<b>Sunday, January 30, 1:00 pm - 2:30pm ET</b> <b>Free on Zoom </b><b>Registration Required - <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sefarad-hidden-legacies-uncovered-tickets-242500785377?aff=erelexpmlt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a></b> <div class="g-group l-mar-bot-6 l-sm-mar-bot-4"> <div class="structured-content g-cell g-cell-10-12 g-cell-md-1-1"> <div class="has-user-generated-content" data-automation="about-this-event-sc"> <div class="structured-content-rich-text structured-content__module l-align-left l-mar-vert-6 l-sm-mar-vert-4 text-body-medium"> On January 30, 2022, <strong>Jewish Heritage Alliance and their participating co-hosting partners will present “Sefarad: Hidden Legacies Uncovered”</strong>, a webinar that will explore the unfolding drama endured by the crypto-Jews, those that were forced to convert to Catholicism during years of persecution and massacres. Jewish life in Spain came to an end with the 1492 Edict of Expulsion. Jews were ordered to depart the country where their ancestors had lived for centuries or convert to Christianity. Confronted by this harrowing choice, some escaped into Portugal, others converted to stay, and many fled the Iberian Peninsula for North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. At this same time, Columbus famously “sailed the ocean blue.” One of the lesser-known aspects of his voyage is that it was navigated with instruments created by Jews and funded and accompanied by crypto-Jews. Prominent among this group was Luis de Torres, the translator on the voyage, who bears the distinction of being one of the first Jews in the New World. <strong>This webinar will host a conversation focusing on the journey of those who chose to keep their identity secret and the consequences their decisions produced.</strong> Our speakers will take us on a journey across the generations so you may learn how this crypto-Jewish identity has been understood in the Americas, including in the present day. We will explore these legacies of Sefarad through the lens of history, literature, and music. <em>Opening Remarks:</em> <strong>Mr. Michael Steinberger</strong>, CEO &amp; Founder of Jewish Heritage Alliance. <em>Program Introduction:</em> <strong>Dr. Isaac Amon</strong>, a descendant of Sefarad, is an attorney and counselor at law and JHA Director, Academic &amp; Program Development. Isaac graduated summa cum laude with “Highest Honors” in History for his thesis on the Spanish Inquisition and worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. He has visited execution sites and torture chambers of the Inquisition as well as Nazi death camps. At the onset of the global pandemic, he was in the Iberian Peninsula researching the Iberian Inquisition. <em>Moderator:</em> <strong>Dr. Dalia Wassner, Ph.D.</strong> is the Director of the Project on Latin American Jewish &amp; Gender Studies at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute of Brandeis University. She holds a PhD in history from Northeastern University, an MPhil in Jewish studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, and MAs in history and Latin American studies from Stanford University. She has been an active participant at the HBI since 2012 as a Scholar-in-Residence, Research Associate, and Gilda Slifka Internship Program mentor. Since 2015 Dalia Wassner has taught Latin American Jewish history at Brandeis in the Near Eastern &amp; Judaic Studies Department and Latin American &amp; Latino Studies Program. She has also developed courses in Women’s studies, Latin American studies, and Jewish studies, most recently at Emerson College, Boston University, and Brandeis University. <em>Guest Speakers:</em> <strong>Ms. Mary Morris</strong> is the author of sixteen books, including the novel, Gateway to the Moon, three collections of short stories. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications such as “The Atlantic,” “The Paris Review,” and “The New York Times”. The idea for Gateway to the Moon began over thirty years ago when Morris lived in the Southwest and became aware of the crypto-Jew of New Mexico. <strong>Ms. Susana Behar</strong> was born in Havana to a Cuban Jewish family and was surrounded with Cuban music but also traditional Sephardic music of her Turkish grandparents. While living in Venezuela, she began to pursue her passion for Jewish music while also exploring her love of Latin American folk songs. ______________________________________________________________________________ <aside><em>This program is presented by Jewish Heritage Alliance in partnership with ANU Museum of the Jewish People, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, the American Sephardi Federation’s Institute of Jewish Experience, Fundación HispanoJudía, EJCC European Jewish Community Center, University of Miami (Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and the George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies), the Jewish Learning Channel, Hadassah-Brandeis Institute , Kulanu and Reconectar</em></aside></div> </div> </div> </div>

