"Black Beauty" they call me
But white was I born
And the summer sun
Made me one
Black Beauty
How beautiful you are!
Black are you, Beautiful am I
And all of you - Black eyes ".
Here in Toledo, Spain lived my ancestors.
Tradition in my family tells
that in this square where I am standing,
one of my great-grandfathers
was put to the stake
for observing Judaism.
For over 500 years,
till they were expelled in 1492
the Jews in Toledo were well-organized.
They were full of culture and creativity,
as we see in this magnificent synagogue,
that was built by Samuel Halevi Abulafia.
They lived here.
but their thoughts were always directed
eastbound - to Jerusalem.
Yehuda Halevi, Spain's foremost poet,
expressed it best. when he wrote:
"My heart is in the East Yet I am in the West.
How could I enjoy food Or even taste it?"
"Black Beauty" he calls me,
The King's son.
If he calls me again,
I'll come running.
Black Beauty,
How beautiful you are!
Black are you, Beautiful am I.
And all of you - Black eyes".
Judeo-Espanol, the Ladino language,
was the only property Jews were allowed
to take with them
when they were expelled from Spain.
And that's how the Ladino language
has been preserved to this day.
My forefathers printed the Bible in Ladino.
the Passover Haggadah.
and all the traditional Jewish literature.
With sounds and echoes of the Ladino language
we will follow the Spanish Jews
to wherever they settled
along the Mediterranean shores.
After deportation from the Iberian peninsula,
Italy, the Ottoman Empire, including Turkey,
the Balkan countries,
and the Middle East, including Israel,
some of the deportees went to North Africa,
mainly to Morocco.
Some crossed the ocean,
arriving at the just discovered New World.
Some 100 years later, their offsprings
journeyed to Northern Europe,
to a different climate and culture.
They established thriving communities
in France, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg,
and later, in the 17th century, in England, too.
Everywhere they retained their Jewish heritage.
Toledo, Spain
One,
Two,
Three.
Three stars in the sky at darkness
marks the end of the Sabbath.
But as a child I could never understand
why my father forbade me
to count the stars while pointing at them.
Later I learned,
that the Spanish Inquisition identified
the Marranos by it, the forced converters,
who secretly observed Judaism
The tendency to watch out
for the Spanish Inquisition
sustains somehow, 500 years later.
It is felt even today in Jerusalem,
where I was born and raised,
free of the fear
of the Inquisition’s Auto-Da-Fe.
"The one who distincts between
Secular and Sanctity,
Our sins, He will forgive.
Our offsprings and wealth
He will bless And multiply like sand,
Like stars at night.
In honor of my beloved, Elijah, the prophet.
On our right hand - Michael,
And on our left - Gabriel,
And above our heads - the Almighty's glory.
Every day and Each night.
In honor of my beloved, Elijah, the prophet.
In honor of my beloved, Elijah, the prophet".
The deportation of the Jews from Spain
was preceded by many years
of financial and religious persecution,
which culminated in the establishment
of the Spanish Inquisition in 1481.
It harassed mainly the Marranos.
those Jews who were forced to convert
to Christianity.
but observed their Jewish religion secretly.
The Catholic King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella
gave in to the Inquisition’s demands.
On March 31, 1492
they signed the deportation decree,
expelling all Jews from Spain.
Within 3 months
about 200,000 were forced to leave Spain.
Tradition tells us that they all left Spain
in ONE day, the Ninth day of Av.
It is the national Jewish Memorial Day,
commemorating the destruction
of the first and the second Temples.
I believe that being uprooted
from the Iberian peninsula,
my forefathers found themselves
in diaspora within an exile.
"Creator - how far; Creator - till when?
Your dove is in peril, Trapped, in distress.
Trapped, in distress Is she.
Poor and helpless,
And without her sons, Without her sons.
All alone she sits And cries out "My Father"
My Father, My Father...
Sits all alone, "My Father", she cries.
Creator - how far?
