March 8, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The Sephardic Experience: A Journey Through History, Memory, and Legacy
Mondays, March 8 and 15 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Join Dr. Isaac Amon for a trip back in time and space to the origins, experience, and legacy of Sephardic Jewry on the Iberian Peninsula. Beginning in Roman times, the Jewish community in Iberia was substantial, prosperous, and incredibly well integrated, especially during their so-called ‘Golden Age.’ Yet, due to political and social developments, life markedly changed and persecution, discrimination, and forced conversions ensued in the Late Middle Ages, culminating with the royal decree to expel Spanish Jewry in 1492. This edict, which followed an infamous trend in European history, led to the beginnings of the Sephardic Diaspora as Iberian Jewry sought new places of refuge, ultimately creating a new world for themselves and their descendants. The first session will focus on the origins, experience, and life on the Iberian Peninsula up to the late 15th century. The second session will follow the Crypto-Jews who endured under the Inquisition, before fleeing to various places such as London, Amsterdam, Brazil, and then on to these United States.
Register here.
Made possible through funds from the Ruzena and Fred Levy Speaker Fund