<strong>Tuesday, February 15 at 8 pm ET</strong> <b>Free on Zoom with suggested <a href="https://www.classy.org/give/334605/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=SuitingtheSound&amp;c_src2=EventPageLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$10 donation</a> <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HUIaEkAnQx61hP_sZ3hJXg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click Here</a> to Register</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Ablaze with vibrant colors and sparkling with rhinestones, country music performers have been lighting up stages and turning heads in spectacular, custom-designed Western wear since the late 1940s. In this program, we'll explore the lives and work of the three most influential of the pioneering rodeo tailors, Bernard "Rodeo Ben" Lichtenstein, Nathan Turk, and Nudie Cohn. Each of these three rodeo tailors were born to Jewish families and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900's. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Join us to learn more about this interesting slice of American Jewish and Country Music history, listen in on good conversation between curators, and soak up insights (and a little music) from a country music legend. </span> <b>Program</b> <b>Jewish Mass Migration from Eastern Europe to the U.S.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><b>Josh Perelman, PhD</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions &amp; Interpretation, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History</span> <b>Western Wear and Trailblazing Rodeo Tailors</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><b>Mick Buck</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Chief Curator, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum </span> <b>Conversation with the Curators</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Featuring conversation with and music from special guest </span><b>Ray Benson</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, nine-time Grammy-winning co-founder and bandleader of the legendary band </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Asleep at the Wheel </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">the</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">self-proclaimed "Tallest Jew in Country Music".</span> ________________________________________________ <em>This program is produced and presented in partnership with The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum</em>

<b>Sunday, February 20, 1:00 pm - 2:30pm ET</b> <b>Free on Zoom </b><b>Registration Link - coming soon</b> <div class="g-group l-mar-bot-6 l-sm-mar-bot-4"> <div class="structured-content g-cell g-cell-10-12 g-cell-md-1-1"> <div class="has-user-generated-content" data-automation="about-this-event-sc"> <div class="structured-content-rich-text structured-content__module l-align-left l-mar-vert-6 l-sm-mar-vert-4 text-body-medium"> On February 20, 2022, <strong>Jewish Heritage Alliance and their participating co-hosting partners will present “Hiding in Plain Sight: The Story of Southern Italy’s B’nei Anusim”</strong>, a webinar that will explore the B'nei Anusim's journey to discover and embrace their Jewish roots. Speaking directly from her mountain village in Calabria in southern Italy,  Rabbi Barbara Aiello will share the personal stories of the B’nei Anusim on their journey to discover and embrace their lost Jewish roots.  Joining Rabbi Barbara will be Angela Yael Amato who will share her amazing journey of discovery of her lost Jewish heritage. As a concert violinist, Angela will play an ancient Ladino melody that exemplifies the strength of the B’nei Anusim of southern Italy and their determination to be fully recognized as Jews. </div> More information coming soon. </div> </div> </div>

<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Tuesday, February 22 at 8 pm ET</b> <b>Free on Zoom with Suggested <a href="https://www.classy.org/give/337012/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=JewofOklahoma&amp;c_src2=EventPageButton">$10 Donation</a> To Register - <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LivwpksJSDGOEruVU29clg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a></b></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>"In every Shtetl it's good have to have<em> </em>somebody big enough and mean enough to fight off the Cossacks. If I have a role in our musical community I like to see myself that way." - Mark Rubin</strong></p> Join us for an evening of music performed by one of the great American Jewish musicians of our time. The Oklahoma-born, Texas-reared,  New Orleans residing, multi-instrumentalist <strong>Mark Rubin</strong> is an unabashed Southern Jew, known equally for his muscular musicianship and larger-than-life persona. In this interactive program, Rubin will share music from and insights into his new album <strong>The Triumph of Assimilation</strong>. <strong>About Mark Rubin</strong> Over an accomplished 30+ year career, Rubin has accompanied or produced a virtual who's-who of American traditional music, while straddling numerous musical genres, including Country, Western Swing, Bluegrass, Tex-Mex, Polka, Klezmer, Roma, and More. He is perhaps best known for co-founding the notorious proto-Americana band Bad Livers, though his more recent work as a first call tuba and bass player in the klezmer music scene has now earned him equivalent notoriety. His credits in the Jewish music world include long time collaborations with Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars, The Other Europeans, and Andy Statman, as well as two decades on faculty at KlezKamp. He has been a featured performer and instructor with multiple appearances at Yiddish Summer Weimar, KlezFest London, KlezMore Vienna, Klezmer Festival Furth, Festival of Jewish Culture Krakow and more. Jews of Oklahoma debuted as a special feature at Toronto's Ashkenaz Festival in 2016. Today he lives and works as a professional musician in New Orleans and makes a study of the