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Oral Literature of the Sephardic Jews

 File — Box: 22, Folder: 4,5

Scope and Content

From the Series:

Sephardic studies refers specifically to the Jewish community which originated on the Iberian Peninsula at the start of the second millennium. More broadly, Sephardim includes the traditionally Eastern Jewish communities of West Asia and beyond who, although not having genealogical roots in the Jewish communities of Iberia, have adopted a Sephardic style of liturgy and Sephardic law and customs imparted to them by the Iberian Jewish exiles over the course of the last few centuries. The original community of Iberian Jews was decimated in the 15th century when the Catholic Monarchs in Spain issued an edict that decreed that Jews either 1) convert to Catholicism to remain in Spain, 2) remain Jews but be expelled by a certain deadline, or 3) be subjected to death without trial for any Jew who did not convert or leave by the deadline. The series is divided loosely into four subseries, though there is much overlap between them as well as overlap into other series. Much of the Sephardic Studies series relates to four particular topics: Haggadah (the order of the Passover Seder), Ladino literature, the Spanish Inquisition, and general ephemera. (Ladino was a Romance language derived from Old Spanish, incorporating elements from all the old Romance languages of the Iberian peninsula, Hebrew, Aramaic, and in the lands receiving those who were exiled: Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, Greek, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian vocabulary.) As with most of Lazar’s papers, the files in this series contain notes, articles, treatises, and literary works in several languages—notably English, French, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Dates

  • Creation: 1967 - 2015

Creator

Language of Materials

From the Collection:

Most of the materials in this collection are in English. However, many articles, notes, and publications are in Spanish, German, Ladino, Hebrew, and other languages. Assistance with the Hebrew language materials was provided by Dr. Yaffa Weisman of Hebrew Union College.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for access.

Extent

From the Collection: 39.5 Linear Feet (68 boxes)

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States