Under Aegean Moons - Music of the Spanish Jews of Rhodes and Salonika Paths of Exile Quincentenary Series, Volume IV Voice of the Turtle Judith Wachs, Artistic Director Derek Burrows: mandolin, guitar, folk flutes, saz, harp, psaltery, percussion and voice Lisle Kulbach: rebec, kamanja, Memling fiddle, viola da gamba, violin, percussion and voice Jay Rosenberg: ‘ud, guitar, baglama, clarinet, percussion and voice Judith Wachs: nay, folk flutes, recorder, shawm, percussion and voice THE SEPHARDIM In 1492, all the Jews of Spain (Sephardim, from the Hebrew word for Spain, Sefarad, found in Obadiah 1:20]) who refused to renounce their faith, as required by the Inquisition, were expelled from their homeland of 1500 years. The Ottoman Empire welcomed this educated population, who brought with them technological skills so valuable to the aspirations of the Empire. But despite this hospitality, and because of the Ottoman policy of allowing their minorities almost total autonomy, these exiles continued to identify themselves as Spanish Jews, preserving the old Castilian language, and much of the culture of their Iberian experience. Because music was so central to their daily lives, particularly in the domain of women, they were able to preserve this astonishing musical heritage for five hundred years by oral tradition. THE QUINCENTENNIAL In 1992, the western world marked the Quincentenary – the 500th year since the momentous voyage of Christopher Columbus. Voice of the Turtle hopes to expand the modern perception of that history through its series of CDs called the “Paths of Exile.” This special recording project will enhance the significance of the Quincentenary from the little known perspective of the Jews of Spain. This third volume follows the “path” of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. JUDEO-SPANISH The medieval Castilian Spanish spoken by the Jews of Spain at the time of the expulsion is called Judeo-Spanish, Judeo-español, Djudezmo, ‘Spanyolit, ‘Spaniol de mosotros, and Sephardi. The language was spoken and written, first in Hebrew characters and recently, in the Latin alphabet. It was preserved in exile largely by the women, whose insulated life protected the language and maintained its vitality. It is often called “Ladino,” which historically was the language emerging from Latin into which liturgical Hebrew texts were translated. The word comes from the old Spanish “ladinar,” which means “to translate from Arabic or Hebrew into Latin or a latinate language.” ABOUT THIS COLLECTION – Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak The repertoire to which this recording is dedicated comes from the Sephardic musical traditions of the city of Salonika and the island of Rhodes, currently part of Greece. Voice of the Turtle follows the admirable and important precedent established in their previous recordings – utilization of authentic sources, i.e., field recordings of Sephardic Jews. The songs on this volume come from the collections of Kol Yisrael, and the National Sound Archives at the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem. A wide panorama of musico-poetic genres in the repertoire are represented: lyric songs, coplas, and even romances, a challenging genre that few performing groups dare to approach. The inclusion of songs recently adapted from the surrounding culture (as recent as one or two generations ago), songs created by anonymous, forgotten members of the communities, as well as the uniqueness of some items, make this collection especially interesting. A BRIEF HISTORY OF RHODES AND SALONIKA The Jews have been settled in Macedonia and the Dodecanese since early times. They are accounted for by Flavius Josephus and, in the early Christian era, the apostle Paul is said to have visited and preached to the Jews in their Synagogue in Thessaloniki (Salonika). A Greek chronicle reports that during the Arab rule in the 7th century there was a major business transaction by a Jew who purchased the enormous bronze remains of the Colossus of Rhodes. In the 12th century, the Spanish Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela tells of Jewish communities in the area as do the noted Jewish Italian travellers, Meshulam of Volterra (1481) and Obadia of Bertinoro (1488). When the Jews arrived from Spain they brought with them high standards of learning, trade, and cohesion, attributes which flourished into strong Jewish communities. They built and named synagogues after their places of origin in the Iberian Peninsula. Highly developed social structures included complex educational and welfare institutions. Cultural traditions, religious rites, as well as the Judeo-Spanish language were so pre-eminent that they were eventually adopted by the residing Byzantine (Romaniote) Jews. Salonika was the most important center in the part of the Ottoman lands which in 1912 became Greece. As a result of the conquest by the Turks in 1430, many Greeks had left the city. By the time the Spanish Jews arrived at the end of the 15th century they found some Romaniotes, but largely, quite a deserted city. Thus, the highly organized Sephardic community became the dominant force in the city – demographically, culturally, economically and socially. By the 17th century and on, there was a decline of the community due to competing textile markets, consecutive fires and epidemics. Profoundly shocking was the advent of the false messiah, Shabetai Tzvi, who converted to Islam with some of his followers. But despite the continuing difficult economic situation during the 18th century, creativity did not languish – there was a surge of activity in the field of periodicals, and the institution of the Alliance Israelite Universelle school fostered modernization and an opening to the European culture. The 20th century saw the tragic destruction of this community. Prior to the Nazi period, the Jews numbered more than 60,000 in Salonika; but in 1917 a huge fire destroyed much of the Jewish quarter, and about 50,000 were left homeless. For this and other reasons, Selaniklis started to emigrate in the period between the two World Wars, resettling in Palestine and other countries. With the advent of the Nazi influence, severe anti-semitic measures were imposed upon the Jewish residents – interdiction of work in their professions, admission denied to cafes and cinemas, the wearing of the yellow star, and mandatory confinement in ghettos. Between March and August 1943, there were nineteen convoys of people sent to Auschwitz and Birkenau for their annihilation. Of the few survivors of the camps, some returned to Salonika to rebuild their community, and some emigrated to Israel. The island of Rhodes was also an important center Jewry, extending at least as far back as Hellenic times. There are accounts of visits by King Herod and the apostle Paul, as well as references through the time of the Arab conquest. As early as 1280, Spanish Jews began to find refuge on this beautiful island, escaping Aragonese persecution. They managed to survive the largely intolerant rule of the Knight Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem, 1309-1522, who even enslaved them for use in the rebuilding of fortifications. With the Ottoman victory (assisted by the Jewish captives) in 1522, many Sephardim from other parts of the empire were encouraged to settle in Rhodes for commercial reasons, thus creating a significant, influential, religious, cultural and economic center. The Jews were more numerous than the Turkish population in the island. The community was often referred to as “Little Jerusalem.” This community, self-sufficient and highly organized, was similar to those which characterized the Salonika community. A Jew was appointed by the Turkish governor to rule in conjunction with the religious community. Rhodesli educational institutions both religious and secular were renowned for their excellence. From 1912 to Mussolini’s capitulation in 1943, the 4,500 Jews of Rhodes lived under Italian rule. At the beginning of the institution of anti-Semitic policies in 1938, however, many Rhodeslis left for the Congo and Rhodesia, thus escaping a terrible fate. In 1944, the Nazis deported the remaining Jews to Auschwitz where they perished. After the fifties, many of the Rhodesli Jews left Africa and emigrated to Europe, the United States and to Israel. FULL TEXTS, TRANSLATIONS AND COMMENTARY TO THE SONGS IS AVAILABLE ON THE CD BOOKLET