azdean teams up with local guide Youssef to explore the fascinating Jewish Quarter known as the Mellah - a testament to integration and cooperation between diverse religions and cultures. As we wander through this neighborhood, the ruins of the 16th-century Badia (Badi) Palace and the stunning Bahia Palace showcase the intricate Moorish architecture and the historical context that shaped them.Our exploration doesn't stop at the gates, as Youssef leads us into the private quarters of the Bahia Palace itself, where we are granted access to record and document the tour. Here, we learn the marvels of Moorish architectural innovation that incorporates local materials, along with pre-industrial air conditioning! The serene garden, a distinct feature of this architectural style, beautifully encapsulates the tranquility and grandeur of the palace. Journey with us into the central courtyard, featured in the cover photo of this episode, and learn the history of why it has a specific number of rooms, all laid out in symmetrical style, and what they were used for.Our immersive audio tour unravels the unique story of the Grand Vizier of the Bahia Palace, who made the intriguing decision to employ only blind musicians! And listen closely as we wander through, when the call to prayer starts in the background.On our walk today, you'll hear some of the tourists and big groups in the background, being hustled along. But like Azdean, you'll have your own private guide. Our tours always go at your own pace, sidestepping the crowds and taking the time to explore. Our next episode will follow up on today with part two of our walking tour, which takes us over through the old Medina and to the famous Marjorelle Gardens. But now, imagine, you're standing with Azdean along the Rue Bahia Bab Mellah, the main street connecting the two palaces, with the Mellah in between, as Youssef starts his tour, amongst the lively energy and excitement of Marrakech. Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.Download the stunning Destination Morocco magazine!Follow the podcast and help us grow.
The Takeaway In this episode, I trace the mental and physical journey I took recently in the Netherlands to grasp the murder of more than one hundred thousand Dutch Jews during WWII at the hands of the Nazis. I wanted to move beyond the number and get to the human beings. Physically, the journey took me to several Holocaust-related sites in Amsterdam: the old Jewish Quarter, the Anne Frank House (Annex), the old Dutch Theatre, the Dutch Holocaust Memorial, and of high interest, the sidewalks of Amsterdam. And outside Amsterdam: the Westerbork transit camp. Part of my mental journey involved moving beyond the human tendency to see Anne Frank as symbolic of all Dutch Jews who were murdered. But the larger mental issue was confronting the remnants of hate I saw and how they drove me toward hate.
The first time I really heard about the suffering of Persian Jews -- not just in snippets, but in detail - was last week. This past Sunday, I cohosted an event with Sinai Temple to hear Dora Levy Mossanen, a Persian Jewish author, talk about her latest book, which took place in the Jewish Quarter of Teheran in the 1940's.Fifty women gathered in the beautiful home our Persian Jewish hostess – half from Wilshire Boulevard Temple and half from Sinai to learn about the lives and treatment of Jews in Iran not just after the Islamic Revolution, but also before. The indignities, the insults, the pervasive dislike and distaste for Jews, the discrimination, the belief that Jews were not only inferior but unclean was a daily fact of life. And then, after the Islamic revolution, came the arrests, the brutality, the loss of property and civil rights, the terror, the firing squads, the fleeing in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs.
Casablanca and Rabat, separated by scarcely an hour's drive along the beautiful Atlantic coast, are Morocco's twin cities of misconception.Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco, the wealthiest, the economic driver: the largest port in Morocco, immortalized by Hollywood and home to the country's principal international airport.Rabat is the country's capital, an imperial city, full of grand boulevards, parks and beaches. In a country full of royal palaces, this is the one where the King actually lives most of the time.And yet, they are the two major cities often passed over by travellers, or at best given an hour or two before heading out towards Chefchaouen, Fès or Marrakech. Azdean and Sam chat today about that reality, as it does often feature on Destination Morocco tours. It comes down to how much time you have, what your priorities are and often having to make tough choices. But we get a lot of questions about, "Is there more to do in Casablanca?" and, "Should I give Rabat more time?" The answer is of course, "Of course!" if you choose to. Casablanca has a historic Jewish Quarter, great public squares for people-watching, art galleries, restaurants and the best night life in the country.Rabat has beautiful museums, reflecting its stature as national capital and a stately city. It offers a more calm, quiet ambience than Morocco's other big cities, and that alone is a nice change of pace.Our episode today is an overview of things to see and do in these two cities, whether you have a short amount of time or can add an extra day or two to your itinerary. You won't regret it.Sights Mentioned in this episode:CASABLANCA:Hassan II MosqueSacred Heart CathedralRoyal Palace of CasablancaMohammed V SquareUnited Nations SquareVilla des Arts museum and cultural centreRick's CaféJewish QuarterRABAT:MedinaRoyal Palace of RabatMohammed V Mausoleum/Hassan TowerKasbah of the Udayas/Andalusian GardensAmazing viewpointMohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary ArtBab Rouah Gate and Art GalleryThis Episode is sponsored by:Travel Anywhere - One stop for all your travel needs.https://www.travelanywhere.travel/Follow, Share and Participate:Learn more about the show on our Podcast WebsiteFind beautiful pictures on our Instagram!Help people find us: Leave a Review in Apple PodcastsHelp us grow: Rate us on SpotifyBecome a Guest on the Show!Visit Destination Morocco Travel Ag
Congregation of the Living Word, a Messianic Jewish Congregation
The Golden Menorah - English only. In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, A golden menorah proudly stands, waiting for a new temple. Join us as we visit this modern landmark! Recorded December 25, 2022.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/attemptadventure In Season 2 Episode 17 of the Attempt Adventure Podcast, we are joined by Yona Abeddour from Bab Mellah: The Jewish Quarter. Yona takes us on a cultural exploration of the Jewish Quarter of Fez, Morocco and of the little-known Jewish culture in Morocco. We also discuss travel as a bridge-building experience and how to connect deeply with different cultures through understanding. Check out Yona's initiative on Facebook: Bab Mellah: The Jewish Quarter | Facebook Do you have any travel or adventure experiences you'd like to share with us? Would you like to be a guest on the show, pitch an episode idea, or just get in touch to say "hi"? Write to us at hello@attemptadventure.com with listener mail. We would love to hear from you!
이렇게 가족들과 함께 있습니다. 우리 어저께 크라코프에서 돌아왔어요. 크라코프 기차 어땠어 제이콥? 맞아요. 옛날식 기차에 조그만 룸 같은데 8명이나 있었어요. 8명 너무 많았죠. 제이콥 일어나지도 못하고 그리고 아저씨 한 명은 기침도 하고. 크라코프에서 맞아 크라코프 어땠어? 크라코프 도시는 어땠어 도시는 city 건물은 어땠어 빌딩? 쉰들러의 리스트. 되게 슬픈 영화고 그래서 영화 찍었던 데 갔고, 그래서 거기 사람들이 살고 있는 곳 거기도 갔었고, 제이콥이 기억하면 좋을 것 같아요. 왜냐하면 제이콥 이제부터 학교에서 그래서 이번에 에지케이셔널이었는데도 그래도 중간중간에 맛있는 거 많이 먹었지? 진짜 맛있어 진짜 맛있어요. 페로기. 한국 만두보다 더 맛있어 한국 만두는 만두피 스킨 여기는 두꺼워서 맛있던 것 같아요. 제이콥 제일 맛있었던 것은? 이번에 와서. 피자. 가서 한국 식당 가서 돈가스가 제일 맛있었어요. 맞아요. 제이콥하고 가족들하고 스쿠터 많이 탔어요. 베트남 베트남 이렇게 베트남에서 들으시는 분들 제이콥이 베트남이 베트남 홀리데이가 제일 좋았대요. 셋이 많아서 안 돼 안 돼 가면 재밌는데 재밌는데. 이 사이프러스? 아프리카 맞아요. 그래서 다음 할레데이는 한국? 몰라 모르겠어요. 모르겠지만 아마도 한국일 것 같아요. 가족들이 한국에 오랜만에 갈 겁니다. 아침마다 조금 일은 했지만 아빠도 잘 쉬었어요. 그러면 여기까지 하겠습니다 오케이 감사합니다.
Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Classic"Indiana"Hoenlein. Oxford in Jewish History: Indiana" Hoenlein and the Lost Jewish quarter of Medieval Oxford. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @ThadMcCotter @theamgreatness (Originally posted April 12, 2021) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-jews-england-kept-kosher-laws-new-finds-show-180977389/
News, Literature Night 2022, the late Barbara Winton on her father's legacy, Prague's Jewish Quarter
News, Literature Night 2022, the late Barbara Winton on her father's legacy, Prague's Jewish Quarter
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies
Listen to the premiere episode of a new limited narrative series from American Jewish Committee (AJC): The Forgotten Exodus. Each Monday, for the next six weeks, AJC will release a new episode of The Forgotten Exodus, the first-ever narrative podcast series to focus exclusively on Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews. This week's episode focuses on Jews from Iraq. If you like what you hear, use the link below to subscribe before the next episode drops on August 8. Who are the Jews of Iraq? Why did they leave? And why do so many Iraqi Jews, even those born elsewhere, still consider Iraq their home? Join us to uncover the answers to these questions through the inspiring story of Mizrahi Jewish cartoonist Carol Isaacs' family. Feeling alienated growing up as the only Jew in school from an Arab-majority country, Carol turned her longing for Iraq and the life her family left behind into a gripping graphic memoir, The Wolf of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, professor of History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, delves into the fascinating, yet the little-known history of Iraqi Jewry, from its roots in the region 2,600 years ago, to the antisemitic riots that led them to seek refuge in Israel, England, and the U.S. ____ Show Notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about The Forgotten Exodus here. Song credits: Thanks to Carol Isaacs and her band 3yin for permission to use The Wolf of Bagdad soundtrack. Portions of the following tracks can be heard throughout the episode: 01 Dhikrayyat (al Qasabji) 02 Muqaddima Hijaz (trad) 03 Che Mali Wali (pt 1) (trad) 05 Fog el Nakhal (trad) 11 Balini-b Balwa (trad) 12 Al Effendi (al Kuwaiti) 14 Dililol (trad) 15 Che Mail Wali (pt 2) (trad) Pond5: “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837; “Sentimental Oud Middle Eastern”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Sotirios Bakas (BMI), IPI#797324989. ____ Episode Transcript: CAROL ISAACS: A lot of businesses were trashed, houses were burnt. It was an awful time. And that was a kind of time when the Jews of Iraq had started to think, ‘Well, maybe this isn't our homeland after all.' MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: Welcome to the premiere of the first ever podcast series devoted exclusively to an overlooked episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in Arab nations and Iran in the mid-20th century. Some fled antisemitism, mistreatment, and pogroms that sparked a refugee crisis like no other, as persecuted Jewish communities poured from numerous directions. Others sought opportunities for their families or followed the calling to help create a Jewish state. In Israel, America, Italy, wherever they landed, these Jews forged new lives for themselves and future generations. This series explores that pivotal moment in Jewish history and the rich Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations as some begin to build relations with Israel. Each week, we will share the history of one Jewish family with roots in the Arab world. Each account is personal and different. Some include painful memories or elegies for what could've been. Others pay homage to the conviction of their ancestors to seek a life where they were wanted. To ground each episode, we rely on a scholar to untangle the complexities. Some of these stories have never been told because they wished to leave the past in the past. For those of you who, like me, before this project began, never read this chapter in Jewish history, we hope you find this series enlightening. And for those who felt ignored for so many decades, we hope these stories honor your families' legacies. Join us as we explore stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman, and this is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: Leaving Iraq. CAROL: All my life, I've lived in two worlds – one inside the family home, which is a very Jewish world, obviously, but also tinged with Iraqi customs like Iraqi food, a language we spoke—Judeo Arabic. So, I've always known that I'm not just British. I've lived in these two worlds, the one at home, and then the one at school. And then later on at work, which was very English. I went to a terribly English school, for example, there were about a thousand girls. Of those thousand girls, 30 were Jewish, and I was the only Mizrahi, the only non-European Jew. So, there's always been that knowing that I'm not quite fitting into boxes. Do you know what I mean? But I never quite knew which box I fit into. MANYA: Carol Isaacs makes her living illustrating the zeitgeists of our time, poking fun at the irony all around us, reminding us of our common quirks. And she fits it all into a tiny box. You might not know Carol by her given name, but you've probably seen her pen name, scrawled in the corner of her cartoons published by The New Yorker and Spectator magazines: TS McCoy, or The Surreal McCoy. Carol is homesick for a home she never knew. Born and raised Jewish in London, she grew up hearing stories of her parents' life in Baghdad. How her family members learned to swim in the Tigris River using the bark of palm trees as life preservers, how they shopped in the city sooks for dates to bake b'ab'e b'tamer. Millions of Jews have called Iraq home for more than 2,600 years, including many of their children and grandchildren who have never been there, but long to go. Like Carol, they were raised with indelible stories of daily life in Mosul, Basra, Baghdad – Jewish life that ceased to exist because it ceased to be safe. CAROL: My mother remembered sitting with her mother and her grandmother and all the family in the cellar, going through every single grain of rice for chometz. Now, if you imagine that there were eight days of Passover, I don't know 10, 12 people in the household, plus guests, they ate rice at least twice a day. You can imagine how much rice you'd have to go through. So little things like that, you know, that would give you a window into another world completely, that they remembered with so much fondness. And it's been like that all my life. I've had this nostalgia for this, this place that my parents used to . . . now and again they'd talk about it, this place that I've never visited and I've never known. But it would be wonderful to go and just smell the same air that my ancestors smelled, you know, walk around the same streets in the Jewish Quarter. The houses are still there, the old Jewish Quarter. They're a bit run down. Well, very run down. MANYA: Carol turned her longing for Iraq and the life her family left behind into a graphic memoir and animated film called The Wolf of Baghdad. Think Art Spiegelman's Maus, the graphic novel about the Holocaust, but for Jews in Iraq who on the holiday of Shavuot in 1941 suffered through a brutal pogrom known as the Farhud, followed by decades of persecution, and ultimately, expulsion. Her research for the book involved conversations with family members who had never spoken about the violence and hatred they witnessed. They had left it in the past and now looked toward the future. There's no dialogue in the book either. The story arc simply follows the memories. CAROL: They wanted to look forward. So, it was really gratifying that they did tell me these things. ‘Cause when my parents came, for example, they came to the UK, it was very much ‘Look forward. We are British now.' My father was the quintessential city gent. He'd go to the office every day in the city of London with his pinstriped suit, and a rose plucked from the front garden, you know, a copy of The Guardian newspaper under his arm. He was British. We listened to classical music. We didn't listen to the music of my heritage. It was all Western music in the house. MANYA: But her father's Muslim and Christian business associates in Iraq visited regularly, as long as they could safely travel. CAROL: On a Sunday, every month, our house would turn into little Baghdad. They would come and my mother would feed them these delicacies that she spent all week making and they'd sit and they'd talk. MANYA: As Carol said, she had heard only fond memories throughout her childhood because for millennia, Jews in Iraq lived in harmony with their Muslim and Christian neighbors. CAROL: Jews have always lived in Mesopotamia, lived generally quite well. There was always the dimmi status, which is a status given to minorities. For example, they had to pay a certain tax, had to wear certain clothing. Sometimes, they weren't allowed to build houses higher than their neighbor, because they weren't allowed to be above their neighbor. They couldn't ride a horse, for example, Jews. I mean, small little rules, that you were never quite accorded full status. But then when the Brits arrived in 1917, things became a bit easier. MANYA: But 20-some years later, life for Jews took a turn for the worse. That sudden and dramatic turning point in 1941 was called The Farhud. ZVI BEN-DOR BENITE: Jews have been living in Iraq for thousands of years. If we start with the Farhud, we are starting in the middle of the story, in fact, in the middle of the end.” MANYA: That's Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, a professor of history and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. The son of Iraqi Jewish parents who migrated to Israel in the early 1950s, he carries in his imagination maps of old Jewish neighborhoods in Mosul and Baghdad, etched by his parents' stories of life in the old country. He shares Carol's longing to walk those same streets one day. ZVI: Iraqis, even those who were born in Israel, still self-identify as Iraqis and still consider that home to a certain extent – an imaginary home, but home. And you can say the same thing, and even more so, for people who were born there and lived there at the time. So here's the thing: if I go there, I would be considering myself a returnee. But it would be my first time. MANYA: As a Jew, Zvi knows the chances of his returning are slim. To this day, Iraq remains the only Arab country that has never signed a ceasefire with Israel since Arab nations declared war on the Jewish state upon its creation in 1948. Jews are not safe there. Really, no one has been for a while. The dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, ISIS, and general civil unrest have made modern-day Iraq dangerous for decades. The region is simply unstable. The centuries leading up to the Farhud in 1941 were no different. The territory originally known as Mesopotamia flipped from empire to empire, including Babylonian, Mongol, Safavids, Ottoman, British. Just to name a few. But during those centuries, Iraq was historically diverse – home to Muslims, Jews, Assyrian Christians. Yes, Jews were a minority and faced some limitations. But that didn't change the fact that they loved the place they called home. ZVI: We zoom in on the Farhud because it is a relatively unique event. Jews in Iraq were highly integrated, certainly those who lived in the big cities and certainly those who lived in Baghdad. Few reasons to talk about this integration. First of all, they spoke Arabic. Second of all, they participated in the Iraqi transition to modernity. In many ways, the Jewish community even spearheaded Iraqi society's transition into modernity. Of course, you know, being a minority, it means that not everything is rosy, and I'm not in any way trying to make it as a rosy situation. But if you compare it to the experiences of European Jews, certainly Europeans in the Pale of Settlement or in Eastern Europe, it's a much lovelier situation. Many Jews participate in Iraqi politics in different ways. Many Jews joined the Communist Party, in fact, lead the Communist Party to a certain extent. Others join different parties that highly identify in terms of Iraqi nationalism. MANYA: Very few Iraqi Jews identified with the modern Zionist movement, a Jewish nationalist movement to establish a state on the ancestral homeland of the Jews, then known as Palestine. Still, Iraqi Jews were not immune from Arab hostility toward the notion of Jewish self-determination. Adding to that tension: the Nazi propaganda that poured out of the German embassy in Baghdad. CAROL: Mein Kampf was translated into Arabic and published in all the newspapers there. There were broadcasts coming from Radio Berlin, in Arabic, politicizing Islam and generally manipulating certain texts from the Quran, to show that Jews were the enemies of Islam. So, there was this constant drip, drip of antisemitism. ZVI: Another factor is, of course, the British. There is an anti-British government in Baghdad at the time, during the period of someone who went down in history as a Nazi collaborator, Rashid Ali. And Rashid Ali's been removed just before the British retake Iraq. We should remember that basically, even though Iraq is a kind of constitutional monarchy, the British run the show behind the scenes for a very, very long time. So, there is a little bit of a hiatus over several months with Rashid Ali, and then when he is removed, you know, people blame the Jews for that. MANYA: On the afternoon of June 1, 1941, Jews in Baghdad prepared to celebrate the traditional Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot. Violent mobs descended on the celebrants. CAROL: In those two days the mobs ran riot and took it all out on the Jews. We don't, to this day, we don't know how many Jews died. Conservative estimates say about 120. We think it was in the thousands. Certainly, a lot of businesses were trashed, houses were burnt, women raped, mutilated, babies killed. It was an awful time. And that was a kind of time when the Jews of Iraq had started to think, ‘Well, maybe this isn't our homeland after all.' MANYA: The mobs were a fraction of the Iraqi population. Many Muslim residents protected their Jewish neighbors. CAROL: One of my relations said that during the Farhud, the pogrom, that her neighbors stood guard over their house, Muslim neighbors, and told the mobs that they wouldn't let them in that these people are our family, our friends. They wouldn't