Forced into exile in the late 15th century, Spanish Jews, known as Sephardim, resettled across Amsterdam, Istanbul, Baghdad, and beyond. What, and who, did they encounter in these new lands, many of which were under Muslim rule? How did they adapt to, navigate, and influence local societies and politics? Through letters, photographs, newspapers, and memoirs, our course examines this understudied Jewish diaspora through the rise and fall of empires; nationalisms (including Zionism); the Holocaust; and ends in the present day.
5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Forced into exile in the late 15th century, Spanish Jews, known as Sephardim, resettled across Amsterdam, Istanbul, Baghdad, and beyond. What, and who, did they encounter in these new lands, many of which were under Muslim rule? How did they adapt to, navigate, and influence local societies and politics? Through letters, photographs, newspapers, and memoirs, our course examines this understudied Jewish diaspora through the rise and fall of empires; nationalisms (including Zionism); the Holocaust; and ends in the present day.