musical traditions and cultures of Southern Louisiana. He recently took a position at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience where he jokingly describes his position as "living exhibition". &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<b>Tuesday, March 1 at 8 pm ET</b> <b>Free on Zoom with suggested <a href="https://www.classy.org/give/337012/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=JudaismandCountryMusic&amp;c_src2=EventPageButton">$10 donation</a></b> <strong><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7G9MHc_sSW-SLSD6Gn3zKQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click Here</a> to Register</strong> Jewish Americana artist and Texas native <strong>Joe Buchanan</strong> has spent the last nine years finding his voice in the history, Torah and values of the Jewish People. Over the last decade Buchanan's journey into Judaism has sent him touring across the United States, leading an original Shabbat service, playing concerts, and facilitating a workshop called "Choosing to be Chosen" which is based around his conversion to Judaism and "the reasons why so many are coming home". In this online program <strong>Rabbi Sandra Lawson</strong> will sit down with Buchanan to talk about their shared love for Judaism and Country music. Lawson will ask Buchanan about his music, his work as a spiritual leader, the challenges he's faced along the way and much more. This program will also feature several musical demonstrations and live performances from Joe Buchanan. <strong>About the Speakers</strong> <a href="https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/profile/rabbi-sandra-lawson" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rabbi Sandra Lawson </strong></a>is a Rabbi, activist, and the Inaugural Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion with Reconstructing Judaism. A Texas native, <a href="https://www.joebuchananmusic.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Joe Buchanan</strong></a> makes Jewish Americana music. Grounded in the idea that there is always room at the table, Joe's music highlights the values, Torah, and history of the Jewish people to deliver stories steeped in the struggle and triumph of the human spirit, all while praising Gd for the goodness in life. Read more about Joe in <strong><a href="https://texashighways.com/culture/people/the-cowboy-spirit-is-a-way-of-life-for-these-texas-jews/">this recently published article</a></strong> about Jews from Texas. <div class="home__event-all-cta-wrapper" style="text-align: center;"></div>

<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Tuesday, March 8 at 8 pm ET</b> <b>Free on Zoom with Suggested <a href="https://www.classy.org/give/337012/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=NefeshMountain&amp;c_src2=EventPageButton">$10 Donation</a> To Register - <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdumuqDMvGNcDm7VcQP4uEPB_QiVpTaej" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a></b></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“To us, sparrows represent a small but mighty voice. That’s why we chose to name the album for them—they’re often overlooked, but they’re beautiful and everywhere.” - Doni Zasloff, Nefesh Mountain</strong></p> Join us for an evening of music performed by the wildly talented group, <strong>Nefesh Mountain.</strong> Fresh off of their debut performance at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, bandleaders <strong>Doni Zasloff</strong> and <strong>Eric Lindberg</strong> will perform as a duo from their studio in northern New Jersey. Zasloff and Lindberg will fill the evening with beautiful music rooted at the crossroads of Jewish spirituality and the roots of American roots. The duo will also talk about what it's like being Jewish on the American Roots music scene today, share stories from life on the road and take questions from those in attendance. <strong>About Nefesh Mountain</strong> <p class="">Since their arrival on the scene in 2015, Nefesh Mountain has been hailed as one of today’s formative boundary pushing Bluegrass/Americana bands. They’re among the first to truly give voice and openly represent Jewish American culture, tradition, values and spirituality in the world of American roots music. In a testament to the unbridled imagination and extraordinary grace of their musicianship, each track on Songs for the Sparrows ineffably evokes the sensation of roaming through the unknown. True to the album’s spirit of loving inclusivity, Lindberg and Zasloff, have created an elegantly wayward sound by melding elements of everything from Americana and Appalachian bluegrass to Celtic folk and Eastern European music. Not only a reflection of their vast musical knowledge, that open-hearted embracing of so many eclectic genres also speaks to the joyful curiosity that animates every aspect of their artistry.</p> <p class="">Writing thirteen of the fourteen tracks, the duo looked back on a life-changing trip to Eastern Europe in 2018. “We tracked down the towns where our families are from, and it was devastating to see the destruction of the Holocaust firsthand, and to know that we’re not so far removed from that time,” says Lindberg. “” ‘Songs For The Sparrows’ ultimately came from that experience, and from thinking about the many groups of people who are horribly discriminated against in the U.S.” Zasloff adds: “To us, sparrows represent a small but mighty voice. That’s why we chose to name the album for them—they’re often overlooked, but they’re beautiful and everywhere.”</p>