Katja Šmid, Ora (Rodrigue) Schwarzwald & Ofra Tirosh-Becker (eds.), Mizmor Le-David: Studies in Jewish Languages, CSIC, Madrid 2023, pp. מז-פג
The Bezes Printing House was established in Salonika, in 1888, by David ben Barukh Bezes, and his... more The Bezes Printing House was established in Salonika, in 1888, by David ben Barukh Bezes, and his sons and grandsons took over after his death in 1912. Considered to be one of the city’s leading and most prominent printing houses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Bezes Printing House was finally forced to close its doors as World War II and the decimation of the local Jewish community loomed.
In addition to their publishing endeavors, members of the Bezes family authored original Ladino works, translated from other languages into Ladino, and were noted publicists. During the course of its over fifty years of existence, the Bezes Printing House released nearly one hundred and fifty publications, spanning a wide range of genres, including both sacred and secular literature, such as prayer books and other liturgical works, Passover Haggadot, Ethics of the Fathers, belles-lettres, newspapers, almanacs, calendars, and assorted pamphlets. The printing house’s stature was also reflected by the large number of Ladino newspapers it published – nearly two dozen – and some of them were even edited by members of the Bezes family themselves.
This article presents a previously unknown chronology, delineating the history and achievements of the Bezes Printing House, which was written by Barukh ben David Bezes in 1938. The chronology was written in Ladino using the Solitreo script, and a transcription as well as photographs of the original are included in the appendices.
Although Salonika was a major center of Hebrew printing, no comprehensive study of the history of Hebrew printing in that city has been written, and to date, information about the printing houses, the publishers, the books, and the many newspapers that were printed there has yet to be collected. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned chronology, this article also surveys the available research pertaining to Hebrew printing in Salonika.
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In addition to their publishing endeavors, members of the Bezes family authored original Ladino works, translated from other languages into Ladino, and were noted publicists. During the course of its over fifty years of existence, the Bezes Printing House released nearly one hundred and fifty publications, spanning a wide range of genres, including both sacred and secular literature, such as prayer books and other liturgical works, Passover Haggadot, Ethics of the Fathers, belles-lettres, newspapers, almanacs, calendars, and assorted pamphlets. The printing house’s stature was also reflected by the large number of Ladino newspapers it published – nearly two dozen – and some of them were even edited by members of the Bezes family themselves.
This article presents a previously unknown chronology, delineating the history and achievements of the Bezes Printing House, which was written by Barukh ben David Bezes in 1938. The chronology was written in Ladino using the Solitreo script, and a transcription as well as photographs of the original are included in the appendices.
Although Salonika was a major center of Hebrew printing, no comprehensive study of the history of Hebrew printing in that city has been written, and to date, information about the printing houses, the publishers, the books, and the many newspapers that were printed there has yet to be collected. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned chronology, this article also surveys the available research pertaining to Hebrew printing in Salonika.
The social players involved in the debate can be divided into four groups. The perception of the polemic and its understanding are influenced by thinking patterns that can be called "framing". These patterns constitute a kind of "lens" through which everyone views the language conflict. The presentation of various interests as part of the discussion about language serves to reveal the complexity of the social groups in which the polemic takes place.
An analysis of the folktale collection reveals its uniqueness and rarity in comparison with other eighteenth century Ladino folktale compendia, which typically include stories about characters from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Sephardic world but not classic figures from Ashkenazic culture. The article also examines the way the stories were transposed from Yiddish into Ladino. A look at a sample story suggests that the stories must have been retold and orally translated from Yiddish into Hebrew by a Yiddish-speaking storyteller, following which the writer transcribed them into Ladino.
those published in the Italy, Amsterdam or London (Schwarzwald 1989, 1990[92]). A version of a Ladino translation of Pirkey Avot from Thessaloniki ca. 1570 has recently been discovered among remnants of the Cairo Genizah in Cambridge. A comparison of the 1601 and 1570 versions shows that not only are they very similar, but that it is also
evident that the 1601 version is based on the Thessaloniki translation ca. 1570. Other texts published in Venice at the same printing house support this conclusion. This edition is now considered the oldest known version published in Ladino.
En los últimos años se han ido descubriendo libros y ediciones desconocidos en judeoespañol, entre otros, en bibliotecas públicas, en colecciones privadas y entre los diversos materiales conservados durante siglos en la Guenizá de El Cairo. Entre los miles de fragmentos que se han acumulado en la Guenizá se han encontrado también fragmentos de ediciones de biblias sefardíes del antiguo Imperio otomano, que hasta ahora no habían sido documentados. El presente artículo señala las últimas novedades en el área de las ediciones de biblias sefardíes del siglo XVI, y presenta un inventario bibliografico actualizado de estas ediciones, a partir de los nuevos hallazgos.
