|
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
The
Sephardic Jews of Monastir, 1839-1943. A web companion
to a new history.
For
nearly 40 years the Foundation for the Advancement of
Sephardic Studies and Culture (FASSAC)
has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the centuries-old
culture of the Sephardim of Turkey, Greece, the Balkans,
Europe and the U.S.
Origins
of the Foundation
The
FASSAC was founded in 1965 to renew and preserve Sephardic
culture, and its founding members included some of the
leading figures of the Sephardic community. Chief among
these were David N. Barocas,
Louis N. Levy, and the renowned
scholar Prof. Maír José
Benardete.
The
Foundation´s first pulication was Studies in Honor
of M. J. Benardete, which was presented to Benardete at
a dinner held in his honor at New York´s Plaza Hotel
in 1965.
Commitment
to publication
From
that beginning until today, the Foundation´s main
focus has been to document through resesarch and publication
the history and culture of the Sephardic Jews.
In
1967, the Foundation raised funds to have the acclaimed
photographer Victor Laredo photograph Spain´s Juderías,
or old Jewish quarters. Laredo's work was featured in
the 1967 photographic exhibition 'Sephardic Spain,' which
was held at the Jewish Museum in New York City. The exhibition
was also featured on the CBS television program, 'Look
Up and Live.'
During
the 1970s, the Foundation co-sponsored events and publications
in the New York area, assisting Yeshiva University with
their Sephardic Community Activities Program and co-sponsoring
some early publications of their Sephardic Studies Program.
In 1980, the Foundation was co-publisher of Studies in
Sephardic Culture: The David N. Barocas Memorial Volume.
Recent
publications and activities
As
we enter a new era, the Foundation continues to vigorously
renew and preserve the rich heritage, culture and legacy
of our ancestors. With extensive archives gathered over
the decades from numerous sources, the Foundation has
been able to produce, support, and enrich numerous research
projects and published works.
Publications
include "Ladino Reveries: Tales of the Sephardic
Experience in America and An Introduction to Literature
on the Holocaust in Greece. Our newest issue is Last Century
of a Sephardic Community: The Jews of Monastir, 1839-1943.
Other important projects, such as a new history of the
Jews of Kastoria, are under development.
These
publications, presentations and exhibitions attest to
the Foundation´s efforts to enrich Spanish Jewish
culture in our times.
|
