Sephardic Studies at the University of Washington

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Sephardic Studies at the University of Washington The Sephardic Studies Program of the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies is a world-renowned program for the study of Ladino and Sephardic culture.

About the Sephardic Studies Program

As home to one of the largest and most vibrant Sephardic communities in the United States, Seattle offers an ideal environment in which to preserve the legacy of the Sephardic Jewish experience. Partnering with community leaders, the Sephardic Studies Program of the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington aims to establish a world-renowned program for the study, teaching, and perpetuation of Sephardic culture and the Ladino language. The University of Washington is uniquely situated to serve not only as a center for the study of the Sephardic experience by students and scholars, but also a multifaceted resource center for Sephardic Jews in the community and worldwide. The Sephardic Studies Program has already energized student, faculty, and community involvement in Sephardic history and culture through innovative research opportunities, new courses, and public lectures. Our three mutually enriching areas of focus are research, teaching, and community engagement. The director of the Sephardic Studies Program is Dr. Devin E. Naar, the Isaac Alhadeff Professor in Sephardic Studies and associate professor of history and Jewish Studies. Makena Mezistrano, Assistant Director, Sephardic Studies Program

The opinions expressed in articles shared on our page reflect the views of the individual writer only and not those of the Sephardic Studies Program.

Join Professor Devin Naar on Zoom this Sunday, October 18th at 9am PDT for a conversation entirely in Ladino - "Saloniko...
10/15/2026

Join Professor Devin Naar on Zoom this Sunday, October 18th at 9am PDT for a conversation entirely in Ladino - "Saloniko: La Storya Eskondida de una Sivdad Djudia/Salonica: The Hidden Story of a Jewish City."

Dr. Naar will be joined by Grigoris Ginos, a PhD candidate at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who will speak about how chance encounters with the Jewish past in his native city catapulted him to learn Ladino. The history of the city's Jews is now the topic of his research, with specific interest in understanding the first major act of anti-Jewish violence perpetrated in Salonica, the infamous Campbell attacks of 1931.

For more information and the Zoom link, please visit: https://esefarad.com/enkontros-de-alhad-18-oktobre-2026-saloniko-la-storya-eskondida-de-una-sivdad-djudia

We're thrilled to co-sponsor the November 10th public lecture "Mother Tongue in Other Tongues.” Aron Aji cannot recall a...
10/11/2026

We're thrilled to co-sponsor the November 10th public lecture "Mother Tongue in Other Tongues.” Aron Aji cannot recall a time when he was not translating. Growing up in Turkey speaking Ladino, Hebrew, French, and Turkish, he learned to move between languages long before he began translating Turkish literature. In this talk, Aji asks what that lifelong experience brings to the page.

4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
More information at https://bit.ly/Aron-Aji

Autumn quarter begins next week! One course we’re excited about? Modern Sephardic Cultures (Jew ST 289) with professor C...
09/24/2026

Autumn quarter begins next week! One course we’re excited about? Modern Sephardic Cultures (Jew ST 289) with professor Canan Bolel. By delving into humorous, musical, and other archival materials, students will explore the social history of Sephardic Jews in the lands of the Ottoman Empire.

This June, Professor Devin Naar led the first-ever International Summer Institute on Modern Balkan and Eastern Mediterra...
09/17/2026

This June, Professor Devin Naar led the first-ever International Summer Institute on Modern Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean Jewries in Thessaloniki, Greece. Read on for reflections from three UW PhD students who joined students and scholars from around the world to delve into Jewish Salonica, once touted as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans." https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/sephardic-studies/reflections-on-2026-international-summer-institute-on-modern-balkan-and-eastern-mediterranean-jewries/

It’s time to reveal the answer to our pop quiz! The University of Washington Sephardic Studies Collection houses more bo...
09/16/2026

It’s time to reveal the answer to our pop quiz! The University of Washington Sephardic Studies Collection houses more books published in Ladino than the U.S. Library of Congress. Now, can you guess where the largest portion of Ladino books in UW’s collection were originally published? The answer is in our photo.

It’s the early 1900’s in Craiova, Romania. The High Holy Days (Yamim Noraim) are approaching and members of Rabbi Reuven...
09/10/2026

It’s the early 1900’s in Craiova, Romania. The High Holy Days (Yamim Noraim) are approaching and members of Rabbi Reuven Eliyahu Israel’s congregation complain that they don't understand the prayers in Hebrew. Rabbi Israel decides to translate these prayers into a “free” (meaning more up-to-date) style of that his congregants speak. The result? “Traduksyon livre de las Poezias Ebraikas de Rosh Ashana i Kippur” a publication still used today especially by Jewish communities hailing from the island of Rhodes. Read more and see digital copies in our collection: https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/sephardic-studies/high-holidays-in-ladino/

Quiz time! Which institution houses more copies of published Ladino books? The U.S. Library of Congress or the UW’s Seph...
09/03/2026

Quiz time! Which institution houses more copies of published Ladino books? The U.S. Library of Congress or the UW’s Sephardic Studies Program? Drop your answer in the comments below. ⬇

🐞 🐞🐞 Ready for more ? Today’s Ladino term is 𝑔𝑢𝑧𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑜 𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙 which translates into English as ladybug but literally m...
08/17/2026

🐞 🐞🐞 Ready for more ? Today’s Ladino term is 𝑔𝑢𝑧𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑜 𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙 which translates into English as ladybug but literally means little worm or bug of luck. The Ladino term is likely derived from Turkish,𝑢𝑔̆𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑜̈𝑐𝑒𝑔̆𝑖, as bug of luck. We wish you lots of luck today and hope you see a 𝑔𝑢𝑧𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑜 𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙!

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Sephardic Studies, Samuel & Althea Stroum Center For Jewish Studies Henry M Jackson School Of International Studies University Of
Seattle, WA
98195

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