It’s March 2023. I’m a sophomore in a Jewish high school busy with both a Jewish Studies and General Studies curriculum, my friends, and my extracurriculars. My Mother approached me and my sister trying to persuade us to mark the 2023 International Ladino Day at our high school. To be honest, I wasn’t so interested. Why would my friends be interested in Ladino Day? Most of them are Ashkenazi, none of them know Ladino, and why are we trying to revive something that is, sadly, almost dead?
There are Pesah songs, beautiful Ladino hymns and liturgies that are sung at our home, but I knew that none of the other families in our community knew them. Ladino itself is pretty foreign to my friends. I can’t tell you how many adult guests we’ve had at our Shabbat table that don’t know what Ladino is. With a little encouragement (dare I say nagging?) from my Mother, we went about creating the poster boards describing the exile from Spain, the decline of Ladino, the annihilation of the Sephardic communities during WWII, and the Solitreo script. We also added a signup sheet for students to add their name if they’d like to learn more about the language. Lo and behold, we had quite a number of signatures! It had become clear that there was a genuine interest in Ladino and a desire from my peers to try to save it. Thus the Ladino High School Club of America was born.
The Ladino-Sephardic customs are beautiful and unique. I’ve always really connected with these traditions instead of the cookie-cutter, Ashkenazi Judaism we learn in school. My father, who is Ashkenazi but loves Sephardic customs, also embraces the Sephardic traditions. Even if you don't connect with the Sephardic tradition, as a Jew, it should hurt you to see it under threat. Every Jew should aid in preserving what connects you to your ancestors and previous generations who lived through centuries of adversity. It’s so important to maintain and pass on these traditions.
So what’s on our agenda, you ask? Right now we just returned from an amazing Shabbaton in NYC where we sang at the International Sephardic Community Gala. We are currently planning a National Shabbaton from April 4 - 7 in Orlando, and are hoping for a huge turnout. Our student leadership team also meets every Wednesday night with Aaron Shapiro to learn Ladino, discuss new event ideas, and connect virtually with other Sephardic teens across America.
If you’d like to learn Ladino and be part of our cause, here are some things you can do to keep it alive:
Tune-in to our weekly seminars with the fantastic Aaron Shapiro where he teaches us Ladino
Take a free online Ladino course through the Sephardic Brotherhood’s Sephardic Digital Academy
Learn Hebrew!
Listen to Ladino songs online (Sarah Aroeste, Isaac Azose, Yehoram Gaon)
Join us on our future Shabbatons and events!
Get involved by doing a book review, being a Bivas Buddie or helping to grow your local chapter
If you'd like to learn more, visit us at www.Bivas.org, and have your high school teen join our Spring Shabbaton, or help start a Ladino Club in their local High School!
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