let them in. They looked after each other, they protected each other. MANYA: But the climate in Iraq was no longer one in which Jews could thrive. Now they just hoped to survive. In the mid-to-late 40s, Carol's father, who worked for the British army during World War II, left for the United Kingdom and, as the eldest son, began to bring his family out one by one. Then came 1948. Israel declared independence and five Arab nations declared war. ZVI: So, Iraq sent soldiers to fight as part of the Arab effort in Palestine, and they began to come back in coffins. I mean, there's a sense of defeat. Three deserters, three Iraqi soldiers that deserted the war, and crossed the desert back to Iraq, and they landed up in Mosul on the Eve of Passover in 1949. And they knocked on the door of one of my uncles. And they said, they were hosted by this Jewish family. And they were telling the Jews, who were their hosts that evening, about the war in Palestine, and about what was going on and so on. This is just an isolated case, but the point is that you know, it raises the tension in the population, and it raises the tensions against Jews tenfold. But there's no massive movement of Iraqi Jews, even though the conditions are worsening. In other words, it becomes uneasy for someone to walk in the street as a Jew. There is a certain sense of fear that is going on. And then comes the legal action. MANYA: That legal action, transacted with the state of Israel and facilitated by Zionist operatives, set the most significant exodus in motion. In 1950, the Iraqi government gave its Jewish citizens a choice. Renounce their Iraqi citizenship, take only what fits in a suitcase, and board a flight to Israel, or stay and face an uncertain future. The offer expired in a year, meaning those who stayed would no longer be allowed to leave. ZVI: If you're a Jew in Iraq in 1950, you are plunged into a very, very cruel dilemma. First of all, you don't know what the future holds. You do know that the present, after 1948, suggests worsening conditions. There is a sense that, you know, all the Jews are sort of a fifth column. All of them are associated with Zionism, even though you know, the Zionist movement is actually very small. There are certain persecutions of Zionists and communists who are Jews as well. And, you know, there have been mass arrests of them, you know, particularly of the young, younger Jewish population, so you don't know. And then the state comes in and says, ‘Look, you get one year to stay or to leave. If you leave, you leave. If you stay, you're gonna get stuck here.' Now, just think about presenting someone with that dilemma after 1935 and the Nuremberg Laws, after what happened in Europe. MANYA: In all, 120,000 Iraqi Jews leave for Israel over nine months – 90% of Iraqi Jewry. For the ten percent who stayed, they became a weak and endangered minority. Many Iraqis, including the family on Carol's mother's side, eventually escaped to America and England. CAROL: My mother and my father were separated by a generation. My father was much older, 23 years older than my mother. So, he had a different view of life in Baghdad. When he was around, it was generally very peaceful. The Jews were allowed to live quite, in peace with their neighbors. But with my mother's generation and younger, it was already the beginning – the rot had started to set in. So, she had a different view entirely. CAROL: My grandmother, maternal grandmother, was the last one to come out of our family, to come out of Iraq. She left in ‘63. And my dad managed to get her out. MANYA: After Israel defeated another Arab onslaught in 1967, thousands more fled. ZVI: This was a glorious community, a large community, which was part of the fabric of society for centuries, if not millennia. And then, in one dramatic day, in a very, very short period, it just basically evaporated. And what was left is maybe 10 percent, which may be elite, that decided to risk everything by staying. But even they, at the end, had to leave. MANYA: Remember, Carol said she was one of 30 Jewish girls at her school, but the only Mizrahi Jew. The term Mizrahi, which means “Eastern” in Hebrew, refers to the diaspora of descendants of Jewish communities from Middle Eastern countries such as: Iraq, Iran, and Yemen, and North African countries such as: Egypt, Libya, and Morocco. CAROL: It's been interesting. A lot of people didn't even know that there were Jews living in Arab lands. I mean, for all my life, I've been told, ‘Oh, you're Jewish, you speak Yiddish, you come from Poland. You eat smoked salmon and bagels. You say ‘oy vey,' which is great if you do all those things and you do come from Eastern Europe, but I don't. Almost 1 million Jews of Arab lands, nobody knows about what happened to them, that they were ethnically cleansed, removed from their homes, and dispersed across the world. It's our truth. And it's our history and make of it what you will, just add it to other family histories that we know. MANYA: Carol has discovered that even Iraqis did not know of their country's rich Jewish past, nor the fate of its Jewish citizens. Since the animated version of The Wolf of Baghdad premiered at the Israeli and Iraqi embassies in London, accompanied by Carol's accordion and other musicians playing its Judeo-Arabic soundtrack, Iraqis in the audience have been moved to tears. CAROL: At one Q&A, after we did a performance, one Iraqi gentleman stood up at the front. He was crying. He said, ‘I'm really sorry for what we did to you. I'm so sorry.' And that was immensely moving for me. It was like, well, you know what? We're talking now. It's wonderful. We can sit down together. We can talk in a shared language. We can talk about our shared culture, and we've got more that ties us together than separates us. We've got more in common, right? So, I'm always looking for that, that kind of positive, and so far it's come back to me, multiplied by a million, which has been brilliant. The truth is coming to light, that people know that the Jews of Iraq contributed so much, not just culturally but also socially, in the government too. So, it's this reaching out from Iraq to its lost Jews saying ‘Well where are you? What happened to you? Tell us your story. We want to see where you are. Come back even,' some of them are saying. MANYA: Carol has continued to give a voice to the Jewish refugees of Iraq. Most recently, she has been adapting The Wolf of Baghdad for younger, middle school-aged readers to better understand the story. And high schools in London and Canada have added The Wolf of Baghdad to their history curriculum. CAROL: Leaving Iraq was called the silent exodus for a reason. We just left quietly and without fuss, and just went and made our lives elsewhere. I do know that life was difficult for them wherever they went, but they just got on with it, like refugees will do everywhere. MANYA: These Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations. Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Carol Isaacs for sharing her family's story and to her band 3yin for the music. Throughout this episode, you have been listening to pieces of the soundtrack from The Wolf of Baghdad motion comic performed by 3yin, a groundbreaking London based band that plays Jewish melodies from the Middle East and North Africa. The soundtrack is available at thesurrealmccoy.com. Atara Lakritz is our producer, CucHuong Do is our production manager. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Sean Savage, Ian Kaplan, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible. And extra special thanks to David Harris, who has been a constant champion for making sure these stories do not remain untold. You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/forgottenexodus. The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC. You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.
Who are the Jews of Iraq? Why did they leave? And why do so many Iraqi Jews, even those born elsewhere, still consider Iraq their home? The premiere episode of a new limited narrative series from American Jewish Committee (AJC) uncovers the answers to these questions through the inspiring story of Mizrahi Jewish cartoonist Carol Isaacs' family. Feeling alienated growing up as the only Jew in school from an Arab-majority country, Carol turned her longing for Iraq and the life her family left behind into a gripping graphic memoir, The Wolf of Baghdad. Meanwhile, Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, professor of History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, delves into the fascinating, yet the little-known history of Iraqi Jewry, from its roots in the region 2,600 years ago, to the antisemitic riots that led them to seek refuge in Israel, England, and the U.S. _________ Show notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about the series here. Song credits: Thanks to Carol Isaacs and her band 3yin for permission to use The Wolf of Bagdad soundtrack. Portions of the following tracks can be heard throughout the episode: 01 Dhikrayyat (al Qasabji) 02 Muqaddima Hijaz (trad) 03 Che Mali Wali (pt 1) (trad) 05 Fog el Nakhal (trad) 11 Balini-b Balwa (trad) 12 Al Effendi (al Kuwaiti) 14 Dililol (trad) 15 Che Mail Wali (pt 2) (trad) Pond5: “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837; “Sentimental Oud Middle Eastern”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Sotirios Bakas (BMI), IPI#797324989. ______ Episode Transcript: CAROL ISAACS: A lot of businesses were trashed, houses were burnt. It was an awful time. And that was a kind of time when the Jews of Iraq had started to think, ‘Well, maybe this isn't our homeland after all.' MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: Welcome to the premiere of the first ever podcast series devoted exclusively to an overlooked episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in Arab nations and Iran in the mid-20th century. Some fled antisemitism, mistreatment, and pogroms that sparked a refugee crisis like no other, as persecuted Jewish communities poured from numerous directions. Others sought opportunities for their families or followed the calling to help create a Jewish state. In Israel, America, Italy, wherever they landed, these Jews forged new lives for themselves and future generations. This series explores that pivotal moment in Jewish history and the rich Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations as some begin to build relations with Israel. Each week, we will share the history of one Jewish family with roots in the Arab world. Each account is personal and different. Some include painful memories or elegies for what could've been. Others pay homage to the conviction of their ancestors to seek a life where they were wanted. To ground each episode, we rely on a scholar to untangle the complexities. Some of these stories have never been told because they wished to leave the past in the past. For those of you who, like me, before this project began, never read this chapter in Jewish history, we hope you find this series enlightening. And for those who felt ignored for so many decades, we hope these stories honor your families' legacies. Join us as we explore stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman, and this is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: Leaving Iraq. CAROL: All my life, I've lived in two worlds – one inside the family home, which is a very Jewish world, obviously, but also tinged with Iraqi customs like Iraqi food, a language we spoke—Judeo Arabic. So, I've always known that I'm not just British. I've lived in these two worlds, the one at home, and then the one at school. And then later on at work, which was very English. I went to a terribly English school, for example, there were about a thousand girls. Of those thousand girls, 30 were Jewish, and I was the only Mizrahi, the only non-European Jew. So, there's always been that knowing that I'm not quite fitting into boxes. Do you know what I mean? But I never quite knew which box I fit into. MANYA: Carol Isaacs makes her living illustrating the zeitgeists of our time, poking fun at the irony all around us, reminding us of our common quirks. And she fits it all into a tiny box. You might not know Carol by her given name, but you've probably seen her pen name, scrawled in the corner of her cartoons published by The New Yorker and Spectator magazines: TS McCoy, or The Surreal McCoy. Carol is homesick for a home she never knew. Born and raised Jewish in London, she grew up hearing stories of her parents' life in Baghdad. How her family members learned to swim in the Tigris River using the bark of palm trees as life preservers, how they shopped in the city sooks for dates to bake b'ab'e b'tamer. Millions of Jews have called Iraq home for more than 2,600 years, including many of their children and grandchildren who have never been there, but long to go. Like Carol, they were raised with indelible stories of daily life in Mosul, Basra, Baghdad – Jewish life that ceased to exist because it ceased to be safe. CAROL: My mother remembered sitting with her mother and her grandmother and all the family in the cellar, going through every single grain of rice for chometz. Now, if you imagine that there were eight days of Passover, I don't know 10, 12 people in the household, plus guests, they ate rice at least twice a day. You can imagine how much rice you'd have to go through. So little things like that, you know, that would give you a window into another world completely, that they remembered with so much fondness. And it's been like that all my life. I've had this nostalgia for this, this place that my parents used to . . . now and again they'd talk about it, this place that I've never visited and I've never known. But it would be wonderful to go and just smell the same air that my ancestors smelled, you know, walk around the same streets in the Jewish Quarter. The houses are still there, the old Jewish Quarter. They're a bit run down. Well, very run down. MANYA: Carol turned her longing for Iraq and the life her family left behind into a graphic memoir and animated film called The Wolf of Baghdad. Think Art Spiegelman's Maus, the graphic novel about the Holocaust, but for Jews in Iraq who on the holiday of Shavuot in 1941 suffered through a brutal pogrom known as the Farhud, followed by decades of persecution, and ultimately, expulsion. Her research for the book involved conversations with family members who had never spoken about the violence and hatred they witnessed. They had left it in the past and now looked toward the future. There's no dialogue in the book either. The story arc simply follows the memories. CAROL: They wanted to look forward. So, it