Episode 111: Ladino Makes a Comeback
Segun el tiempo, se abolta la vela. That’s a Ladino saying that means, “According to the weather, shift your sail.” And it's an apt way of describing Ladino's recent comeback. Ladino—or Judeo-Spanish—the language spoken by Sephardic Jews in Turkey, Greece and North Africa, saw a major decline after the Holocaust destroyed communities of native speakers. But like a sailboat shifting course when the wind changes direction, Ladino has adapted to the times. In this episode of Can We Talk, you’ll hear how from Naomi Spector and Nesi Altaras, two Ladino enthusiasts, and from Hannah Pressman, one of the people spearheading Ladino’s resurgence.
Additional resources:
Ladinokomunita (online Ladino discussion group)
Documenting Judeo-Spanish (solitreo documents and reading guide)
Ladino Linguist (Bryan Kirschen)
Hannah S. Pressman (selected writing)
Enkontros de Alhad (weekly Ladino talk show)
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Examples of solitreo and Rashi script (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Final page of letter written in Ladino from Rivca Alhadeff in Rhodes to her children in Rhodesia, May 1940. Courtesy of Vivienne Capelouto. Both sides of page were used to conserve paper. She signs the letter (middle of page) vos abrasso vuestra querensiosa madri, Rivca, meaning "I send you a hug. Your loving mother, Rivca." At the bottom of the page, she writes, Lo chi esto mirando [es] chi no va chidar viejos en Rodis todos si estan yendo a l’America, meaning "What I’m seeing is that there will be no more older people left in Rhodes, they are all leaving for America."
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Ladino postcard sent from Salonica to New York. Courtesy of https://documentingjudeospanish.com/
