I appreciate what you presented!!! I’m a Sephardic Jew like you and my family survived as crypto Jews in Latin America. I speak Ladino 🥰

@cruces414

Жыл бұрын

Good luck in your journey! Here in Puerto Rico we are connected to the conversos sefardi culture. Sefardi influence it is evident in our food, our music and our beliefs. Shalom!

@varunv2584

Жыл бұрын

Slave masters

@CorrineAtlas

Жыл бұрын

@@varunv2584 Varun (also spelled Varuna) was the ancient Vedic god who was first associated with the sky, then later with rain and bodies of water, particularly the oceans and often the celestial ocean that surrounds Earth. He was also nicknamed "the god of natural and moral law" who harshly judged and punished evildoers. Yes-we’re enslaved by dogma universally 💫🔱 Love and light 💥🚀♾️

@carlc5748

Жыл бұрын

@@cruces414 I was there in April explaining this to many people there, many people still have not been awakened as to their hidden heritage. My wife found out 11 years ago about her sephardic roots that YHWH gave her through a dream, and confirmed by a subsequent DNA test.

@anselmosedillo7141

Жыл бұрын

I'm a Sephardic Jew too. Sedillo is a Sephardic Jewish surname. Our ancestors are Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism. I was raised Catholic. Protestants aren't Christians.

You should definitely learn Ladino (if you want). A mini-series on your cultural/linguistic journey of ladino learning would be really interesting!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

i agree! i already understand so much of it, we’ll see what happens :P

@aharonfernandez6359

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks Gibralterian Jews and ceuti Jews (my people, ceuta is below a tiny teeny point below straight of gibralter in North africa, geographically in Morocco but has been part of Spain since they expelled the moors more or less) as well as Spanish-Moroccan Jews (parts of north morocco that belonged to Spain instead of France) Spoke Haketiya and modern Spanish, as well as sometimes Judeo-moroccan Arabic. Ladino is more from Middle east and Balkans.

@dare-er7sw

2 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks it simply means beautiful :-)

@yechezkelmendoza5698

2 жыл бұрын

@@aharonfernandez6359 Funny you mention that about Ladino. Syrian Jews (My identity is associated with Jews of Syria but are familiar with Ladino culture).

@aharonfernandez6359

2 жыл бұрын

@@yechezkelmendoza5698 Ladino was spoken in Haleb by many until 1800s along with Arabic and a little longer in Shams. The Najjara brothers wrote some notes to each other containing ladino. I remember this from a lecture about the Music of Syrian Jews at the Museum for Jewish Heritage.

i just teared up a bit when you started singing, so beautiful!! grateful to get to know you a little bit more! I wish you and your loved ones a happy new year, hopefully 2021 will be a better one for all of us!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

aw omfg 🥺 i’ll be posting some ladino songs on twitter, you can always hear the emotion in it. happy holidays & happy new year Iris!!

@coastalphriends4913

3 жыл бұрын

Man! You rocked that! I don't know ladino, my familia is from Portugal! Whoop! Whoop! Summerville on the Plantation-side here!

@moisessotomusic2285

Жыл бұрын

Los Judios sefardíes No salieron del norte de Sefarad. 🙄 Salieron del Sur de Sefarad.

@mariaalcoholado7923

Жыл бұрын

​@@moisessotomusic2285no salieron, fueron cruelmente expulsados de su tierra después de vivir en ella, como españoles , más de 1000 años. Gran error de la reina católica, que dejó ir de ese modo gran parte de la riqueza del país, y no hablo de riqueza material, sino humana.

Interesting reveal. Here in Brazil, a significant part of the population (especially in the Northeast) have Sephardic roots. At least according to professor Anita Novinsky, a quarter of settlers in colonial Brazil were Sephardic Jews. There is even a movement of bnei anussim coming back to their ancestral ways.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

this one i know about! i was talking to a Sephardic Brazilian friend about it, she lives around Recife. so interesting!

@gabriellawrence6598

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks yeah, the first synagogue in the Americas is right there, if I'm not mistaken

@AllanDeyvsonXD

3 жыл бұрын

@@gabriellawrence6598 yes, you're right! it's called "Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel". I have been there last year (it's huuge! if anyone plans to go there as well, save a little time because you'll need it haha). (btw not bragging but it's located close to the third most beautiful street in the world - rua do bom jesus - according to the new york times :p)

@debrafirestone861

3 жыл бұрын

@@Reeypol We are not obligated to do anything like that in America 🇺🇸 No one should be obligated to do anything they don’t want to that’s called Fasisum or tollitarin don’t know if I spelled it right. But you get where I’m coming from

@tblue303

3 жыл бұрын

The first synagogue in the Americas was actually founded in Recife by Sephardic Jews from the Netherlands hundreds of years ago when it was still a Dutch colony. When the Portuguese reclaimed northeastern Brazil from the Dutch, many of the Jews apparantly migrated to North American Dutch colony of new Amsterdam which is now New York city.

