VIDEO: A sign of Jewish unity as Ashkenazi Jews celebrate the Sephardi language, Ladino

Since many Yiddishists are intrigued with Ladino, Moishele Alfonso reported about the NYC event in Yiddish (with English subtitles)

Photo by Moishele Alfonso

By Moishele Alfonso January 29, 2024

Many Yiddishists are intrigued with the Ladino language. One reason is a challenge shared by fans of both languages — the sharp decrease of Jews who still speak it after decades of assimilation into American and Israeli society.

So on Jan. 21, 2024, Yiddish instructor Moishele Alfonso attended the New York Ladino Day: a celebration of Sephardi culture at the Center for Jewish History, presented annually by the American Sephardi Federation. There, he found several Yiddish speakers and chatted with them in order to find out what brought them there. The video is in Yiddish, with English subtitles.

Moishele Alfonso is a Yiddish instructor at the Yiddish Book Center, YIVO and other institutions. His transcription of I.B. Singer’s book, Enemies: A Love Story, into standard Yiddish was published in 2022.

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