Listen to Hazzan Isaac Azose sing a popular Ladino song with an Ottoman melody
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."
How contributions from Christopher Columbus’ Sephardic astronomer illustrate complex legacies of exploration and conquest
You’ve probably heard of Christopher Columbus, but have you heard of the Sephardic astronomer who helped him chart his course across the seas?
Sephardic Jews in Turkey were told to assimilate. Today’s generation is reclaiming its identity through the Ladino language
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.
Learning from the history of Ottoman Jews & 19th-century cholera outbreaks during COVID-19
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.
For some descendants of Sephardic Jews who were forced to convert, learning the Ladino language is an act of restitution
Student Victor Alejandro Castillo shares the importance of Ladino for those of "converso" (converted Jewish) descent.
What I learned from majoring in Jewish Studies and studying abroad in Israel and London
Senior Lily Rosencrantz reflects on what she learned in her time with Jewish Studies, both at the University of Washington and abroad.
Sephardic by birth, Massarano by choice: Reclaiming my Sephardic heritage
Student Abby Massarano explains why changing her name was an important step in connecting with her Sephardic heritage.
How Jewish residents of Seattle remembered the Armenian massacres in the Ottoman Empire
Looking at how Sephardic Jews in Seattle recalled massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey shows why it's important to go beyond "good guys" and "bad guys" in interpreting history, writes graduate fellow Oya Rose Aktaş.