was really gratifying that they did tell me these things. ‘Cause when my parents came, for example, they came to the UK, it was very much ‘Look forward. We are British now.' My father was the quintessential city gent. He'd go to the office every day in the city of London with his pinstriped suit, and a rose plucked from the front garden, you know, a copy of The Guardian newspaper under his arm. He was British. We listened to classical music. We didn't listen to the music of my heritage. It was all Western music in the house. MANYA: But her father's Muslim and Christian business associates in Iraq visited regularly, as long as they could safely travel. CAROL: On a Sunday, every month, our house would turn into little Baghdad. They would come and my mother would feed them these delicacies that she spent all week making and they'd sit and they'd talk. MANYA: As Carol said, she had heard only fond memories throughout her childhood because for millennia, Jews in Iraq lived in harmony with their Muslim and Christian neighbors. CAROL: Jews have always lived in Mesopotamia, lived generally quite well. There was always the dimmi status, which is a status given to minorities. For example, they had to pay a certain tax, had to wear certain clothing. Sometimes, they weren't allowed to build houses higher than their neighbor, because they weren't allowed to be above their neighbor. They couldn't ride a horse, for example, Jews. I mean, small little rules, that you were never quite accorded full status. But then when the Brits arrived in 1917, things became a bit easier. MANYA: But 20-some years later, life for Jews took a turn for the worse. That sudden and dramatic turning point in 1941 was called The Farhud. ZVI BEN-DOR BENITE: Jews have been living in Iraq for thousands of years. If we start with the Farhud, we are starting in the middle of the story, in fact, in the middle of the end.” MANYA: That's Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, a professor of history and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. The son of Iraqi Jewish parents who migrated to Israel in the early 1950s, he carries in his imagination maps of old Jewish neighborhoods in Mosul and Baghdad, etched by his parents' stories of life in the old country. He shares Carol's longing to walk those same streets one day. ZVI: Iraqis, even those who were born in Israel, still self-identify as Iraqis and still consider that home to a certain extent – an imaginary home, but home. And you can say the same thing, and even more so, for people who were born there and lived there at the time. So here's the thing: if I go there, I would be considering myself a returnee. But it would be my first time. MANYA: As a Jew, Zvi knows the chances of his returning are slim. To this day, Iraq remains the only Arab country that has never signed a ceasefire with Israel since Arab nations declared war on the Jewish state upon its creation in 1948. Jews are not safe there. Really, no one has been for a while. The dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, ISIS, and general civil unrest have made modern-day Iraq dangerous for decades. The region is simply unstable. The centuries leading up to the Farhud in 1941 were no different. The territory originally known as Mesopotamia flipped from empire to empire, including Babylonian, Mongol, Safavids, Ottoman, British. Just to name a few. But during those centuries, Iraq was historically diverse – home to Muslims, Jews, Assyrian Christians. Yes, Jews were a minority and faced some limitations. But that didn't change the fact that they loved the place they called home. ZVI: We zoom in on the Farhud because it is a relatively unique event. Jews in Iraq were highly integrated, certainly those who lived in the big cities and certainly those who lived in Baghdad. Few reasons to talk about this integration. First of all, they spoke Arabic. Second of all, they participated in the Iraqi transition to modernity. In many ways, the Jewish community even spearheaded Iraqi society's transition into modernity. Of course, you know, being a minority, it means that not everything is rosy, and I'm not in any way trying to make it as a rosy situation. But if you compare it to the experiences of European Jews, certainly Europeans in the Pale of Settlement or in Eastern Europe, it's a much lovelier situation. Many Jews participate in Iraqi politics in different ways. Many Jews joined the Communist Party, in fact, lead the Communist Party to a certain extent. Others join different parties that highly identify in terms of Iraqi nationalism. MANYA: Very few Iraqi Jews identified with the modern Zionist movement, a Jewish nationalist movement to establish a state on the ancestral homeland of the Jews, then known as Palestine. Still, Iraqi Jews were not immune from Arab hostility toward the notion of Jewish self-determination. Adding to that tension: the Nazi propaganda that poured out of the German embassy in Baghdad. CAROL: Mein Kampf was translated into Arabic and published in all the newspapers there. There were broadcasts coming from Radio Berlin, in Arabic, politicizing Islam and generally manipulating certain texts from the Quran, to show that Jews were the enemies of Islam. So, there was this constant drip, drip of antisemitism. ZVI: Another factor is, of course, the British. There is an anti-British government in Baghdad at the time, during the period of someone who went down in history as a Nazi collaborator, Rashid Ali. And Rashid Ali's been removed just before the British retake Iraq. We should remember that basically, even though Iraq is a kind of constitutional monarchy, the British run the show behind the scenes for a very, very long time. So, there is a little bit of a hiatus over several months with Rashid Ali, and then when he is removed, you know, people blame the Jews for that. MANYA: On the afternoon of June 1, 1941, Jews in Baghdad prepared to celebrate the traditional Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot. Violent mobs descended on the celebrants. CAROL: In those two days the mobs ran riot and took it all out on the Jews. We don't, to this day, we don't know how many Jews died. Conservative estimates say about 120. We think it was in the thousands. Certainly, a lot of businesses were trashed, houses were burnt, women raped, mutilated, babies killed. It was an awful time. And that was a kind of time when the Jews of Iraq had started to think, ‘Well, maybe this isn't our homeland after all.' MANYA: The mobs were a fraction of the Iraqi population. Many Muslim residents protected their Jewish neighbors. CAROL: One of my relations said that during the Farhud, the pogrom, that her neighbors stood guard over their house, Muslim neighbors, and told the mobs that they wouldn't let them in that these people are our family, our friends. They wouldn't let them in. They looked after each other, they protected each other. MANYA: But the climate in Iraq was no longer one in which Jews could thrive. Now they just hoped to survive. In the mid-to-late 40s, Carol's father, who worked for the British army during World War II, left for the United Kingdom and, as the eldest son, began to bring his family out one by one. Then came 1948. Israel declared independence and five Arab nations declared war. ZVI: So, Iraq sent soldiers to fight as part of the Arab effort in Palestine, and they began to come back in coffins. I mean, there's a sense of defeat. Three deserters, three Iraqi soldiers that deserted the war, and crossed the desert back to Iraq, and they landed up in Mosul on the Eve of Passover in 1949. And they knocked on the door of one of my uncles. And they said, they were hosted by this Jewish family. And they were telling the Jews, who were their hosts that evening, about the war in Palestine, and about what was going on and so on. This is just an isolated case, but the point is that you know, it raises the tension in the population, and it raises the tensions against Jews tenfold. But there's no massive movement of Iraqi Jews, even though the conditions are worsening. In other words, it becomes uneasy for someone to walk in the street as a Jew. There is a certain sense of fear that is going on. And then comes the legal action. MANYA: That legal action, transacted with the state of Israel and facilitated by Zionist operatives, set the most significant exodus in motion. In 1950, the Iraqi government gave its Jewish citizens a choice. Renounce their Iraqi citizenship, take only what fits in a suitcase, and board a flight to Israel, or stay and face an uncertain future. The offer expired in a year, meaning those who stayed would no longer be allowed to leave. ZVI: If you're a Jew in Iraq in 1950, you are plunged into a very, very cruel dilemma. First of all, you don't know what the future holds. You do know that the present, after 1948, suggests worsening conditions. There is a sense that, you know, all the Jews are sort of a fifth column. All of them are associated with Zionism, even though you know, the Zionist movement is actually very small. There are certain persecutions of Zionists and communists who are Jews as well. And, you know, there have been mass arrests of them, you know, particularly of the young, younger Jewish population, so you don't know. And then the state comes in and says, ‘Look, you get one year to stay or to leave. If you leave, you leave. If you stay, you're gonna get stuck here.' Now, just think about presenting someone with that dilemma after 1935 and the Nuremberg Laws, after what happened in Europe. MANYA: In all, 120,000 Iraqi Jews leave for Israel over nine months – 90% of Iraqi Jewry. For the ten percent who stayed, they became a weak and endangered minority. Many Iraqis, including the family on Carol's mother's side, eventually escaped to America and England. CAROL: My mother and my father were separated by a generation. My father was much older, 23 years older than my mother. So, he had a different view of life in Baghdad. When he was around, it was generally very peaceful. The Jews were allowed to live quite, in peace with their neighbors. But with my mother's generation and younger, it was already the beginning – the rot had started to set in. So, she had a different view entirely. CAROL: My grandmother, maternal grandmother, was the last one to come out of our family, to come out of Iraq. She left in ‘63. And my dad managed to get her out. MANYA: After Israel defeated another Arab onslaught in 1967, thousands more fled. ZVI: This was a glorious community, a large community, which was part of the fabric of society for centuries, if not millennia. And then, in one dramatic day, in a very, very short period, it just basically evaporated. And what was left is maybe 10 percent, which may be elite, that decided to risk everything by staying. But even they, at the end, had to leave. MANYA: Remember, Carol said she was one of 30 Jewish girls at her school, but the only Mizrahi Jew. The term Mizrahi, which means “Eastern” in Hebrew, refers to the diaspora of descendants of Jewish communities from Middle Eastern countries such as: Iraq, Iran, and Yemen, and North African countries such as: Egypt, Libya, and Morocco. CAROL: It's been interesting. A lot of people didn't even know that there were Jews living in Arab lands. I mean, for all my life, I've been told, ‘Oh, you're Jewish, you speak Yiddish, you come from Poland. You eat smoked salmon and bagels. You say ‘oy vey,' which is great if you do all those things and you do come from Eastern Europe, but I don't. Almost 1 million Jews of Arab lands, nobody knows about what happened to them, that they were ethnically cleansed, removed from their homes, and dispersed across the world. It's our truth. And it's our history and make of it what you will, just add it to other family histories that we know. MANYA: Carol has discovered that even Iraqis did not know of their country's rich Jewish past, nor the fate of its Jewish citizens. Since the animated version of The Wolf of Baghdad premiered at the Israeli and Iraqi embassies in London, accompanied by Carol's accordion and other musicians playing its Judeo-Arabic soundtrack, Iraqis in the audience have been moved to tears. CAROL: At one Q&A, after we did a performance, one Iraqi gentleman stood up at the front. He was crying. He said, ‘I'm really sorry for what we did to you. I'm so sorry.' And that was immensely moving for me. It was like, well, you know what? We're talking now. It's wonderful. We can sit down together. We can talk in a shared language. We can talk about our shared culture, and we've got more that ties us together than separates us. We've got more in common, right? So, I'm always looking for that, that kind of positive, and so far it's come back to me, multiplied by a million, which has been brilliant. The truth is coming to light, that people know that the Jews of Iraq contributed so much, not just culturally but also socially, in the government too. So, it's this reaching out from Iraq to its lost Jews saying ‘Well where are you? What happened to you? Tell us your story. We want to see where you are. Come back even,' some of them are saying. MANYA: Carol has continued to give a voice to the Jewish refugees of Iraq. Most recently, she has been adapting The Wolf of Baghdad for younger, middle school-aged readers to better understand the story. And high schools in London and Canada have added The Wolf of Baghdad to their history curriculum. CAROL: Leaving Iraq was called the silent exodus for a reason. We just left quietly and without fuss, and just went and made our lives elsewhere. I do know that life was difficult for them wherever they went, but they just got on with it, like refugees will do everywhere. MANYA: These Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations. Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Carol Isaacs for sharing her family's story and to her band 3yin for the music. Throughout this episode, you have been listening to pieces of the soundtrack from The Wolf of Baghdad motion comic performed by 3yin, a groundbreaking London based band that plays Jewish melodies from the Middle East and North Africa. The soundtrack is available at thesurrealmccoy.com. Atara Lakritz is our producer, CucHuong Do is our production manager. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Sean Savage, Ian Kaplan, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible. And extra special thanks to David Harris, who has been a constant champion for making sure these stories do not remain untold. You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/forgottenexodus. The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC. You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.
