MAR 2 91983 """.,._ ".._1'll a,e', AD •u•o•T• ••• ···••T• The Sephardic Scholar Series 4 1979-1982 Edited by RACHEL DALVEN -1.. Published by THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SEPHARDIC STUDIES THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE The Sephardic Scholar Series 4 1979-1982 RACHEL DALV EN, Editor-in-chief Editorial Board DA YID F. AL TABE TOMAS L. RYAN HERMAN P. SALOMON M. MITCHELL SERELS P11blished by v. THE A,'v!ERICA N SOCIETY OF SEPHARDIC STUDIES 500 West 185th Street, New York, N. r. 10033 Subscription price $5 .00 'Ellp<iit«><; yciµcx; . Kwvo1ov11votin0An . c. 1860. H. van Lennep. !uAAoy,i 'Ellpo'iKo MouoEio 'EAJ.oooc:. Jewish Wedding. Constantinople. c. 1860. H. van Lennep. Coll. Jewi~h Museum of Greece. ..... TABLE OF CONTENTS The Introduction . 7 Sephardic Scholar The Call for the Sephardim to Return to Spain Journal of the American - The Haham, Dr. Solomon Gaon . 9 Society of Sephardic Studies An Anti-Semitic Anecdote in Lope De Vega and Juan De Luna - Joseph H. Silverman . 17 Greek Elements in Judea-Spanish Traditional Poetry - Samuel G. Armistead .. .. .... .. .. .. .. 23 Women in the Judea-Spanish Folktales - Reginetta Haboucha ... ...... .. .......... 33 Una elegia judeoespafiola: la quina par Flor I:Iasid Copyright 1982 - Paloma Diaz Mas . 48 The American Society of Sephardic Studies Moslem Influences in the Folktales of Canadian 500 Wes t 185th Street, Sephardim - Andre E. Elbaz . 54 New York , N .Y. 10033 Some Modern Greek Proverbs - Judaic or Classic in Origin? - Rachel Da/ven . 65 Three Traditional Judea-Greek Hymns and Their Tunes - Rachel Dalven and Israel J. Katz . 85 The Hahamim of the Serero Family - Rabbi M. Mitchell Sere/s . .. .. .. .. .... 102 Holocaust Poetry: The Forgotten Sephardim - Isaac Jack Levy . ..... ........ .. .. .. .. 111 Sephardim and Neo-S-ephardim in Latin-American Literature - Edna Aizenberg .... .... .. ...... 125 Kina de Tesha beAv - 5742 - David Fintz y Altabe . .. 133 Heptasilabos - Tomas L. Ryan de Heredia . ... ... 136 ........- INTRODUCTION The purpose of the Sephardic Scholar is twofold: to make known to the reader aspects of Sephardic culture, e.g. , historical, literary, religious A publication dedicated to the advancement of the and social which are perhaps little known; and to show how their secular Sephardic heritage, and the recognition of its and religious traditions are interrelated despite their separation in time and space. literature, customs and culture as it has been ex- We were fortunate to have the contributions of well-known schol­ perienced in all lands of the Diaspora. ars whose expertise in various disciplines bring this issue a variety of interesting topics. We hope that this will encourage future endeavors in Sephardic scholarship and perhaps evoke further response which will make our Sephardic culture better known. The Editorial Board of The Sephardic Scholar expresses its sincere appreciation to the Maybaum Brothers Memorial Fund of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva Univer­ sity, for their generous contribution which has made possible the publi­ cation of this issue. The Editorial Board Rachel Dalven, Editor-in-Chief David F. Altabe Reginetta Haboucha Tomas L. Ryan M. Mitchell Serels '1,. 9 THE CALL FOR THE SEPHARDIM TO RETURN TO SPAIN by The Haham, Dr. Solomon Gaon This paper is dedicated to the saintly memory of my teacher, Dr. Levy, who was murdered by the army of Hitler in Sarajevo. The question has often been asked why Spain has a special and a peculiar place in the life and heart of Sephardi Jews. The Russian Jew has ·not the same feeling for Russia, although he has known in that country,as the Jew did in Spain; prosperity as well as persecution. The German Jews see in Germany a country of scientific and intellectual achievement to which they themselves made an outstanding contribu­ tion and continue to maintain a cultural affinity with it. However, most do not have those close ties with the German people which spring from sentiment and even friendship, as is the case in the relationship between the Sephardim and Spain. In Spain, as in some other countries, the Jewish people reached the highest level of economic and cultural integration, but also the deepest degradation which found expression in the expulsion in 1492. They left the land of Spain but, without apology they perpetuated Spanish life in Salonika, Constantinople, as well as Tiberias, Safed and Jerusalem. They maintained Spanish customs; they saw to it that their sons acquired a Spanish outlook by teaching them the songs and language of ancient Spain. They became the faithful ambassadors of the country that expelled them. Gonzalo de Illescas, who fifty years after the expul­ sion from Spain met in \71:nice Jews from Salonika and Constantinople, and from other places in Turkey, stated, "They took to their new country our language, and that is the only language they use, even in commerce. In Venice I met Salonica Jews, even young men who speak better Spanish than I do." 1 Many reasons have been given for this special attachment of the Dr. Solomon Gaon is Chairman of Sephardic Studies at Yeshiva University ....... 