Hi.Im from Croatia and I recently found out my grandfather (mothers's side) was Jewish.He was a half Sephardi and half Ashkenazi Jew from the Balkans where both tribes lived together for few hunderd years. I find it so fascinating to find a part of my herritage i knew nothing about.I even did a ethnic DNA test and it shows... 1/4 of my DNA is Jewish

Ladino sounds so beautiful

@abgaval9520

3 жыл бұрын

It's almost like Spanish. I ve never learnt ladino, Im from Mexico, and reading ladino I am able to understand 100%. Amazing right? 🙃🙂🤙

@A-ID-A-M

3 жыл бұрын

@@abgaval9520 because it is Spanish. it's Jewish Spanish. Its like the difference between Spain and LA Spanish.

@calebedantas2077

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed but I believe she made it sound that beautiful haha

@armandorodriguez6447

3 жыл бұрын

Spanish with a slight twist but still very Spanish

@ricardo82carvalho

3 жыл бұрын

@@A-ID-A-M Actually ladino is a mixture of old Romance languages including old Argonese old Catalan old Galician/Portuguese etc it's not necessarily only one

Oh my god, just heard that singing and literally transported me somewhere I cannot explain. Thank you for sharing this. I grew up as a Pentecostal (in Seville, Spain) - although I would not identify as such anymore - but my grandma had a jewish maiden name. I walked around the jewish quarter in city center of Seville and tried to imagine how would have been 500 years ago. I think ladino is awesome and sounds even more awesome.

@benavraham4397

2 жыл бұрын

Jewishness is through the mother's line. Maybe you are Jewish from birth?

@aishariel9924

10 ай бұрын

I’m Puerto Rican. My moms side is Sephardic. Our ancestry comes from Sevilla and the Canary Islands. She was raised Pentecostal as well. You’re probably Sephardic too 💕

@alexeialexeiev9307

9 ай бұрын

BINDICHO NVESTRO D-S,BINDICHONVSTRO SEÑOR... BINDICHO NVESTRO SALVADOR...!!!

My ancestors came here to Ireland from Spain..on fathers side. My mothers came to Scotland. We were able to trace both sides right back. It has been a wonderful journey 😊.. I visited Israel 3 years ago. It was so helpful for my journey.

Growing up Catholic, my grandmother was singing Ocho Kandelikas during the month of December. I was about 9 or 10 years old.

There’s something really powerful about practicing a religion that your ancestors practiced thousands of years before you. I’m Catholic and my ancestors have been so for at least a thousand years and so my faith and my heritage are super intertwined and a part of my identity. Best of luck on your journey with religion and heritage :)

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

that’s so true!! it was something they transitioned away from because of outside pressure, so reclaiming it makes it that much more powerful. that’s really awesome about your ancestors!

@taratravels6235

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks thanks!

@user-ts7ok1tx7w

3 жыл бұрын

But your ancestors were pagans for hundreds of thousands of years

@Volzotran

3 жыл бұрын

Thousand years aren't much, especially compared to the time our ancestors were pagans which includes most humans, just different regional religions. This line is much more powerful and ancient.

@taratravels6235

3 жыл бұрын

@@Volzotran okay well I guess it also helps that I believe in my religion, not in the pagan practices of the distant past. I didn’t determine my faith fully based on my ancestors, they just add a little more to the traditions

As a person with sfarad descent myself, this video was really educational to me!! The amount of knowledge you’ve shared has inspired me to learn more about the sefardi side of my family.

@elyssespeaks

2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

Thank you for sharing this part of your identity. While watching this video, I was waiting for you to mention the Ladino and not only did you mention it, you sang one of my favorite Sephardic songs. So beautiful.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for caring! and yes, it’s so beautiful i wouldn’t dare leave it out!

There is a Tom Hanks movie from 1986 that is partially in Ladino and deals with Sephardic Jews in Jerusalem during WW2. It's called "Everytime We Say Goodbye"

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

awesome i’ll look it up!

@ldarenb5

Жыл бұрын

Yes, it's a pretty good movie.

Você cantando foi tão bonito 🥺

Wow. That's so interesting and funny at the same time! My story is basically the same as yours, I'm from Recife (city in Brazil), and a descendant of sephardic Jews (eventhough my family, just like yours, practices christianity). Last year I stayed a month in Israel for a science summer camp, doing research and travelling around the country, and I felt I could reconnect with the culture of my ancestors. I am moving to Israel next year to study engineering in Haifa. Good luck with your journey!!! Você é foda. #BneiAnussim

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

Awww this makes my heart warm 🥺 it’s not our fault we lost it along the way, it’s our right to reconnect with it to whatever extent is comfortable. Thank you for your comment!