Creator - till when?
Your dove is in peril,
Trapped, in distress,
Trapped, in distress Is she.
Miserable and wounded,
Without her sons".
Rambam, born in the 12th. Century,
was a leading philosopher
of the Middle Ages.
A teacher, physician theologian,
and a community leader,
Ben Maimon was born here in Cordoba,
but was forced by the Moslem fanatics
to run away.
He then moved to Fez, Morocco,
and later to Fostat near Cairo
As a physician, the Rambam set
guidelines for diet and exercise
in his scientific book.
written some 800 years ago.
As a philosopher he wrote
the famous book "Guide to the perplexed".
"When King Nimrod Went out to the field,
He looked up At the stars in heaven,
And saw a Holy light
In the Jewish quarter,
Proclaiming our Father Abrahams birth.
Father Abraham, Dear Father.
Blessed Father, Light of Israel.
Father Abraham, Dear Father.
Blessed Father, Light of Israel.
Terach's wife, Pregnant she was.
And every day He would ask her,
"Why do you look so strange?"
And only she knew The goods within her.
Our Father Abraham, Dear Father.
Blessed Father, Light of Israel.
Our Father Abraham, Dear Father.
Blessed Father, Light of Israel ".
Ben Maimon is buried here in Tiberius Israel.
A city which became 400 later
the activity center of Donna Grazia Mendes,
and Don Yosseff Nasi, the Duke of Naxus.
Close by was the prosperous city of Sfad
which in the 16th Century
became the center of the Jewish Kabalah.
Is interesting to note
that the cradle of the Kabalah
was in the city of Gerona near Barcelona.
There in the 11th Century
started the mystical Jewish movement.
"When King Nimrod Went out to the field,
He looked up to The stars in the heaven
And saw a Holy light In the Jewish quarter.
Proclaiming our Father Abraham's birth.
Our Father Abraham, Dear Father,
Blessed Father, Light of Israel.
Our Father Abraham, Dear Father,
Blessed Father, Light of Israel".
Sometimes, history plays
strange games with dates:
Three days after
the last expelled Jews left Spain
Christopher Columbus
sailed out of Port Falos in Spain,
with three sailboats: Santa Maria, Pinta and Ninia.
He was on his way to the New World.
It opened new horizons for the deportees.
They managed to get to Peru, Mexico, Curacao,
Surinam, Barbados, and even to North America.
In New Amsterdam,
now known as New York,
the first Jewish community
was established in 1654.
The feeling of freedom was best expressed
in the 19th Century
by the Spanish-Jewish poet Emma Lazarus,
whose Sonata "The New Colossus"
is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty:
"Give me your tired,
Your poor,
Give me your tired,
Your poor,
Your huddled masses,
Yearning to breath air,
Breath free air,
Free,
The wretched refuse,
Or you teeming shore,
Send me these, The homeless,
The tempest - tossed.
I lift
My lamp
Beside the Golden Door.
I lift
My lamp
Beside the Golden Door".
The sense of freedom is expressed vividly
during every Seder night
in all Jewish communities.
Here in America, as in Fez, Morocco,
in Jerusalem, Amsterdam or in Buenos Aires.
Everywhere, we sing the same traditional songs,
and recite the same texts.
All expressing one idea - Freedom!
"Birds are singing,
Love - stricken are they,
And the waiting kills me,
Increases and doubles My pain".
It is interesting
that some of the Marranos' customs
are observed by Jews even today.
I can't forget a Seder night in Jerusalem:
My father at the head of the table,
and all of us around him
with our Haggadah books on our knees.
In coming years I learned,
that this was an old tradition
that we inherited from our forefathers,
the Marranos, who returned to Judaism.
The source of this tradition
was the ability to hide at once
the Haggadah books,
in case the Inquisition’s agents
might surprise the converts
during the Seder night.
"Therefore we will Thank His name,
Praise Him With our lips,
We said and answered,
None Holier Than our God.
