Popular Culture and Daily Life among the Sephardic Jews of the Ottoman Empire
Betty and Milton Katz JCC
1301 Springdale Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
What happened to the Sephardic Jews after the expulsion from Spain in 1492? What were their lives like in their new homes? The legal questions that Sephardim asked their rabbis and the answers those rabbis wrote in return—collectively known as responsa—are full of surprising information; we will examine some of these fascinating documents to see what we can learn about everyday life among the exiled Sephardim.
Featuring
Matt Goldish
Ohio State University
Matt Goldish holds the Samuel M. and Esther Melton Professor of History Chair at Ohio State University, where he is also the director of the Melton Center for Jewish Studies. His books include Judaism in the Theology of Sir Isaac Newton (1998), which won the Salo Baron Prize from the American Academy for Jewish Research, The Sabbatean Prophets (2004), and Jewish Questions: Responsa on Sephardic Life in the Early Modern Period (2008). Matt’s work at the center will focus on the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Rovigo and his connection to and influence on the Sabbatean movement.