Toledo was once the capital of Spain and is known as the city of 3 cultures. We talk about the easiest way to get to Toledo and the best thing to do when you arrive. Then we take you into the famous Toledo Cathedral before exploring the winding cobblestone streets. We can't believe the amount of swords for sale. Then we are taken by surprise at a Sunday session overlooking the Tajo River. Lastly we take a morning walk thru the Jewish Quarter (trying not to get run over) before following the city walls back towards the train station. Hope you enjoy. Click here to see pictures from this episode or go to Instagram and Facebook @beachtravelwine. For more travel stories visit our website www.beachtravelwine.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/leanne-mccabe/message
This week, we will be joined by Ellen Taraskiewicz! Ellen is a third-year PhD student in the Department of History at Indiana University with a concentration in twentieth-century American Jewish History. Her research interests include Jewish youth culture, student organizations, American Zionism, and the digital preservation of student archival materials. Ellen received her BA in History from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While in Philly, she spent time cataloguing defunct synagogues in the Jewish Quarter of South Philadelphia and began research on her current dissertation topic: Zionist student organizations. A full-text transcript of this episode is available via google doc. Want to be a guest or know somebody we should be talking to? Fill out our google form [link] https://tinyurl.com/Be-A-Guest Want to watch the video? All Grad School Life episodes are also available on the PhD Balance YouTube Channel. Follow our host Courtney on Twitter: @CApplewhiteX
It's over. God's wrath is fully played out against Egypt and the gods of Egypt. We now begin the journey to the PROMISED LAND. But before we head out the whole group of Hebrews and Moses sing a song, the Song by the Sea. Is this the Song of Moses as referenced in Rev. 15:1-3 ...' Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! (Rev 15:1-3) This is the only place in the entire Bible where one finds the phrase "the song of Moses." So, what is this song? Some say it is the Song by the Sea we are studying in Exod. 15. But, the Bible doesn't say that. It doesn't even call it the Song by the Sea. So, we find that many have OPINIONS and VIEWS as to what is the Song of Moses and say it is the Song by the Sea. However, there are places where the phrase "the Song of Moses" is used. It is found in Jewish literature and Torah commentary. All of a sudden we see that John, who is a Jew, when he, under the Lord's inspiration, wrote the Revelation, uses the phrase "the song of Moses" that seemingly was well understood in Second Temple Judaism. Then it was simply called THE SONG. It so happens it refers to Deut. 32:1-43. So we have two songs. The Song by the Sea and the the song God commands Moses to write down and teach all Israel. So, which one is the Song of Moses? This is very interesting. In this lesson I tell of an awesome day for me and my wife Robin in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. I was taking Bible geography class for my masters program and we stopped outside the Jewish gift shop, Shosharim. Shosharim means "the roots." See the picture below. It is owned by Rabbi Moses Kempinski and his brother. The rabbi is a great guy and loves to talk the Word of the Lord with Jews and Gentiles. He wants all to learn their ROOTS, their SHOSHARIM, the Jewish Roots of their faith both for those practicing Judaism and Christians. Our class was outside the shop and we got into an awesome dialogue with Moses - in Hebrew Moses is pronounced MOSHAY. See the picture of Rabbi Kempinski below. Rabbi Kempinski then asked us a question. The question was where did the phrase "saved by grace" come from? The answer was so so awesome. It literally blew me away. It is related to the Song by the Sea. Once again we see the truth of God's word and that God doesn't change and is the same then, now and forever. God's word is firmly settled in the universe. What was true today, was true in Paul's day, David's day, and in 1446 B.C. by Yam Suf, the Sea of Reeds. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Fès: The original. Where everything started. The first imperial capital, the roots of Moroccan culture, famous for its mixing of religious and cultural heritage. The capital city of Moroccan crafts, from carvings and jewellery to tanneries, and a former political capital as one of the four Imperial cities of Moroccan royalty.Our episode today features a modern trailblazer, one of the first women to become a certified tour guide in Morocco, Fatima Zahra. Growing up inspired by travellers from around the world coming to visit her city, Zahra now takes guests through the medina, the souks, madrassas and Jewish heritage sites of her native Fès.Azdean and Zahra chat about her experience becoming a guide in a male-dominated field, an introduction to the history and unique identity of Fès, and her suggestions for things to do whether you have only a couple days, or ideally many more, to truly appreciate this distinct and special city. You're about to learn:The three principal tourist areas of Fès:- Fès el Bali (the old city).- Fès el Jdid (the new city) and the neighbouring Jewish Quarter.- La Ville nouvelle (the modern city).Why the houses may seem plain on the outside, but are so beautiful on the inside.Fès' Jewish heritage, and how Berber, Jewish and Arab cuisines mixed together.Some of the local delicacies, particularly cooked salads and Moroccan pastilla.The traditional black ovens used to cook bread and filo pastries.The importance of madrassas (Koranic schools), and how you can visit them.For more show notes, including Azdean's recommendations of souks, madrassas and museums to visit when you're in Fès, go to the episode page:https://www.destinationmoroccopodcast.com/fes-the-roots-of-moroccan-culture-ep-8/Now is the time to visit, and Destination Morocco is in fact offering a special Jewish-themed guided tour, July 17-26, incorporating Jewish heritage highlights, in addition to regular popular sights. All the details and a special rate for podcast listeners can be found here: https://bit.ly/3wKYBEsThis Episode is sponsored by:Travel Anywhere - One stop for all your travel needs.https://www.travelanywhere.travel/Resources Mentioned in this episode:Fès, MoroccoZahra on Instagramhttps://www.handsofmorocco-tours.com - Zahra's great websiteFès tanneriesMoroccan craftsmanship, in many forms!Somewhere inside Moroccan souksMellah (Jewish Quarter) of FèsFollow, Share and Participate:Learn more about the show on our Podcast WebsiteFind beautiful pictures on our Instagram!Help people find us: Leave a Review in Apple PodcastsHelp us grow: Rate us on SpotifyBecome a Guest on the Show!Visit Destination
When Leah Stoch Spokoiny moved to Girona, halfway between Barcelona and the French border, in the heart of Catalan, she finally felt at home. The smells, food and social norms connected with her immediately, even though she wound up there almost by chance. The irony in her feeling at home is that she sticks out—not just as a Canadian, but as one of perhaps 50 Jewish residents in the city of 100,000 people. Despite Girona being the hometown of the Ramban, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, today it has barely any Jews living there, especially in its historic Jewish Quarter. That is, Until Stoch Spokoiny moved in. Since nailing up perhaps the Jewish Quarter's first mezuzah since 1492, Stoch Spokoiny has joined the board of the city's Jewish community, planning communal events and promoting her people's history in the region. She joins Yehupetzville as the first guest in our second season, which will feature Jews living in small communities beyond Canada's shores, anywhere around the world. Credits Yehupetzville is hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Michael Fraiman is the producer and editor. Our music was arranged by Louis Simão and performed by Louis Simão and Jacob Gorzhaltsan. Our sponsor is PearTree Canada, which you can learn more about at peartreecanada.com. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, watch this video.