We said and answered,
None Holier Than our God ".
"Sleep, sleep My little Angel,
A little boy, Faithful to your people.
Zion's baby,
May you never know What pain is.
You are asking me,
Why am I not singing?
My wings Have been clipped,
And my voice Silenced.
Zion's baby ".
In Amsterdam the Marranos returned
to Judaism openly and freely.
They built this magnificent synagogue
whose architect designed it
after the model of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Dutch painter Rembrandt
left us important paintings
depicting biblical and Jewish topics.
No doubt, he was influenced
by his friends
in the Spanish-Jewish community of Amsterdam.
The most prominent among them were:
Dr. Efraim Bueno and
Rabbi Menashe Ben Israel,
a theologian, writer and publisher.
"Sleep, sleep My little Angel,
A little boy, Faithful to your people.
Zion's baby,
May you never know What pain is.
You are asking me,
Why am I not singing?
My wings Have been clipped,
And my voice Silenced.
Zion's baby,
Sleep, oh, sleep,
Zion's baby".
They observed the Jewish faith
very strictly.
but being also scholars,
they developed doubts and asked guest ions.
The most famous
of Amsterdam's intellectuals
was the philosopher Baruch Spinoza.
He was banned by his community leaders
for not observing the Jewish law,
and for doubts he raised
in his essays in the field of theology.
When Spinoza died,
he was buried in The Hague,
outside the Jewish community.
The inscription on his headstone is in Latin
and it means:
"Here lie
The bones of Baruch Spinoza
which were once inside the New Church.
His soul could not rest in life,
or after his death.
He stayed outside
Judaism and Christianity ".
However, his father Michael Spinoza,
a leader in the Jewish community of Amsterdam,
is buried in the Jewish cemetery
in Auderkerk, Holland.
"Revered, wondrous God, Revered, wondrous God.
Pardon thy people's cry
As the closing hour Draws near.
Revered, wondrous God, Revered. wondrous God.
Pardon thy people's cry
As the closing hour Draws near.
Souls pouring Their hearts out.
Erase their sins, crimes, deeds and words.
Revered, wondrous God. Revered, wondrous God.
Pardon thy people's cry
As the closing hour Draws near".
"Open for me Your locked door.
On your balcony,
The light is suddenly out.
Love becomes you.
Let's run away Rosa, Let's run away from here.
Open for me Your locked door.
On your balcony,
The light Is suddenly out.
Let's run away, Rosa.
Let's run away From here".
This is a love song
brought by our forefathers from Spain.
and later sung in the Canals of Venice.
Ghetto - this word has a sad meaning.
But in the 16th Century,
when this place was established
as a Jewish quarter,
Ghetto was just the name for the place
where cannons were made
for the Venice Republic.
In Scola Street, two synagogues were built:
this Spanish one is the big and glorious one,
and the Levantine, hosting the newcomers.
From Greece and Turkey,
the Jews of Venice were very active
in the cultural life of the city.
The poet Sara Sulam,
Rabbi Leon De Modina, Rabbi Shimone Lutzatto,
and the Rabbi-Composer Shlomo De Rossi.
were some famous figures
among the Jews of Venice.
"I was seeking Your beauty,
The one God has Blessed you with.
Your beauty is pure.
And I am the only one Deserving of it ".
The Opera house
'La Scala De Milano'
is the goal and dream
of every singer in the world.
Here is where Giuseppe Verdi's
famous operas are performed.
He was a close friend of a Spanish-Jewish family.
Could it be that some melodies in his operas
echo the Spanish-Jewish Romanceros?
Let's hear it!
"When your mother gave birth to you
And brought you To see the light of day,
She did not give you A heart
To love anybody But yourself.
She did not give you A heart
To love anybody But yourself.
Adios,
Adios, darling.
I do not wish To go on living.
You embittered Me plenty.
Go on and look For some other love.
Knock on some Other doors.
Look for some Other hope.
