The Program has energized student, faculty, and community involvement in Sephardic history and culture through innovative research opportunities, courses, and lectures. Learn more >
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Read our brochure to learn more about the program
Love in the Ladino press: A 100 year old story
“Is it possible that a Jew who doesn’t speak Jewish (Yiddish) and doesn’t look Jewish can nevertheless have a Jewish soul?”
The Benezra collection: A Seattle Sephardic legacy
The Benezra family's complex journey from the Ottoman Empire to Seattle is best illustrated through family artifacts.
Share your story with the Sephardic Studies Program
Do you have letters, books, immigration documents, or other pieces of your family history? Please consider sharing them with the Sephardic Studies Program.
Sephardic Studies Collection at UW Libraries
View digital versions of original Ladino books and other documents composed in Ladino, Ottoman Turkish, Hebrew and French, and listen to audio of classic Sephardic ballads and folk songs. Learn more >
International Ladino Day
International Ladino Day is an annual program celebrating the Sephardic language Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) through the performance of stories and songs and through short lectures. Learn more about past programs by year >
Digital Projects
Sephardic Ballads Collection
A collection of over 140 audio recordings gathered by Dr. Rina Benmayor in Seattle and Los Angeles during the 1970s.
A Sephardic Lighthouse Museum Exhibit
Enter the world of Albert D. Levy (1896-1963), one of the leading Sephardic thinkers of 20th century, and explore writings, photographs, and documents.
Write Soletreo
Devin Naar and David Bunis teach viewers how to write in Soletreo and discuss the history of the Sephardic script.
Support Sephardic Studies
Make a gift to support Sephardic Studies at the University of Washington and its wide range of projects and programming. Learn more >
In the News
The UW Sephardic Studies Program has captured the attention of local media, national news outlets, and international venues from the UW Daily to The Jerusalem Post and Spanish radio. See recent stories >
Sephardic Treasures
Love in the Ladino press: A 100 year old story
“Is it possible that a Jew who doesn’t speak Jewish (Yiddish) and doesn’t look Jewish can nevertheless have a Jewish soul?”
The Benezra collection: A Seattle Sephardic legacy
The Benezra family's complex journey from the Ottoman Empire to Seattle is best illustrated through family artifacts.
Share your story with the Sephardic Studies Program
Do you have letters, books, immigration documents, or other pieces of your family history? Please consider sharing them with the Sephardic Studies Program.
Student Research
Both graduate and undergraduate students engage in a wide range of original research projects in Sephardic Studies through coursework, independent studies, senior theses, master’s theses, and Ph.D. dissertations. Read More >
Events
The Sephardic Studies Program hosts a variety of events exploring Sephardic culture and history and the Ladino language. View events by year >
Dr. Devin Naar, Sephardic Studies Program Chair & Isaac Alhadeff Professor of Sephardic Studies
Dr. Devin E. Naar is the Isaac Alhadeff Professor in Sephardic Studies, Associate Professor of History, and faculty at the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Naar graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis and received his Ph.D. in History at Stanford University. His forthcoming book with Stanford University Press, Jewish Salonica: Between the Ottoman Empire and Modern Greece, based on his prize-winning dissertation, explores the impact of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of modern Greece during the 19th and 20th centuries on the Jews of Salonica (Thessaloniki).
In recognition of the contributions he has already made to the study of Sephardic history, Dr. Naar was recently elected to the Academic Advisory Council of the Center for Jewish History in New York. He is the only assistant professor to receive this prestigious post, where he will represent the American Sephardic Federation.
Read more about Professor Naar at his Jewish Studies faculty page.
Sephardic Studies Founders’ Circle
Our program is deeply grateful for the support of the Sephardic Studies Founders’ Circle:
| Ike Alhadeff Foundation | Eli & Rebecca Almo | Joel & Maureen Benoliel |
| Harley & Lela Franco | Richard & Barrie Galanti | Marty & Sharon Lott |