Sephardi Voices From the UK

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Sephardi Voices UK: Sharing the Stories of Sephardi Jews in Britain

Series: In Her Majesty's Kingdom - Celebrating the Rich History of Anglo-Jewry

 

Sephardi Voices UK documents the testimonies of Jews from the Middle East, North Africa and Iran who now live in the United Kingdom. Our filmed interviews document the fascinating history, rich culture and vibrant traditions of the communities our interviewees left behind. Our work allows the families of our interviewees to connect with their past, whilst simultaneously allowing both researchers and members of the general public a window into the histories of these unique communities.

Less than 10% of British Jews have their roots in the Middle East, North Africa or Iran. Despite this relatively small number, Middle Eastern, North African and Iranian Jews have made a large impact on British society. Amongst our interviewees are prominent business people, authors, artists, politicians, musicians, physicians, Rabbis and philanthropists.

In this lecture we will introduce the SVUK archive, and learn about the lives of our interviewees who arrived in the UK throughout the latter half of the 20th century. We will explore the impact of this migration on their lives, and the mark they have in turn made on Anglo Jewry.

Dr Bea Lewkowicz is a social anthropologist and oral historian and is the director of two oral history archives, the AJR Refugee Voices Testimony Archive of the Association of Jewish Refugees and the Sephardi Voices UK Archive. She is a member of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London. Her research interests include oral history; trauma and memory; diasporas and displacement; and nationalism and ethnicity. She has worked on many oral history projects and has directed and produced a wide range of testimony-based films. Amongst her publications are The Jewish Community of Salonika: History, Memory, Identity (Vallentine Mitchell: 2006) and Émigré Voices: Conversations with Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria (Brill: 2021).

Daisy Abboudi has been Deputy Director of Sephardi Voices UK since 2017. Over the course of her career, she has carried out close to one hundred oral history interviews. Her interests include questions of identity, heritage and education. In addition to her work at Sephardi Voices UK, Daisy runs Tales of Jewish Sudan. Her work has been featured on the BBC, Associated Press, Al Arabiya English, World Jewish Congress and in several Jewish publications.

Sunday, July 31,  8 pm Israel / 7 pm CET / 6 pm UK / 1 pm EST