Because to me You are as good as dead.
Go look for Some other hope.
Because to me you are As good as dead".
Legend tell us that here, in this old synagogue
in Sarajevo,
there lived a cantor with such a heavenly voice,
that on Friday night when he would chant
the Jewish prayer "Lecha Dodi",
even the Angels would rush
to listen to his marvelous voice.
The adored and yearned for
his love songs as well.
"Nights, oh nights!
Sweet, good nights.
Nights were made For falling in love.
Nights were made For falling in loving".
When Rabbi David would sing this love song,
the Ladies would hush up and speak very softly.
"Turning restless
In bed - "
One would tell the other passionately,
"Blessed mouth, what a Blessed, saintly mouth ".
"Like the fish In the sea,
Like the fish In the sea ".
One day, the City Governor,
who also liked the the wonderful voice
of Cantor David Havilio,
ordered him to sing and pray as a Muazine,
the Moslem cantor, who calls his devotees
to come and pray in the Mosque.
Oh, what a night! Dear Mother ".
All the Jews of Sarajevo
were distressed and agonized,
knowing that their Rabbi might serve
as a Moslem cantor.
"Nights - there is no...
Nights - there is no Purpose in them ".
Only Rabbi David Havilio stayed calm
and didn't lose his faith in God.
On Friday, he went to the Mosque,
accompanied by all his Jewish brethren.
He climbed up,
and when he reached the top of the Mosque tower,
he began to sing his prayer "Lecha Dodi",
and while singing, he jumped off.
"Night, with No purpose in them".
At that hour, the gates of heaven opened,
to welcome Rabbi David.
And legend tells us,
that on that Friday even the Angels cried.
"Glorified God in Heaven,
Will grant us a Respectable livelihood.
May we never know Distress or bad times -
We, and the whole House of Israel.
Blessed be He, The Almighty,
Who granted us Such a glorious day!
May this Sabbath Be better
Than the previous one,
For us and the Whole House of Israel".
The Balkan Jews had an interesting custom:
When a man reached the age of 60,
celebrating his fortune of getting to that age,
friends would measure his shrouds,
while he was lying down,
and while everybody was dancing and singing.
They stared Death straight in the eye, without fear,
and it would bow its head to them.
The Jews arrived in Sarajevo.
"which they called Sarai - De - Bosna",
during the 16th Century.
They lived in quarters called "Les Cortijos".
12,000 of the 14,000 Jews of Sarajevo
perished in the Holocaust.
Among them - all of my father's family.
After the war, my father searched extensively
to find even a few survivors.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know
that they all had gone up in smoke.
On the wondrous journey to Jerusalem,
the Ottoman Empire
welcomed the Marranos with open arms.
In Istanbul, Izmir, and Salonika,
like many other cities,
the deportees established active communities
and brought in their language and culture.
"I'll give my life For a drink.
I can't forget it.
Loaded from so much Drinking am I!
Oh, how I love it!
Loaded from so much Drinking am I!
Oh, how I love it!
I'll give my life For a drink.
I can't forget it.
Loaded from so much Drinking am I!
Oh, how I love it!
Loaded from so much Drinking am I!
Oh, how I love it!
When it's in the barrel -
I am talking to nobody.
And when I'm not Getting drunk,
I slip - Straight into the mud.
And when I'm not Getting drunk,
I slip - Straight into the mud".
Here in Salonika, they almost established
a Jewish Republic.
On Saturday,
the Jewish day of rest,
the market place was empty,
and the port was idle.
There were 53 thriving synagogues here
before the Holocaust.
It is with deep pain and sorrow,
that I am standing today beside this ONE synagogue,
the only memorial to Jewish life long gone.
Salonika was a major metropolis.
For over 450 years, it was a very active center.
Salonika this thriving Jewish congregation,
was totally exterminated in the Holocaust,
together with many other Spanish - Jewish
communities in the Balkans, Holland,
and other European countries.