10 The Sephardic Scholar Dr. Solomon Gaon 11 Sephardim to Spain but these do not fall within the scope of this paper. interest to mention in this connection that although the Inquisition was This attachment, however, helped to create certain reactions, especially abolished in 1813, it was reinstated in 1814 through the initiative of the among the intelligentsia of Spain, which resulted in attempts to per­ city of Seville. It was, however, finally abolished in 1834. suade the Sephardim to return to the country which so cruelly disowned It seems that the action of don Pedro Varela was, as mentioned them. The cultural tie between the Sephardim and Spain was only one of above, prompted by material considerations. The same motivation the reasons that prompted this effort but there were also the objective appears in the argument of other Spaniards who followed Varela's conditions that gave it a special impetus. example, such as Juan Antonio de Rascon, Spanish Ambassador in First of all there was, and there is even today, a strong, visible, and Turkey, Izidoro Lopez Lapuya, the editor of the El Progreso, and others. historic evidence of the Jewish existence on Spanish soil. Much of this Although some of these Spanish intellectuals were not in them­ evidence was brought to light by the late Professor Cantera Burgos, who selves motivated by financial considerations, they probably felt that the can be justly called one of the Ifaside umot Hao/am (' A Righteous most convincing argument, as far as the government was concerned, was Gentile'). In addition to the visible evidence such as synagogues, docu­ the one based on material gains. For that reason, even Dr. Angel Pulido ments, writings, there were also other reminders of the Jewish influence Fernandez, who, in the first place, emphasized the Hispanic cultural in Spain: the families who preserved a tradition of their connection with heritage preserved by the Sephardim, also stressed the economic benef­ Judaism, the church that continued to maintain an uncompromising its that would follow the admission of the Jews to Spain. hostility to the Jews, even after the official abolition of the Inquisition Dr. Angel Pulido Fernandez was a prominent doctor and professor and, last but not least, the more enlightened scholars, especially histori­ of Salamanca, and member of the Spanish Senate. In the summer of ans, who were ready to adopt a more critical and unbiased view of the 1903, he traveled with his wife and young daughter to Vienna to visit his Jewish contribution to the development of Spain and of the expulsion of son, Angel Pulido Martin, who was studying medicine there. In the 1492. As Amador de los Rios declared: course of his studies, Pulido Martin came into contact with the Sephar­ dim of the Austrian capital, and especially with the Sephardi students It is difficult to turn to the history of the Iberian Peninsula - without coming across an event or name in every page relating to the Hebrew who were organized in the Society La Esperanza. For the Jewish intelli­ nation. 2 gentsia of the Balkans, especially for the Sephardim, Vienna, with its universities and famous Rabbinic seminary, was the place where every family yearned to send their sons. There were a number of attempts to persuade the Spanish authori­ In 1903, Pulido Martin published a letter in El Siglo Medico ('The ties to issue a call to the Sephardi communities to return to Spain or, at Medical Epoch') describing the Sephardim of the Balkans, among least, by cancelling or overlooking the edict of expulsion, allow them to whom the Spanish culture was still alive. reside in the Iberian Peninsula. As far back as 1797, after Spain had While in Vienna, Dr. Angel Pulido Fernandez, his son relates, suffered great defeats at the hands of the French and the British, and decided to visit Belgrade, Bucharest, and Constantinople. While on a when its economic position became disastrous, don Pedro Valera, one of boat on the Danube between Belgrade and Budapest, they met Mr. the ministers of King Carlos III, suggested to him "to accept the Jewish Enrique Bejarano, a teacher of the Jewish School in Bucharest. Mr. and nation in Spain" and added: Mrs. Bejarano, with their Judeo-Spanish language and their enthusiasm for Spain and Spanish people, made a great impression on Dr. Pulido. According to the general view, the richest treasures of Europe are in the hands of this nation. This encounter led him to begin his endeavors to persuade the Sephar­ dim of the world to return to their "patria" their homeland - and, on the other hand, to influence the Spanish authorities to effect a reconcili­ In spite of the desperate situation, Carlos III and his Council not ation between Spain and the Sephardim.