Six more intriguing city break ideas from guest travel bloggers. This month, we cover a couple of European favourites, take in both NYC and Mexico City, venture to Abu Dhabi and go on our first 'virtual trip' to the Jewish Quarter in Prague. As ever, loads of ideas for what to see, do, eat and drink along the way. Have a listen and be inspired. Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk This week's guest websites https://whereangiewanders.com https://travelaroundthegalaxy.com https://kasiawrites.com/insta-links
Find the free video version of this audio on www.relaxingtraveler.com Support this Podcast by subscribing to my YouTube Channel! I upload traveling videos there for sleep, relaxation, focus, meditations, exploration to help you sleep better and discover new places! The following link will direct you to the Relaxing Traveler YouTube channel: www.relaxingtraveler.com This podcast episode: JEWISH QUARTER, Old city | JERUSALEM
A trip to Prague's Jewish Quarter, Hussite warfare
A trip to Prague's Jewish Quarter, Hussite warfare
Where were the gates leading to the temple located? What were their names and their uses? Do all of them have names and a purpose? This and more in today's mishna CC [00:15:45] Moshe is overcome with awe at witnessing the beautiful newly reconstructed Churva synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. Is it permissible for him to fully prostrate himself there? Find out it today's Chashukei Chemed.
Tour Company for our Show Host https://www.privatetourskrakow.com/ (https://www.privatetourskrakow.com/) Hotel in the Old Town https://hotelgrodek.com/ (https://hotelgrodek.com/) Metropolitan Hotel in the Jewish Quarter https://hotelmetropolitan.pl/ (https://hotelmetropolitan.pl/) St. Mary's Basilica (on the Old Square) https://mariacki.com/en/ (https://mariacki.com/en/) Founder of Café Culture in Europe https://culture.pl/en/article/the-spy-who-started-cafe-culture-a-secret-polish-history (https://culture.pl/en/article/the-spy-who-started-cafe-culture-a-secret-polish-history) Wawel Castle Krakow https://wawel.krakow.pl/en (https://wawel.krakow.pl/en) Main Square (Krakow) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Square,_Krak%25C3%25B3w (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Square,_Krak%C3%B3w) Honey & Rasberry Restaurant https://miodmalina.pl/en/ (https://miodmalina.pl/en/) Klezmierz Hois Restaurant https://klezmer.pl/en/ Auschwitz-Birkenau http://auschwitz.org/en/ Salt Mines https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/ (https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/) Zakopane (mountain town in the Tatra Mountains) https://discoverzakopane.com/ (https://discoverzakopane.com/) Dragon Festival http://www.krakow-poland.com/event/63/great-dragon-parade (http://www.krakow-poland.com/event/63/great-dragon-parade) Oskar Schindler Museum https://muzeumkrakowa.pl/en/branches/oskar-schindlers-enamel-factory (https://muzeumkrakowa.pl/en/branches/oskar-schindlers-enamel-factory) National Museum of Krakow https://mnk.pl/dashboard/branches (https://mnk.pl/dashboard/branches) Wikipedia link to Kazimierz (the Jewish Quarter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz) Book written by our guest, Christopher Skutela 100 MOMENTS POLAND: A Virtual Travel Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HQ6DXPT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_69XF615FEEJTES65P323 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HQ6DXPT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_69XF615FEEJTES65P323)
Join Rob and Caterina as they go over why the Jewish Quarter was the first tour that she ever did and why she decided also to do it as a virtual tour presentation too. The Jewish Community in Rome is without a doubt one of the most interesting communities in Rome. The Jewish people have been here for over 2000 years and we discuss how much they have contributed to Roman Society today. Notwithstanding the oppression that they have faced since the creation of the Ghetto and many other moments of terrible persecutions, this community is thriving today and is deeply connected to the Eternal City. There is also some lovely discussion of wine and Jewish/Roman cultural food and our ever popular TE Travel Tips segment where our guides share with you their best tips to help you prepare for your trip to Italy!
Photo: No known restrictions on publication.The New John Batchelor ShowCBS Audio Network@BatchelorshowIndiana" Hoenlein and the Lost Jewish quarter of Medieval Oxford. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @ThadMcCotter @theamgreatnesshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-jews-england-kept-kosher-laws-new-finds-show-180977389/
Plus a new exhibition from learning disabled artists and ancient poetry brought to life with five short films by award-winning Jack Jewers. Subscribe to our newsletters - www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk/newsletter Follow Country & Town House on Twitter Follow Country & Town House on Instagram We're reading: The Art Museum in Modern Times by Charles Saumarez Smith We're following: Charles Saumarez Smith's blog https://charlessaumarezsmith.com/blog/ We're visiting: The virtual exhibition Electric Dreams https://venturearts.org/exhibitions-events/exhibition-electric-dreams/ We're watching: Jack Jewers's short films illustrating five ancient classical poems to celebrate World Poetry Day https://inversefilm.uk We're going on: A Virtual Walking Tour of the Jewish Quarter in Budapest on 15th April https://www.arthistoryinfocus.com/courses/286/cultural-travels-from-home--a-walking-tour-of-the-jewish-quarter-in-budapest.html For all other tours visit www.arthistoryinfocus.com We're visiting: The Yorkshire Sculpture Park https://ysp.org.uk and seeing Alison Milner's exhibition Decorative Minimalist https://ysp.org.uk/exhibitions/alisonmilner Produced and Edited by Alex Graham
Revival that spreads rapidly often–if not exclusively–is a result of persecution and/or efforts at the very least suppressing God’s people. The Carto, a bustling street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem is a perfect example of this reality. The Romans were hellbent on eliminating the Jewish people, their culture and their cities. What’s amazing, and only something God could do, is the Jewish people not only survived, they actually thrived. You could experience this with your own eyes if you walked down the street of Cardo! In our comfortable American culture, many of us (yes, that includes me!) are distracted by our material blessings and the wonderful freedom the Lord has granted us, and therefore praying for revival can sadly sit on the back burner. Then when you add to the thought of severe persecution being the catalyst for revival, one certainly has to take a step back from self-centered ways.
News, Czech film Charlatan on shortlist for Best International Film in Academy Awards, new website celebrates legacy of Sir Nicholas Winton, Prague's Jewish Quarter
News, Czech film Charlatan on shortlist for Best International Film in Academy Awards, new website celebrates legacy of Sir Nicholas Winton, Prague's Jewish Quarter
In this episode of Hellfire Nights... The boys leave the ancient vampire's lair and head out for a spa night. And where better to have a spa night than... You guessed it, White Chapel near the Jewish Quarter. Don't miss this surprising episode of Hellfire Nights. Become a Patron! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-bardic-college/support
Cześć again from Kraków, Poland! Welcome to the second instalment of my visit to one of my new favourite Eastern European cities. If you missed Part I of my time in Kraków then go back and listen to get up-to-date with what I am doing and why I am here. I pick up where I left off, speaking with my new friend and Walkative! tour guide, Thomasz – a giant among tour guides here in Kraków. Literally… he's more than 2 meters tall. DENMARK AT FIFA WORLD CUP Before I let him go, we had to talk a bit about the FIFA World Cup that was taking place in Russia at the time of my visit. Poland had already been eliminated and now it was time for my own team to play an all or nothing match. Thomasz sympathised with me about how tough Croatia will be for Denmark to take the win. The nerves were kicking in! I found a great sports bar close to Kraków Square that was showing the match between Denmark and Croatia. The first minute of the match saw Denmark score a goal to take an early lead. But my elation was quickly abated 3 minutes later when Croatia equalised. The tight game remained drawn at 1-1 until the end of regular time, so the two teams had to go into extra time... My heart was racing as Croatia were rewarded with a penalty kick…but thankfully the Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel saved it. And when extra time was up, the game had to be decided by a tense penalty shootout. Alas, it wasn't meant to be for Denmark. We lost the penalty shootout which meant we were eliminated from the competition, but it was so close that it could have gone either way. The bar was full of English supporters, who were all helping me cheer for Denmark in between their now infamous chants of “It's coming home”. So, I told them I would be back every time England would play to repay their support...which I did. KRAKOW'S JEWISH QUARTER To heal my footballing sorrows, I took another Walkative! Free Walking Tour to hang out with ‘Big Tom' again, this time to visit the Jewish Quarter. At the beginning of the tour, Thomasz tells us something I've heard in many places in the eastern portion of Europe: Polish people like to be referred to as ‘Central European' and not ‘Eastern European'. I've heard this in many countries, from the first stop on my journey in Estonia and all the way down to through the other Balkan countries. Maybe because it has a Soviet Block ring to it? Thomasz asked the group to come closer as he says in a quieter voice (so no Polish person would hear him) that he feels it's a bit of bull crap. In his opinion, Poland is Eastern Europe. I felt that this is something he didn't want to have on tape, so obviously, I had to speak to him about this as we were walking to the next spot. “As a historian and guide, I consider Poland to be part of Eastern Europe. But some ‘proud' Poles like to say otherwise. I understand where this idea comes from, and it shows just how upset we are as a nation about how we feel nobody cares or knows about us. It is a common Polish pastime to be sad” he jokes. “We were treated as a satellite country of the Soviet Union for decades and I guess this is a way for Polish people to regain their independent identity. But, as an educated man, I believe that the border between Germany and Poland is the border between Central and Eastern Europe”. AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU The next day, I decided to take a tour of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps - a must-do item if you ever find yourself in Poland. I knew it was not going to be an easy or delightful tour, but sometimes the most important things in life are difficult. All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by Germans in 1940, a bit more than an hour's drive from Kraków. The direct reason for the establishment of the camp was to accommodate the high number of mass arrests of Poles that were increasing beyond the capacity of the existing local prisons. It functioned in this role throughout its existence, even when it also became the largest of the extermination centres used to persecute Jewish people in the Nazi's ‘final solution' campaign of terror, beginning in 1942. DIVISION OF THE CAMP The first and oldest structure was the so-called "main camp," later also known as "Auschwitz I" which was established on the grounds and in the buildings of pre-war Polish barracks. The number of prisoners here was around 15,000 at one time, sometimes rising above 20,000. The second part was the Birkenau camp which held over 90,000 prisoners in 1944, also known as "Auschwitz II" situated about 3 kilometres away. This was the largest part of the Auschwitz complex, and this is where the greater part of the gas chambers and crematoriums for the mass extermination was built. The first prisoners here were Poles, but from 1942 the vast majority of those sent to Auschwitz were Jewish. Throughout the existence of the camp, the authorities there treated the Jewish people with the most ruthless, and often quite refined, cruelty. The German SS soldiers regarded a Jewish life as the least valuable of all. To the greatest possible extent, the Jewish people fell victim