Saadi Halevi-Ashkenazi was known for his liberal views and was considered to be ahead of his time. His memoir – in and of itself a groundbreaking endeavor in the society in which he lived – serves as a significant primary source for information about Jewish communal life in that era.
Yet, in spite of his prominent position and major contributions, no comprehensive study of his life exists. Furthermore, much of what has been written about him is incomplete, inaccurate, or vague and unclear. This article sets the record straight and presents an updated biography of Saadi Halevi, based on a variety of sources and in light of new findings.
There are two different opinions about Baʿal Ha-Turim’s burial place: the scientific view which claims that he was buried in Toledo, Spain, and the popular folk tradition which maintains that he was buried on the Greek island of Chios. As a result of this folk tradition, the gravestone attributed to him in Chios as well as the island’s cemetery became a pilgrimage site for Jews from the surrounding areas. Furthermore, numerous stories and legends have arisen around Baʿal Ha-Turim and the holy site in Chios. Specifically, in Ladino literature and folklore from the early nineteenth century he is referred to as a miracle worker. A number of special prayers were composed to be recited over Baʿal Ha-Turim’s gravesite in Chios, and several even appeared in print during the mid-nineteenth century. Members of the local Jewish community would make vows to visit the gravesite as a way of ensuring the acceptance of their prayers and supplications, a rare practice among Turkish and Balkan Jewry.
In this article, we focus on the two conflicting traditions concerning Baʿal Ha-Turim’s burial place. We discuss the sources suggesting that he was buried in Spain and examine their credibility. In contrast, in light of various new findings we recently discovered, we describe the spread and extent of the popular tradition that he was buried in Chios, and we examine the way this tradition and belief affected private and communal life in the surrounding area, in Turkey, and in the Balkans.
Shulhan ha-Panim, which is generally considered to be a translation of R’ Yosef Caro’s seminal Shulhan Arukh, is actually much more than that. The translator also edited and formatted the text, added his own commentary, and thus produced a new work, which was intended to provide the target audience – namely, Spanish and Portuguese Jewry, Judeo-Spanish speakers – with a useful book containing clear halachic rulings in a language they understood.
This article seeks to identify the author of Shulhan ha-Panim, who also wrote other works in Hebrew and Ladino. In addition to the bibliographic implications, revealing his identity can shed light on the spiritual world of a Sephardic sage living in the Ottoman Empire during the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Expulsion.
In addition to their publishing endeavors, members of the Bezes family authored original Ladino works, translated from other languages into Ladino, and were noted publicists. During the course of its over fifty years of existence, the Bezes Printing House released nearly one hundred and fifty publications, spanning a wide range of genres, including both sacred and secular literature, such as prayer books and other liturgical works, Passover Haggadot, Ethics of the Fathers, belles-lettres, newspapers, almanacs, calendars, and assorted pamphlets. The printing house’s stature was also reflected by the large number of Ladino newspapers it published – nearly two dozen – and some of them were even edited by members of the Bezes family themselves.
This article presents a previously unknown chronology, delineating the history and achievements of the Bezes Printing House, which was written by Barukh ben David Bezes in 1938. The chronology was written in Ladino using the Solitreo script, and a transcription as well as photographs of the original are included in the appendices.
Although Salonika was a major center of Hebrew printing, no comprehensive study of the history of Hebrew printing in that city has been written, and to date, information about the printing houses, the publishers, the books, and the many newspapers that were printed there has yet to be collected. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned chronology, this article also surveys the available research pertaining to Hebrew printing in Salonika.
The social players involved in the debate can be divided into four groups. The perception of the polemic and its understanding are influenced by thinking patterns that can be called "framing". These patterns constitute a kind of "lens" through which everyone views the language conflict. The presentation of various interests as part of the discussion about language serves to reveal the complexity of the social groups in which the polemic takes place.
