WORKING WITH THE TEAM OF “ANDI AND AYA”
18 Sephardic Jews from Bulgaria and Turkey talk about their lived experience of using Ladino, their heritage language. I have heard, recorded and re-storied these narratives over a period of 15 years and these constitute the core of my book. Each one of the accounts features a picture of its narrator and brief biographical notes.
The stories part of the book is preceded by three chapters, grounded in some dozen years of research. Firstly, I write about the Sephardim as a distinct Jewish diaspora. I look at the genesis and development of
Sephardic communities since the early 16 th century and outline a wider historical and linguistic context. I then explore circumstances in Bulgaria and Turkey that have impacted the lives of the Sephardim. I turn
my attention to the relationships between the Jews and the people from other ethnic and religious groups. I review the uses, the rise and, ultimately, the lessening of the Ladino language in both countries but importantly – the ways in which it can open doors for its speakers. And before the narrated accounts begin, I present my approach to researching the Ladino histories of the members of the Bulgarian and Turkish Sephardic communities.
This book represents my desire – my passion even – to preserve and understand the significance of Ladino for its speakers in ever-changing social and geopolitical circumstances in Bulgaria and in Turkey. We live and work in today’s world and we have the right to know what is going on.
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