The life of the Balkan Jews summarized and swung
between expulsion from Spain on the one hand,
and total annihilation during the Holocaust,
on the other.
80% of the Jews who spoke, learned
and sang in Ladino,
were wiped-out in the Holocaust.
In the infamous Death-camp of Auschwitz,
the Balkan Jews sang
the Spanish Remancero:
"Trees are crying For the rain ".
Changing the last verse,
and instead of singing:
"I'll die In a strange land ",
they cried: "I'll perish on Polish soil ".
These Balkan Jews have suffered immensely.
To this day you can hear the survivors' cries:
"Till when? Till where?"
"The trees are Crying for rain,
And the mountains Yearn for the winds.
So do my crying eyes
For you, my dear.
So do my crying eyes
For you, my dear.
Again and again I wonder, What will happen to me?
In a strange land, I'll probably die.
You are white - White is your dress,
White is your figure.
White flowers are falling Off your image,
Falling off your beauty.
White flowers are falling Off your image,
Falling off your beauty.
Again and again I wonder, What will happen to me?
In a strange land, I'll probably die ".
Those who were lucky to make it to Israel,
were accompanied to the ships by their relatives,
With candles lit and jasmine flowers on their hair
Upon sailing, with tearful eyes,
they would sing to them:
"To Jerusalem I want to go, Mother,
To feel Zion's grass Under my feet,
And to smell Its wonderful scent".
I heard this tale from my father,
and he from his father, Rabbi Issac Gaon,
who was born in Bosnia, Sarajevo
and was lucky to make it to Israel.
"To Jerusalem, I want to go, Mother.
To Jerusalem,
To walk upon the greens,
And enjoy its scents.
I shall trust Him,
On Him I shall rely,
The Master of All the Universe.
Oh, as if my veins Are uprooted,
When I tell my troubles.
Whoever has only few?
And the ones who succumb To their burden,
Him - I shall trust,
Him - I shall rely on,
Master of All the Universe ".
"If the sea Would have been milk,
I would have become A fisherman,
And would have Fished out my pain,
With words of love.
And would have Fished out my pain,
With words of love ".
In this Holy place
were murdered a few years ago,
22 people
by the hands of a persecutor,
just for being Jews.
My father, Moshe David Gaon,
was born not far from here in Sarajevo.
As a youth, he went to Jerusalem:
From there he was sent, as a Hebrew teacher,
to the Spanish-Jewish centers in Turkey.
For generations they sang songs of love and sorrow,
songs of friendship and joy,
songs of festivity and family.
Here started the Messianic Movement
in the 17th Century,
headed by Shabtai Zvi,
which shook the entire House of Israel.
In the synagogue of "Neve Shalom",
Shabtai Zvi did a mystical act,
when he got married to the Torah.
At the end of his teaching mission,
my father returned to Jerusalem,
married to one of his students:
Sara Hakim of Izmir,
my mother.
"Give me your hand, My dove,
So I'll be able To reach you.
Shamefully, for Sleeping all alone,
Here I'm coming To sleep by your side.
Shamefully, for Sleeping all alone,
Here I'm coming To sleep by your side.
If the sea Would have been milk,
I would have become A fisherman,
And would have Fished out my pain,
With words of love.
And would have Fished out my pain,
With words of love ".
Jerusalem,
the city where I was born and grew up.
Here is, where both my grandparents
and my father are laid to rest.
Until the 6-Day-War, their burial place,
the Mountain of Olives and the Old City
were outside the boundaries of Israel.
My father used to say, he envied the birds,
for they could fly and visit and touch
his parents' tombstone.
Jerusalem!
The greatest source of light
in the long and wondrous journey,
in the history of the Jewish nation.
From Jerusalem He was exiled,
and to Jerusalem He returns,
carrying with him also a rich and colorful
Spanish-Jewish Heritage,
an important cornerstone in the rebuilding
of its culture, reviving its youth
in the land of Israel.