International Ladino Day via Zoom this Year

Translation by Janet MITRANI

The Ottoman-Turkish Sephardic Cultural Research Center with the activities they organized, made Turkey become the only country that celebrates International Ladino Day totally in Ladino. Until this year, our activities starting at 11:00 in the morning would continue until 18:00. However, this year just like all around the world, the case that activities cannot be performed in any location due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forced us to celebrate International Ladino Day via Zoom.

We are aware that planning this event on Zoom has some advantages. Just as the participants, also audiences from all around the world will provide this day to be international in the real meaning of the word. This year having this in mind, apart from the other countries in the world celebrating this day, we will be presenting a three-hour program only in Ladino language.

During our program which will be enriched with participants from the USA, England, Argentine, and Israel, there will be short conferences, cooking, films, songs, and a documentary theatre play that has been written especially for this day and that will be performed totally in Ladino. The theater part of our Ladino Day has been very popular for three years. This year as always Forti Barokas wrote the play, and Ferit Kohen is directing it. The players are the group 'Amigos Para Syempre'. Since it is not possible to perform a theatre play through Zoom, we rented a theatre for one day, taking all the necessary precautions, stage shootings have been done with groups of 3 or 4 people.

This year our Sephardic Center which has always been a pioneer, once again prepared a program to everyone's liking, with the theater, music, film, food documentary, and the speakers. We took some precautions to prevent Zoom's technological disadvantages and to strengthen the internet connection to avoid interruptions in streaming.

As the Sephardic Cultural Research Center, we have been making many sacrifices to preserve, document, and teach Ladino (Judeo Espagnol). If you should want to support us for these issues, you can purchase one or more 'Certificate of Support' for International Ladino Day from the website 'www.istanbulsephardiccenter.com'.

Hoping to see you on Sunday, February 21st, at 16:00 Turkey time (07:00 Dallas, 08:00 New York, 10:00 Buenos Aires, 14:00 Europe, 15:00 Israel).

ZOOM ID: 981 0256 4439 Passcode: 687151

ZOOM link: https://bit.ly/3oV2rTT.

Related News

28 March

Democrat Party (DP) Visited Şalom

18 March

Moris Karmona Declared War On Bullying With His Book "Morhis"

Moris Karmona´s book "Morhis" in which he wrote his life story, has been published.

1 March

82nd Anniversary of the Struma Disaster

The Struma Immigration Ship had sailed from Constanza, Romania to take the Jews desperate to run from the Nazis to today´s Israel, and was sunk by a torpedo from a Russian submarine after anchoring off the coast of Istanbul for weeks.

26 February

Jenisya Yaeş Came First in the 16th National Young Soloist Competition

Soprano Jenisya Yaeş, who is studying at the Dokuz Eylül University State Conservatory, Opera Art Major Undergraduate 3rd grade, has been deemed worthy of first place in the University Category of the 16th National Young Soloist Competition.

19 February

Are You Ready for the Adventures of "Penga and Menga"?

Penga and Menga are two penguins who live far away from our country and are different from each other as day and night. What unites them is their adherence to their Jewish identity and traditions. It is a heartwarming story that narrates the harmony of differences and the friendship that arises from this harmony. The creators of the characters Penga and Menga are Vivet Pitelon Sparkes and her son Jim Sparkes. Also, the illustrations in the "Holidays" series (consisting of 11 books) designed for children, belong to both of them. The stories are written and translated into English (from Turkish) by Vivet.

13 February

Şalom Now on Mobile App

Şalom´s mobile application has been launched on IOS and Android platforms.

8 February

The Great Loss of Turkish Literature

Mario Levi, the great author who had contributed many important works to Turkish literature, passed away. The famous author was bid farewell on his last journey on Thursday, February 1st, with a ceremony held along with his loved ones at the Acibadem Jewish Cemetery.

18 January

Sending Departed Hanri Benazus Off On His Last Journey

16 January

Hanri Benazus Has Passed Away

The investigative writer and businessman Hanri Benazus who owned the largest Atatürk photography collection in Turkey, passed away at 94.

9 January

UÖMO Middle School Students´ Success in the Innovation Competition

Ulus Jewish Schools Middle School´s young tech geniuses achieved great success in the 10th Başahşehir Living Lab Innovation Competition. In the competition where 220 projects from all over Turkey have competed with the "Innovative ideas are competing" motto, UÖMO students, standing out from their rivals with their "Natural Disaster Kit", came third in the middle school category.