to starvation, cold, hard labour, constant harassment and abuse, and various kinds of extermination operations. AUSCHWITZ AS THE CENTER FOR THE EXTERMINATION OF THE JEWS Auschwitz served as the largest Nazi center for the destruction of the Jewish population of the European countries occupied by and allied to the Third Reich. The majority of the Jewish people who arrived in Auschwitz - at least 1.1 million people, including more than 200 thousand children and young people - were killed in the gas chambers immediately or soon after arrival. “The reason some of the gas chambers are no longer here is that as the Allied forces were approaching to win the war, the Nazis tried to destroy the evidence of their mass murder,” our tour guide tells us. “As the victims were never buried, this place is a site of symbolic commemoration, like a cemetery. There were no graves, only ashes.” VISIT AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU Admission to the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free of charge. However, you need to reserve your entry at visit.auschwitz.org. For a better understanding of the history of Auschwitz, I suggest a visit with a guide. And if you're in a group of more than ten people (like we were), it's recommended that you rent headphones that are wirelessly connected to the microphone of the guide. As I expected, this was a depressing visit. But I believe that humanity needs to actively keep our history alive in order for us to never forget, and to never allow ourselves to be faced with such plight ever again. That's why I went. And that's why I recommend everyone to go. EXTENDING MY VISIT IN KRAKÓW My original plan was to spend 3 weeks in Poland in total, split evenly between Kraków and Warsaw. But after my first week in Kraków, I liked it so much that I decided to extend it to 2 weeks in Kraków and 1 week in the capital. I wanted to stay in the Jewish district which is a bit closer to the Old Town, so I found another Airbnb. It looked good but then something happened… They were doing renovations in the building and the sound of banging hammers and not being able to open my windows were causing me frustrations. My host never told me about the renovations, which was annoying, but I am an adaptable digital nomad and decided to just get on with it. FOOTBALL HOOLIGANS And then it was time for me to honour my promise to help support the English football fans at the sports bar. One thing I didn't take into account was that they were playing against my brother country, Sweden. There were hundreds of singing English supporters and only a few Swedes, so it was hard not to be carried away. English football has always been on the world stage particularly on the club level, with teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, and so many household names. But on a national team level, they haven't been outstanding in FIFA World Cups and various European Cups. But this year it was different, they were doing great. Unfortunately, it didn't last. A few days later, I was back at the sports bar with my English football fans and friends when England was eliminated. A few of the fans became a bit aggressive in their disappointment, so I decided to leave before they turned into hooligans. But there were only a few, most of them were just great fans. And that's it from Kraków. The next day I headed to the Polish capital, Warsaw, where I will pick up in my next episode, so be on the lookout for that! My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See ya! SPREAD THE WORD I'd like to ask you for a favour. If you like this episode, please tell a friend. I'm dead serious… Pick up the phone or send a message to a friend telling him or her about this podcast. It's the best way to spread the word about this podcast, and I'll be so happy if you could help me this way. You are the best. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! I really would like to hear from you. Where are you and what are you doing as you listen to this episode? You can either send me an email on listener@theradiovagabond.com or go to my website http://theradiovagabond.com/contact. Or send me a voice message by clicking on the banner. The coolest thing about this option is that you can listen back to your message before sending it. Give it a try now! Either way, I would love to hear from you. It's so nice to know who's on the other end of this. SPONSOR A special thank you to my sponsors, Hotels25.com, who always provide me with the best, most affordable accommodation wherever I am in the world. RADIOGURU This episode was produced by me and my production company, Radioguru. If you need any help starting a podcast or if you need voice overs in any language for online videos and other things, please reach out.
* One of RSR's Most Important Programs EVER! Biblical archaeologist Dr. Steven Collins has been convincing a lot of secular archaeologists that the ruins of Sodom are located exactly where Genesis 13 locates that historical city. On Real Science Radio today Collins adds great corroboration to our previous interview with Dr. Phillip Silvia about the major Bronze Age city at this location. In the time of Abraham, everything above ground in this city of Sodom was obliterated in an explosive aerial burst of intense heat that demolished the buildings exploding countless clay pots and melting many portions of the resulting potsherds into glass. The catastrophe left the richly arable land salt saturated and non-arable and abandoned for the next five centuries. * City Discovered! Dr. Collins' Discovering the City of Sodom, published by Simon & Schuster's Howard Books, gets accolades from the director of the archaeological dig at Gath in the West Bank, Aren Maeir, from the archaeological architect of the digs at the Western Wall and Southern Wall of the Temple Mount and the Jewish Quarter Excavations of the Old City of Jerusalem Leen Ritmeyer, and the University of Liverpool emeritus professor of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages Alan Millard. Want to visit the ruins of Sodom? You can spend time on the dig site at the ruins of Sodom for a couple days or longer in January, February, and March 2021. Just click on over to digsodom.com to support or even to get involved with Dr. Collin's excavation! Today's BEL Resource: Many in our science audience have never noticed our Government Department in our KGOV Store. There, we are featuring our classic God's Criminal Justice System seminar and our important videos God and the Death Penalty, Live from Las Vegas, and Bob on Drugs DVDs, and our powerhouse Focus on the Strategy resources! It's a bit different to promote these to an RSR listener, but of course, we all should be versed on such vital matters! * Also from Real Science Radio: from rsr.org/archaeology see... - rsr.org/sodom (2020 and 2018 with Dr. Silvia) - rsr.org/camels - rsr.org/exodus - rsr.org/pharaoh - rsr.org/jericho - rsr.org/flood - Patterns of Evidence.
While Yom Yerushalayim is a day that primarily focuses on the Six Day War and the capture of Yerushalayim, it leads one to wonder how it was lost in the first place. For that we must return to the battle of Jerusalem in the spring of 1948. With the British preparing to leave, the Haganah and the Arab Legion were preparing to fight for the city. It's a match between David Shaltiel, the German born Haganah commander, against his adversary Abdullah Tal. With Yerushalayim under siege, civilians had wait on line for water, and the food shortage led to starvation. The hope for Jewish sovereignty in the Holy City was soon dashed, as the last residents of the Jewish Quarter into Jordanian captivity. An ugly divide of barbed wire, would divide the ancient city for the 19 years to come. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: Apple: tinyurl.com/yy8gaody Google Play: tinyurl.com/yxwv8tpc Spotify: tinyurl.com/y54wemxs Stitcher: bit.ly/2GxiKTJ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at yehuda@yehudageberer.com
"it's okay dear, it's been circumcised"
Rabbi Mosbacher shares his adventures in Prague with a group of Temple Shaaray Tefila teens, including exploring Prague's Jewish Quarter (and its 1,000 years of Jewish history), the moving power of visiting the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezin, Czech Republic, and an unexpected bright spot visitors can find there. In the interview, Cantor Kipnis reveals his favorite genre of secular music and favorite secular singer (bet you can't guess!), the exact moment he knew he wanted to be a cantor, and why he loves living in New York City. Rabbi Mosbacher divulges his favorite holiday (something rabbis don't often do!), shares a great podcast you'll want to check out, and sets out a challenge that, if undertaken, might just enrich your life. Temple Shaaray Tefila is located at 250 E. 79th St. in New York City. Find us on Facebook at Temple Shaaray Tefila NYC, and on Instagram @shaaraytefila. For Commuting with the Rabbi underwriting and sponsorship opportunities, e-mail us at comms@tstnyc.org. Thanks for listening! We're so glad you could join us.
Explore Europe: Budapest Show Notes In this episode of Explore Europe brought to you by Used Car Guys, we discover Budapest! Budapest is often called the Pearl of the Danube or the Paris of the East. It sits at the crossroads of Western and Eastern Europe and manages to combine old world charm, through its magnificent architecture and grand coffee houses with modern lifestyle, offering trendy cafés, bars and high restaurants and all for a really affordable price. Here are the links from our Explore Europe Budapest episode: John flew with WOW airlines but it seems like they don’t fly to Budapest, he of course meant Wizzair instead: https://wizzair.com/ The hotel where John stayed (he booked via booking.com): http://www.caratboutiquehotelbudapest.com/index.htm?lbl=ggl-en-rmk&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqa32wtO52wIVVYfVCh13ZAAHEAAYASAAEgLr1_D_BwE The hop on and hop off bus tour: http://www.citytour.hu/en The Royal Palace: http://budacastlebudapest.com/open/ St. Stephen’s Basilica: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Basilica The mom & pop local restaurant that John recommends: http://hungarikumbisztro.hu/elerhetosegeink.html The New York Cafe where John went for breakfast: http://www.newyorkcafe.hu/menu.html The fancy restaurant that John visited: https://caviarandbull.com/budapest/ Podcast Conversation Timeline 00:01 - Welcome to the Podcast1:46 - Where are we exploring today?2:31 - The History of Budapest 3:09 - How do you get to Budapest?3:50 - Ramona gets stuck in with good ole booking.com when it comes to accomodation. But, where should you stay whilst in Budapest? John tells you more…4:17 - What currency do they use?4:46 - What should you do when you arrive?5:22 - John gives you the lay of the land (with a little help of google maps) 6:14 - John’s infamous hop on hop off bus - what do you see and should you do it?7:39 - Budapest and Communism 8:15 - When is the best time to visit the city? 8:46 - Must see | The natural spas 9:36 - Did you know that Budapest has it’s own version of the statue of liberty? John tells you where you can find it as well as some perfect photo spots.10:45 - Visit The St. Steven’s Basilica | The main Catholic Church in Budapest 11:11 - Hero’s Square | The Victories Of War | The Buddapest Sign | The Archeangel Gabriel 11:49 - The Budapest Markets and did John love the Hungarian Chilli? 12:29 - Visit the 2nd largest synagague in the world 13:10 - The proud history of the Nobel Prize Laureates 13:55 - Academia and cultural history of Hungary 14:31 - Here we go…it’s food time! What’s the food like and where should you eat? 16:08 - John’s tip to make your trip easier 16:37 - More food glorious food!17:37 - John explains why you should definitely make it a must- see and visit, ‘The New York Cafe’ whilst you’re visiting Budapest. 19:06 - The Jewish Quarter and the nightlife 19:29 - Hang on, what about fine dining, John? 21:48 - Is Budapest safe to travel to? 22:59 - Do I need to speak Hungarian to visit? 24:22 - Booking with low cost airlines - the pros and cons 27:14 - Any specific visas/passport requirements when visiting?28:27 - John’s final tips for Budapest 30:43 - Michelle’s sustainable travel tip: Take your own reusable coffee cup with you! Are you planning a trip to Budapest? We would love to hear all about your trip and any tips you have for fellow explorers. Leave a comment below or tweet us at @explore_europe and use the hashtag #ExploreEurope Please leave a comment/subscribe/tell a friend A Massive Thank You For Listening!
