Sephardic Studies graduate student spotlight: Visiting researcher Maria Papavasilopoulou
Greek scholar Maria Papavasilopoulou is researching Sephardic Jewish memory, music and identity for her Fulbright project.
Ladino Day 2024: “The Familiar” with Fantasy Author Leigh Bardugo
Bestselling fantasy author Leigh Bardugo ("Shadow and Bone") discusses her new novel, “The Familiar,” with faculty member Canan Bolel in Ladino Day 2024 at the University of Washington.
“Muestras Konsejas” Essay Competition
Presented with the Sephardic Brotherhood of America, this writing contest opened a new space for Sephardic stories.
Muestras Konsejas: Si Kere El Dio
Winner, general category. A conscripted husband miraculously reunites with his pregnant wife after fighting in the Balkan Wars in the Ottoman army — the great-grandfather and great-grandmother of author Nuia Menda Malki.
Muestras Konsejas: Mother, a Memoir
Runner up, general category. Gloria DeVida Kirchheimer offers a hilarious tribute to her feisty, theatrical mom, who came from Alexandria, Egypt, to New York in the 1930s.
Muestras Konsejas: Las Validjas
Winner, student category. Liza Cemel tells the story of her family's history, first across cities in Turkey, then across countries, bringing their validjas of memories and relationships with them.
Muestras Konsejas: Yogurt in Sephardi Life
Runner up, student category. Nesi Altaras recounts summers spent on the island of Buyukada, close to Istanbul, and the "traditional but extremely practical" feeling of being Sephardic in Turkey.
2024 Letter from the chair of Sephardic Studies
Update letter from Devin E.S. Naar, Isaac Alhadeff Professor in Sephardic Studies and chair of the UW Sephardic Studies Program.