Ladino Voices Symposium and Concert

Please join us for "Ladino Voices" featuring Mexican poet Myriam Moscona, Mexican author and translator Jacabo Sefami, Ladino scholar Monique Balbuena, and others. The aim of the symposium is to explore contemporary use of Ladino (and the Sephardic heritage it encapsulates) as a vehicle of cultural articulation among Jews in Latin America and beyond, in particular those who do not share in the dominant culture’s understanding of what it means to be Jewish, or Latin American, those whose aspirations are more “universalist” than nationalist or Zionist. We are especially interested in the use of Ladino in the process of self-definition, in deconstructing a national, or Jewish, identity, underscoring in the process intra-Jewish difference, Jewish multilingualism, and Jewish multiculturalism. Featured events include a panel discussion on Ladino in Latin America (4 to 5:30 PM), a trilingual (Ladino, Spanish, and English) poetry reading (6 to 7 PM), a Sephardic Music concert (7 to 8 PM), and a reception (8 to 9 PM). Coffee and refreshments will be served from 5:30 to 6 PM.