By Bruce Clement, Special to JTNews
Nearly 40 past leaders of Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation will be on hand for a gala dinner Nov. 11 to help the Seward Park Orthodox synagogue celebrate its history.
The 19 living past presidents of the congregation, and 17 past presidents of the Ladies Auxiliary, will be honored at a dinner and cocktails in the Sam H. Baruch Social Hall at SBH. A dinner journal distributed to those in attendance will include biographical information, historical photographs, memorabilia, synagogue history and a paragraph from each living president with insights or anecdotes from their term.
The number of ancestral combinations reflects the strong family tradition of the Congregation for past presidents. Eight sets of fathers and sons have served as president: Joseph Caston and his son Jack; Samuel Morhaime and his two sons Maurice and Isaac; Isaac Morhaime and his son Stan; Marco Cordova and his son Tom; Sam Baruch and his son Isaac; Nessim Azose and his son David; and Isaac Maimon and his son Ralph. Magda Schaloum and her daughter Lucia DeFunis have both served as presidents of the Ladies Auxiliary. And five sets of husbands and wives have served as presidents: Joseph and Becky Souriano; Tom and Louise Bensussen; Israel and Nelly Halfon; Israel and Jean Halfon; and Albert and Jeanne Maimon.
The first Sephardic Jews in Seattle, Solomon Calvon and Jacob Policar, arrived in 1902. Local Jews were initially puzzled by these men who claimed to be Jewish but could not speak Yiddish. Over the next several years, these two immigrants encouraged a number of friends and relatives in Turkey to join them. The early Sephardic pioneers in Seattle soon formed a charitable organization called Bikur Holim (Hebrew for “to visit the sick”). A group of young men collecting donations for this society would bang on the doors of Seattle Sephardic homes, loudly shake the coins in the donation box and shout “Bikur Holim, Bikur Holim.”
Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation was founded in 1914 and still retains its traditional Turkish customs and tunes for its liturgy. The prayers and chants during services have a distinct and exotic Middle Eastern quality. First-time listeners are delighted with the Hebrew-Ladino version of “Ein Kelohenu.”
Seattle has the third largest Sephardic population in the United States. SBH was prominently mentioned in the film “Song of the Sephardi.” Many members of the congregation appear in scenes of the movie, which include a reproduction of a brit milah service, a beautiful Sephardic Shabbat dinner and the after-dinner singing of Sephardic tunes. “Song of the Sephardi” has been shown on Israel television, and on theater screens in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and other cities of the world.
The origin of Sephardic Jews can be traced to medieval Spain. For centuries, first under Muslims and later Christians, they lived peacefully and developed a unique and vibrant culture. Sephardic Jews were suddenly and cruelly expelled from Spain by decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492. Historians speculate that Christopher Columbus must have witnessed firsthand this Jewish exodus as he supervised the loading of cargo on ships bound for the New World.
Most of these Jewish refugees settled in Mediterranean, Arabic and North African countries, retaining their colorful Spanish customs and Ladino language. Ladino is a combination of Hebrew and ancient Spanish, a kind of Iberian Yiddish. These refugees from the Inquisition were called Sephardim (plural) because “Sephard” is Hebrew for Spain.
Sephardic Jews have aroused keen academic interest because of their use of Ladino and customs from medieval Spain. The University of Washington has created a Department of Sephardic Studies and carefully maintains an archive of Seattle Sephardic papers, photos and historical artifacts. Many of the older members of the congregation have provided genealogies and oral narratives to University researchers, who have meticulously organized and cataloged them for the University.
Sephardic Bikur Holim is located at 6500 52nd Ave S. in Seattle, on the corner of 52nd S. and S. Morgan. Black tie is optional for the dinner, and the cost is $55 per person. Questions should be referred to the SBH office manager, Dianna Black, at 206-723-3028.