New Book: Sephardic Jews: History, Religion and People is a new title from
Gaon Books, and it is written for a general reading audience.
Sephardic Jews: History, Religion and People
Ron D. Hart
Santa Fe: Gaon Books. 2016.
ISBN: 9781935604778. Paper. 19.95
294 pages, 25 photographs. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.
Part I Jews in Spain — 1.Who is a Sephardic Jew? 2.Forging the
Andalusian Axis 3.In Muslim al-Andalus 4. In Christian Spain 5. Burgeoning
Anti-Semitism 6. Inquisition and Expulsion
Part II Sephardic Diaspora — 7. Culture and Ritual 8. In the Muslim
World 9. In Early America 10.The Grand Conspiracy 11.Conversos in New
Spain 12. Contemporary Latin American Jewish Movement
Comment:
"Sephardic Jews is a much-welcomed gateway to exploring the cultural and
religious heritage of this community. Hart’s precise and very readable text
reveals the complicated journey of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from their
connections to the biblical era and through the 21st century. Turning its
pages, one marvels at the instrumental and pivotal contributions that the
Sephardim made to Spain. The book is simultaneously a brief chronological
history and artful recounting of the lives of key personages like Damia
al-Kahina, the Jewish Queen of the Berbers. Yes, Maimonides is here too, but
more importantly so are carefully selected poems, letters, and life details of
other Sephardic Jews. Its inclusion of images of synagogues, material culture,
manuscripts, and people adds a splendid vibrancy to the text. The author also
thoughtfully delves into the contemporary issues of crypto-Judaism and
returnees to Judaism in the American Southwest. In short, Sephardic Jews is the
perfect companion for one’s own journey into this fabled, but living history."
—Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila, Ph.D. Professor, University of Colorado
and Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid
Ron D. Hart is a cultural anthropologist (Ph.D. Indiana University) and
postdoctoral work in Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford, Centre for
Hebrew and Jewish Studies where he focused on Jews in Medieval Spain. He is a
Research Associate of the Latin American and Iberian Institute at the
University of New Mexico. Hart has done research on Sephardic traditions in
Spain, North Africa, and South America with special attention to the Andalusian
exchange between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He is former Dean of Academic
Affairs of InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico. Hart is President of the
Jewish Community Council of Northern New Mexico and is Chair of the Santa Fe
Jewish Book Council. He has awards for his work from the New Mexico Jewish
Historical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment
for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Fulbright
among others. Hart is the co-editor and historical consultant for the
exhibition, “Fractured Faiths: Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition, and New World
Identities” at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe (May to December
2016). His most recent book is Judaism, an introduction to the history and
practice of Judaism.
__
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and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL)
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