Ladino is a language that brings together Spanish grammar with vocabulary and ideas from Hebrew, Turkish, French and various other languages of the Eastern Mediterranean. The joy and wisdom of this language is stored within its numerous, colourful, funny, and often musical sayings and proverbs. There has recently been a wave of interest in this language and ways to engage in Sephardic culture in secular ways.

On February 23, this interactive workshop will do just that! Join us with Montreal-based writer and language enthusiast Nesi Altaras as we learn about how Ladino developed, why it declined, and the efforts to revivify the language. Participants will learn about various sayings and proverbs - and hopefully guess a few with hints. Finally, equipped with a word bank and a basic understanding of proverbs, participants will be able to create and share their own sayings. This workshop will give you a taste of the Sephardic view of the world through Ladino proverbs and hopefully spark your interest to learn more.

About Nesi:

From Istanbul, Nesi Altaras is an editor of Avlaremoz, a Jewish news platform in Turkish, and recently graduated from McGill with a Master's in Political Science. His writing in English, Turkish, and Ladino has been published in various platforms and he is currently translating a book from English to Turkish. Nesi enjoys learning languages, talking about sayings and etymologies, and listening to family stories. He currently lives in Montreal.

Twitter: @nesialtaras

Instagram: @nesialtaras

This event is a part of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s Microgrant Program for Creative or Cultural Exploration, which is funded by the Quebec Community Group Network's Community Investment Fund. We also thank Avlaremoz and The Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America for their Partnership.