Uncovering the history of Seattle’s first settlers from the Ottoman Empire
Using census data from the early 20th century, grad fellow Oya Rose Aktaş sketches a portrait Seattle's very first residents from the Ottoman Empire, from 1890-1910.
Using census data from the early 20th century, grad fellow Oya Rose Aktaş sketches a portrait Seattle's very first residents from the Ottoman Empire, from 1890-1910.
By making a historic Sephardic songbook available online, graduate fellow Ke Guo hopes to pass on a rich legacy of Sephardic music — and to further our understanding of how Sephardic music has changed over time.
Countering misperceptions, grad fellow Abby Massarano explains that Jews in the 6th century CE embraced visual art, and shows what we can learn about these communities from their depictions of the key story of Abraham's Binding of Isaac.
Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela's travel writing shows that Jews in medieval Iraq and Kurdistan lived in (relative) peace and freedom, countering narratives of universal misery and oppression, grad fellow Jeffrey Haines writes.
With Ladino lyrics drawn from the Sephardic Studies Digital Collection, UW Ph.D. student Ke Guo and Hazzan Isaac Azose preserve the Ottoman tune to "El Dyo Alto."
You’ve probably heard of Christopher Columbus, but have you heard of the Sephardic astronomer who helped him chart his course across the seas?
For student Nesi Altaras, studying Ladino isn't only about learning the language of his family: it means reversing an assimilationist agenda against Turkish Jews that began in the 20th century — and continues today.
Grad fellow Canan Bolel explains the unfortunate parallels between responses to 19th-century cholera outbreaks in Ottoman Izmir (present-day Turkey) — especially for Jewish communities— and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.