An analysis of the folktale collection reveals its uniqueness and rarity in comparison with other eighteenth century Ladino folktale compendia, which typically include stories about characters from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Sephardic world but not classic figures from Ashkenazic culture. The article also examines the way the stories were transposed from Yiddish into Ladino. A look at a sample story suggests that the stories must have been retold and orally translated from Yiddish into Hebrew by a Yiddish-speaking storyteller, following which the writer transcribed them into Ladino.
those published in the Italy, Amsterdam or London (Schwarzwald 1989, 1990[92]). A version of a Ladino translation of Pirkey Avot from Thessaloniki ca. 1570 has recently been discovered among remnants of the Cairo Genizah in Cambridge. A comparison of the 1601 and 1570 versions shows that not only are they very similar, but that it is also
evident that the 1601 version is based on the Thessaloniki translation ca. 1570. Other texts published in Venice at the same printing house support this conclusion. This edition is now considered the oldest known version published in Ladino.
En los últimos años se han ido descubriendo libros y ediciones desconocidos en judeoespañol, entre otros, en bibliotecas públicas, en colecciones privadas y entre los diversos materiales conservados durante siglos en la Guenizá de El Cairo. Entre los miles de fragmentos que se han acumulado en la Guenizá se han encontrado también fragmentos de ediciones de biblias sefardíes del antiguo Imperio otomano, que hasta ahora no habían sido documentados. El presente artículo señala las últimas novedades en el área de las ediciones de biblias sefardíes del siglo XVI, y presenta un inventario bibliografico actualizado de estas ediciones, a partir de los nuevos hallazgos.
Saadi Halevi-Ashkenazi was known for his liberal views and was considered to be ahead of his time. His memoir – in and of itself a groundbreaking endeavor in the society in which he lived – serves as a significant primary source for information about Jewish communal life in that era.
Yet, in spite of his prominent position and major contributions, no comprehensive study of his life exists. Furthermore, much of what has been written about him is incomplete, inaccurate, or vague and unclear. This article sets the record straight and presents an updated biography of Saadi Halevi, based on a variety of sources and in light of new findings.
There are two different opinions about Baʿal Ha-Turim’s burial place: the scientific view which claims that he was buried in Toledo, Spain, and the popular folk tradition which maintains that he was buried on the Greek island of Chios. As a result of this folk tradition, the gravestone attributed to him in Chios as well as the island’s cemetery became a pilgrimage site for Jews from the surrounding areas. Furthermore, numerous stories and legends have arisen around Baʿal Ha-Turim and the holy site in Chios. Specifically, in Ladino literature and folklore from the early nineteenth century he is referred to as a miracle worker. A number of special prayers were composed to be recited over Baʿal Ha-Turim’s gravesite in Chios, and several even appeared in print during the mid-nineteenth century. Members of the local Jewish community would make vows to visit the gravesite as a way of ensuring the acceptance of their prayers and supplications, a rare practice among Turkish and Balkan Jewry.
In this article, we focus on the two conflicting traditions concerning Baʿal Ha-Turim’s burial place. We discuss the sources suggesting that he was buried in Spain and examine their credibility. In contrast, in light of various new findings we recently discovered, we describe the spread and extent of the popular tradition that he was buried in Chios, and we examine the way this tradition and belief affected private and communal life in the surrounding area, in Turkey, and in the Balkans.
Shulhan ha-Panim, which is generally considered to be a translation of R’ Yosef Caro’s seminal Shulhan Arukh, is actually much more than that. The translator also edited and formatted the text, added his own commentary, and thus produced a new work, which was intended to provide the target audience – namely, Spanish and Portuguese Jewry, Judeo-Spanish speakers – with a useful book containing clear halachic rulings in a language they understood.
This article seeks to identify the author of Shulhan ha-Panim, who also wrote other works in Hebrew and Ladino. In addition to the bibliographic implications, revealing his identity can shed light on the spiritual world of a Sephardic sage living in the Ottoman Empire during the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Expulsion.
The following study indicates that in order to create an authoritative and exhaustive mapping of Ladino literature, the researchers of the past had to examine every work which was published in this language; to keep a precise record of each work - after examining the books and the publications themselves, rather than copying the data from a secondary source (e.g., lists, catalogues, and additional research); to understand Ladino fluently - in order to record, document, and map the works; and lastly, to be extremely knowledgeable about the history of Hebrew literature in general and Ladino literature in particular. These conditions were never fully met, and as the opening chapter of this dissertation shows, the eighteen previous compilations and mappings, which attempted to survey Ladino literature, achieved only partial results. These surveys were written in English, French, German, Hebrew, Romanian and Spanish, and were even published in a wide array of literary platforms – such as encyclopedia entries, articles, and book chapters. Fifteen scholars – including bibliographers, librarians, and researchers – with different cultural backgrounds and orientations tried to survey Ladino literature. An analysis of their work reveals that Ladino literature served as a challenging and fascinating research topic even for those outside the original ethnic group for which it was intended – namely, Sephardim.