September 16, 2008

A Celebration of Sephardi Culture

New exhibit opens at Baycrest

Toronto, ON – “Our Precious Heritage: A Celebration of Sephardi Culture” opens on Sept. 21 at Baycrest’s Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum for a year-long run.

The exhibit will showcase the strikingly beautiful and elaborate judaica of Sephardi culture, collected from many countries around the world, including Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Uzbekistan (the Bukharan region) and India. The culture has strong Islamic influences which can be seen in the elaborate and richly colored clothing, artwork, domestic items and family memorabilia.

Media are invited to attend the opening on Sunday, Sept. 21st at 1:45 p.m. in the Silverman Garden Court of Baycrest. Local leaders of the Sephardi culture in Toronto will be available for interviews and photos starting at noon, before opening events get underway, or later in the afternoon.

Sephardi culture is one of the two major traditions of Judaism, the other being the Ashkenazi culture of Europe. “Sephardi,” which means Spanish, traditionally refers to the Jews who fled the Iberian Peninsula after the famous expulsions of the 15th century. The Baycrest exhibit transports visitors further back in time to the origins of the culture throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world, with a focus on life cycle events, Sabbath synagogue and holiday customs.

Museum coordinator Pat Dickinson says the purpose of the exhibit is not to compare one culture to another, but to celebrate the richness of the Sephardi way of life. “The museum has a history of partnering with different Jewish groups in Toronto to develop our exhibits and we are so pleased to present this one with the Sephardi community,” she says, adding it took two years to put this special collection together.

Mr. and Mrs. Keslassy and their family enjoy a photo of themselves in Morocco, circa 1950's

Mr. Keslassy (l) and friend Mrs. Sara Menahemoff, along with his son and daughter-in-law, enjoy a photo of him in Morocco, c., 1950's.

“Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first major arrival of Sephardis in Toronto, mainly from Morocco,” says Raquel Benzacar Savatti, chair of the Sephardic Heritage Exhibit Committee that worked with Baycrest’s museum committee to plan the event. “Today our Sephardi community is a vibrant part of the Jewish community and yet remains determined to maintain its rich heritage and customs.”

The centerpiece of the exhibit is an elaborate and richly decorated henna dress worn by Sephardi brides in the Moroccan tradition. Visitors can also see a scaled-down table of food set for the “mimouna” (an event which takes place at the end of Passover, where people drop into each others’ homes to share hospitality), and peruse the many fascinating Sephardi artifacts, including a Sabbath lamp from India, hand-painted “ketubas” (marriage certificates), a silver “tik” (a case to protect and adorn the Torah) from Egypt, and an interactive map of the Sephardi world where families can pin flags on their place of origin.

One of the displays features artwork created by 90-year-old Jaime Levy-Bencheton, whose wife Esther is a resident of Baycrest’s Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged. Mr. Levy-Bencheton is originally from Morocco and as a young man in the 1930s he trained in gymnastics for the Olympics, but was not able to attend because the war intervened. A photo of him on the rings, along with his gymnastic medals, is included in the display.

The Sephardi exhibit runs for a year at Baycrest (3560 Bathurst St., north of Lawrence Ave.). Admission is free. For information on museum hours and guided tours, contact Baycrest at (416) 785-2500, ext. 2802. Read the exhibit details

For more information on this press release, please contact:
Pat Dickinson
Museum Coordinator
Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System
416-785-2500, ext. 2802
pdickinson@baycrest.org