Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire (Hardcover)

by Marc D. Angel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Despite the esoteric title, this exploration of Judeo-Spanish communities is more than a scholarly treatise. Angel, rabbi of Shearith Israel, the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in New York, grew up in Seattle with Turkish-born grandparents who spoke Ladino (a form of medieval Spanish). He documents the historical foundations, cultural values and religious underpinnings of his own Sephardic roots. In the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire was home to more than 400,000 Jews, making it the fifth-largest Jewish community in the world. Because these Sephardim felt little need to integrate into the larger culture, they maintained a language that dated back to the expulsion from Spain in 1492. They suffered abject poverty, discrimination, humiliation and political weakness. However, because of both internal attitudes and external factors, their self-perception was bolstered with faith in God, a belief in their own rich heritage and in their place in the world to come. Angel sprinkles his readable narratives with scholarly citations as well as superstitions, rituals, Ladino folklore, songs and sayings. This valuable historic journey demonstrates the "triumph of the human spirit," resolute in its optimism and dignity. (Apr.)
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From Booklist
Rabbi Angel's grandparents were Sephardic Jews who were born in Turkey and the Island of Rhodes, their generation shaped by the vagaries of history of Jews living in the Ottoman Empire. Although on the lower rungs of the economic, educational, and cultural ladders, the Sephardim saw themselves in a distinctly positive light, maintaining a rich inner life with an infinite faith in God. Angel chronicles their Iberian roots and their religious foundations; the Bible and the Talmud were the primary texts of their religious worldview. He explains their spiritual approach to Midrashic/Kabbalistic Judaism, the religious and social structure of their lives, and their Ladino folklore. He concludes that the Sephardic experience in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit in the face of ubiquitous discrimination, poverty, and political weakness. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (March 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580232434
• ISBN-13: 978-1580232432
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,191,283 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and inspiring work, May 29, 2006

By	Ehav Eliyahu Ever "אהב" (Maale Adummim, Israel) - See all my reviews

I began reading this book thinking that I was going to read only a few chapters. Yet, I found that I could not put the book down. Rabbi Angel does a wonderful job at describing the environment of Turkish, Spanish, and Roman Jewish interaction and the effects on their spiritual life. This work goes into many of the cultural nuances that place because of internal and external situations such as the inquisition in Spain and Portugal, the Sabbatai Svi movement, and the decline of the Ottoman Empire.

I really enjoyed how the book explained both the good and bad that resulted from the increase in Qabbalistic thought. He also covers the traditions, poetry, and music that came out of the Ladino culture. All and all, this is one of the best and most straight forward books that deals with the need for Sephardim to preserve the culture.

I think this book should required reading in all Yeshivot and Jewish schools.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ottoman Days, June 4, 2006

By	Allegra (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I would call this a unique 201 page mini encyclopedia of the Sephardic Jews' life before, during and after their stay in the Ottoman Empire where they found refuge after their 1492 expulsion from Spain. We learn how and why their culture evolved, became embedded as an integral part of their character which distinguished them from non-Sephardic Jews. Along with religious life their secular life is described.Sayings, stories, myths songs are presented in a way that gives readers understanding of family, personal ways of life. No long drawn out chapters or heavy prose burden the reader who no matter personal inclinations as a Jew or non-Jew will find this a pefect guide to what makes a Sephardic Jew what he is. Easy to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential history to any who would understand the roots of Jewish spirituality, July 3, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Foundations Of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life Of Jews Of The Ottoman Empire provides an essential history to any who would understand the roots of Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Marc Angel's exploration is scholarly, providing a fine survey of the Judeo-Spanish people of the Ottoman Empire and the influences that led them to stay united under duress. Angel's background as a primary interpreter of Sephardic history provides a thorough survey of culture, history and religious foundations, drawing many essential connections between Kabbalah teachings and radical new ideas which were to change how the Jewish community interacted. From issues such as Muslim rights and changing political status to turning points leading to the decline of Ottoman Jewry, Foundations Of Sephardic Spirituality is an essential study for any who would understand the history of Sephardic belief and evolution.