H-Judaic has a review of Uriel I. Simonsohn’s A Common Justice: The Legal Allegiances of Christians and Jews under Early Islam. In the year 1030 CE, Shelomo ben Yehuda, the Palestinian gaon (medieval Jewish religious authority), wrote a letter lamenting the impossible position he and his fellow leaders were in. As someone charged with upholding [...]
Here are some articles (Hebrew) from the new volume of Iyyunim bi-Tekumat Yisrael. (hat tip) -Kimmy Caplan, “‘Hutzpedika Shmutzdikah Giyyoret’: Ha-Parashah shel Nissuei Amram Blau ve-Rut ben-David” (here) -Nissim Leon, “Halakhah ve-Populism be-Yahadut ha-Mizrahit bat Zemaneinu” (here) -Michal Shaul, “Shikum ha-Hevrah ha-Haredit be-Yisrael be-Tzel ha-Shoah” (here)
AIWAC has posted a translation of an op-ed by Dr. Ariel Picard on Sephardic moderation. Rav Ovadia is Haredi in that he sees modernity as the enemy. He does indeed come from a tradition of moderation, and therefore his halahic rulings are more moderate, but it is important to be careful and avoid confusing halachic [...]
Elder of Tsiyon links to a post about a new book that presents primary sources describing the experience of Jews in North Africa. The sources seem to focus on the documents from the Early Modern to the Modern Period. The book is in French and emphasizes the near constant humiliation, restrictions, and violence that the [...]
The first annual New York Sephardic Jewish Book Fair will take place on Sunday July 25, 2010 with book readings, author signings, book sales and tours at the Center for Jewish History. Hosted by the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), the book fair will bring together authors and book lovers that write about and enjoy books [...]
The Journal for the Study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry is available online. There are a number of interesting articles by such scholars as Moshe Idel, Zvi Zohar, and Morris Fairrstein.
My Djerban-born friend Yael G. introduced my family to a custom observed on Rosh Hodesh Nissan by Jews from Libya and Tunisia. The custom is called פשישה/בסיסה. See here and here. There are three reasons given for this custom: 1. According to Megillat Ta’anit, from Rosh Hodesh Nisan until the eighth of the month the [...]
This post is written with prayers for the health of עזיזה בת חווייכא who was born in Djerba. Marc Shapiro in his recent post Thoughts on Confrontation & Sundry Matters Part I mentions R. Moses Sitrug of Djerba. Hazan’s testimony about Jews who would go to the Church to listen the music, even if they [...]
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