We stayed two weeks in Kraków, once the capital of Poland and still an incredibly vibrant city. We loved the Old Town as well as Kazimierz and the Jewish Quarter, and, of course, had a lot of great food. This is our favourite city in Poland!
The United Nations resolution against the Israeli settlements, made possible by the abstention of the United States from the vote, claims that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under International law. This includes East Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter in the Old City and the Western Wall. The passing of the resolution caused outrage throughout much of the Israeli government and public. What this resolution in effect says is that it is illegal for Jews to live in Judah. It in effect says that Jews who live there must be deported. Hitler would have supported it too.
The United Nations resolution against the Israeli settlements, made possible by the abstention of the United States from the vote, claims that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under International law. This includes East Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter in the Old City and the Western Wall. The passing of the resolution caused outrage throughout much of the Israeli government and public. What this resolution in effect says is that it is illegal for Jews to live in Judah. It in effect says that Jews who live there must be deported. Hitler would have supported it too.
In Jerusalem's New City, we appreciate this culture's fascinating mix of east and west, secular and sacred, modern and traditional. While it's not convenient or economical to live in the medieval tangle of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem, Israel, devout Jews find great joy in living and raising their families so close to the Western Wall. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
In Jerusalem’s New City, we appreciate this culture’s fascinating mix of east and west, secular and sacred, modern and traditional. While it’s not convenient or economical to live in the medieval tangle of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem, Israel, devout Jews find great joy in living and raising their families so close to the Western Wall. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
It’s October 23 in ‘The Riddle of the Sands’, a day when Carruthers takes advantage of the mighty German railways to speed his way to Amsterdam for a night in a proper bed. The only downside? He has to endure half the journey with the creepy engineer, Böhme: “Don’t forget to go to Lloyds…” So, it’s railways, luxury hotels by the Amstel River, and possible real-life role models for Böhme. If that floats your boat, don’t forget to pledge your support for the Adventure Club Handbook on https://unbound.co.uk/books/riddle-of-the-sands. Just £25 gets you a Handbook, a Field Audiobook, an e-book and full web access to our live web adventure. First up, Lloyd NotDavies gets his Bradshaw’s out and indulges his obsession for timetables (07:34). We discover how Carruthers would have got from Nordeney to Amsterdam in real life in 1898 - and how Tim NotCarruthers can ride (roughly) the same route today. Astute readers will notice how quickly a German army could travel through Holland and Belgium by train. Lloyd refers to the famous historian AJP Taylor to show the importance of train timetables in army mobilisation and the start of World War One (14:05). Tim NotCarruthers ignores the rattling of sabres and researches, instead, the nicest possible hotels to stay at by the Amstel River (19:35). He finds a historic hostelry with basement showers and a unique line in deep massage and physical therapy. Tim also goes looking for a slop-shop in the Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam, and uncovers the dark reasons for why he can’t find one (24:38). And so to real life examples of Böhme the military engineer - Böhme the Nazi war criminal (28:08); von Pressel the chief architect of the Baghdad Railway (31:30), von der Goltz Inspector-General of Fortifications in 1898, and lover of young Turks (33:13); Krupp the steel magnate, and lover of young Corsicans (36:23). Club Business: John Ironside on German comedy videos (39:43); Zydny on Lancaster guns (40:41); Tony F on rowing speeds (41:36); Kass reports calmly on a proper sailing (mis)adventure (43:43); Jeff loves our Memmert episode (45:28); Brian offers to set us up with rowing lessons (45:40); Jon joins in with tales of Thames sculling at speed (46:33); a special ‘Ahoy’ to Adrian for finally tracking down the original Queenborough steamer pier (48:30). MUSIC CREDITS Great Open Sea by the Wellington Sea Shanty Society: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Wellington_Sea_Shanty_Society/none_given_1098/12_-_Wellington_Sea_Shanty_Society_-_Great_Open_Sea Waiting for a Train - Flash and the Pan: https://youtu.be/skVv0__xKdY
Prague, Czech Republic, is home to Europe's most interesting Jewish quarter. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Prague, Czech Republic, is home to Europe's most interesting Jewish quarter. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
In this video, we'll take a trip to Rome's Jewish Quarter, one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
In this video, we'll take a trip to Rome's Jewish Quarter, one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Reporter: "Well, Shanghai to me means survival. There were two kinds of survivors during the holocaust. There were survivors, there were lucky survivors. We in Shanghai were the lucky survivors." This is Evelyn Pike Rubin, one of the thousands Jews that survived the holocaust by fleeing the Nazis' advance through Europe for Shanghai back in the 1940s. "My mother was one of seven. One of her sisters had gone to what was then Palestine and survived; one brother had gone to England; all the others were all murdered by the Germans together with their husbands and children. The extended family we lost close to 80 people." The 84-year-old was only eight when she fled to Shanghai with her family in 1939. Rubin is among the 20-thousand Jews that lived in Shanghai during the Second World War. At the time, Shanghai was one of the few options where Jews could find refuge from the holocaust. The city embraced the thousands refugees without requiring an entry visa. Pointing at her teen class photo on the exhibition board, Rubin remembers well her eight years living in the oriental city. "We lived in the French Concession. I went to the Shanghai Jewish School, where I learned to speak English. The Nazis came in 1942 and told the Japanese they wanted them to do away with us and that's when they put us into the ghetto and things got bad, but at least they didn't kill us. And we lived more closer with the Chinese people. I really got to know the Chinese people a little better. We never had a problem with them. They were very kind and very nice and very helpful." Rubin's story is one of the hundreds of stories being displayed at the exhibition, "Jewish Refugees and Shanghai," which opened to the public on June 25th at the Washington Convention Center of the U.S. The event is co-sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, or AJC, and the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum. Chen Jian, the curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, says the exhibition was well received when it toured the states last year, hitting Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. This year, the AJC invited the exhibition back to visit more American cities, including the nation's capital. The curator says it is a good time to tell the story again and reflect on the history as we approach the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War Two. "The exhibition tells the story of the Jewish refugees coming to Shanghai and how Chinese people helped them through their hardest time in life. And through the stories, we pass our cultural concepts to the Americans; that we Chinese are always willing to help when needed. The freedom of the Jewish refugees is the fruits of the victory of the World War against fascism, as well as the victory of the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Therefore, it is of significant importance to tell the story again here; to reflect the history, and avoid repeating the tragedy." Divided into six parts covering fleeing to Shanghai to the refugees' lives and the special hard days in the Hongkou Ghetto, the exhibition is comprised of many photos and documents from back then that revive the old days in "Little Vienna", Shanghai's Jewish Quarter. There, you can find the visas for life that Dr. Ho Fengshan issued for thousands of Jews, the ferry tickets taking them away from danger, and you can also learn about many touching stories between the suffering refugees and the local Chinese who were, at the time, also in a tragically dire situation. Several US congressmen and congresswomen, including Mike Honda and Judy Chu, are among the first to visit the exhibition. Allan Reich is a member of the AJC Board of Governors and one of the people that made the event taking place in Washington, D.C. possible. "In remembering the past, we also look to the future, to strengthen the positive relations between China and the United States, between China and Israel, and between the Jewish and Chinese communities globally and within our countries." Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, is also at the opening ceremony and speaks with the Jewish survivors, while examining the exhibition closely. Lu Kang, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese Embassy in D.C., stresses the significance for the exhibit to come to the U.S. capital. "Behind each photo, there is a touching story. We are glad to see that neither the Chinese nor the Jewish people have let this part of history fade out and that our friendship has emerged stronger after our shared adversity." The shared experience is not only being remembered, but also leads to further and deeper bonds between the two peoples. According to the curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, Chen Jian, that's one of the reasons why there are about two-thousand Jewish businessmen in Shanghai today. "Decades have passed, but they never forget the history. Over the period of China's opening up and reform, many Jewish businessmen invested in Shanghai and cooperated with us, which is another way to show their gratitude to the past history." Just as the curator says, the story does continue. For Evelyn Pike Rubin, who now lives in Long Island, New York, she just got an email from her childhood neighbor in Shanghai. The lady recognized her when Rubin returned to the community with three of her children in 2006 for the reunion of Jews once living in the Shanghai Ghetto. After many years, the Shanghai native finally got in touch with her Jewish friend. The "Jewish Refugees and Shanghai" exhibit will be open to the public through the week until June 29 in Washington, D.C. It will later travel to Houston, Texas. For Studio plus, I'm He Fei from Washington, D.C.
The huge and gorgeously restored Great Synagogue (also called Dohány Street Synagogue) is the biggest in Europe. Tour the ornately Moorish-flavored interior and explore the attached museum. Outside, don’t miss the powerful Memorial Garden with its shimmering sculpture Tree of Life. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.
The huge and gorgeously restored Great Synagogue (also called Dohány Street Synagogue) is the biggest in Europe. Tour the ornately Moorish-flavored interior and explore the attached museum. Outside, don't miss the powerful Memorial Garden with its shimmering sculpture Tree of Life. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.
Visit Your Jewish Neighborhood at our official home:www.yourjewishneighborhood.org This week's links: Tour guide Lenka Martinkova's website Virtual Jewish History tour of Prague Jewish Magazine article, Prague and the Jews Contemporary Jewish Culture in Prague Judaism listing in the Portal of Prague