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| Mr. Jack Bassoul with Sephardic History Students |
Over the last few weeks, seniors in The Sephardic History elective class were privileged to hear from visiting guest lecturers on a variety of topics related to the history of Syrian Jewry.
- Rabbi Dr. Abadie of the Edmond Safra synagogue led us on a whirlwind tour of the history of Syrian Jewry from its origins to the current day. He included a fascinating discussion of names and what they tell us about the origin of families in the 'SY' community as well as a discussion of some of the unique customs in the community.
- Professor, Rabbi Dr. Ricky Hidary lectured on 'the history and mystery of the Aleppo codex.' In a dynamic and fast-moving powerpoint presentation, Professor Hidary demonstrated why the Codex is so important and discussed the enduring mystery behind the missing pages of the Codex.
- Mr. Jack Bassoul, a member of Bnei Yitzchak who immigrated from Syria in 1992, shared his personal story with us and vividly described Jewish life in Aleppo under the brutal Assad regime. He talked about his schooling, religious life, persecutions, and interactions with non-Jewish neighbors.
Coming up:
- Mr. Victor Esses will join us for a musical presentation. He will play traditional Sephardic instruments and discuss the middle eastern sephardic musical tradition.
- Rabbi Nissim Elnakeb will lead a discussion on Ladino and a demonstration of Ladino music and classical Sephardic musical traditions
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| Rabbi Dr. Ricky Hidary introducing the Aleppo Codex to Students |