@tFighterPilot

2 жыл бұрын

I assume you didn't feel connected the second time as well (if you already came) because this isn't your culture. Having a trace of Jewish ancestry doesn't mean you'd feel connected to Jewish culture.

@lru1116

2 жыл бұрын

How does it work? Your ancestors were Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism and only married other ethnic Jews who converted to Catholicism continuously for hundreds of years and you have records to prove it, and your family continuously practiced Judaism in secret?

If you are looking for language exchange with a hebrew speaker I'm here(: you look like a super cool person (: saludos de Israel 😁

I’m a Christian born and raised but cried when she sung . Beautiful 😍

Hi! I'm from Spain and I'm really interested in Sephardic history, as I believe most of spaniards have some Jewish ancestors. I loved your personal story and I was amazed by the fact that I can understand almost 100% of Ladino! Thanks for sharing your story ❤️

@anniescorfano

Жыл бұрын

Hi! My ancestors were Sephardic jews and my grandpa was one too! But little ol me didn’t know anything about my crypto Jewishness Untill well now! It makes me laugh how most Latinos (I’m latina but come from Jewish roots) think that they’re “descendant from aztecs” because clearly they don’t realize that they’re ancestors are 80% likely to be Sephardic jews. You can easily spot them out with the last names or even the ethnic features. Like a husky, it’s wolfness will always stand out and never change because they’re descended from the wolves. Just like that is how I think of most Latinos, still have their Jewishness and don’t even know it!

@carlc5748

Жыл бұрын

I hope to visit spain in the future, because of the rich history there.

@Greezy2000

Жыл бұрын

@@anniescorfano I wonder, what are your thoughts about Judaism before and after, and do you do anything related to Judaism today?

@anniescorfano

Жыл бұрын

@@Greezy2000 if I said my response to this comment rn it would be taken down🙂🙂

@Greezy2000

Жыл бұрын

@@anniescorfano You can try

My mom was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She is a Sephardic Jew and she speaks Ladino. My father is a Persian Jew and was born in Tehran.

@atayavsar

Ай бұрын

There was a huge "safarad yahudi" population...

I’ve been looking up old records on my family tree and found a lot of records stating from both of parents sides stating they had grandparents who were Sephardic Jews. so I decided to come educate myself on them. My jaw DROPPEDDDDD when you sung!!!! Omgggg you are AMAZING!

Could you do a video where you sing songs in different languages? You have such a beautiful voice! And Ladino is so beautiful too, never heard of it and am reading about it now, so thank you 🙏🏼

Wow, you sing really well! And your pronunciation of those verses is great!

Ty for singing in Ladino it was easy to follow 🙏🏾 I got so excited. Mi primera idioma mi gente , bienvenidos ✊🏾Sephardic ❤️ 🧬 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

@eliezerdecastro2002

Жыл бұрын

If you want to learn more about the Sefardic Jews look up Rabino E Vinas.

My mother's part of the family ancestry comes from Spain. My mom has Sephardic in her as well as native Indian & German. My Father is a full blooded mexican. I am very proud of my spanish blood 🇪🇸 and I am very proud a who I am.

These videos are cool! Definitely don’t be bashful about posting them! I love cultural videos

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

🤩 thank you Melissa! i’m glad you enjoyed it

Thanks for this video! You reminded me a class I took a couple of years ago, Spanish Renaissance and Neoclassical Literature, in which the professor explained all this to us. He was really into it, very interested. My classmates used to tell jokes about it, because he spent a few classes just on that topic. Anyway, now I'm proud of knowing that and I'm starting my research right now. Felices fiestas ✨

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

aww that’s so cute 😭 there’s nothing better than a professor that really prides themselves in their work!! glad you enjoyed the vid ~

I am a Mizrahi Jew. there are many languages to Mizrahi Jews and mine is Juhuri (for we are called Juhuro - the mountain Jews) and many of our Rabbis prayed in Aramaic and Hebrew, because we lived in the middle east close to the holly land all those years (so I speak all of those 3 languages).

So weird… I thought I was the only person who grew up like this. I am from American southwest and my great grandparents always told us that we were Sephardic Jews that came from Spain to settle here, but everyone was very much a practicing Catholic growing up. I feel so bad because I don’t know more about what it means to be Sephardic Jew. I usually just identify as Hispanic? I wish I knew more people like me who have reconnected …I wouldn’t even know where to start

A lot of Jews came to Morocco after the fall of Granada 1492

This is so beautiful, and so well explained!! My mom's family is Sefaradi from my Grandmother is half Turkish and Half Moroccan. I speak Ladino, Hebrew, portuguese, Castellano, and english =} if you have a link to any groups for Sefaradim, please feel free to Pm them to me lol I'm sorrounded by Ashkenazim majority of the time, kind of want to connect with other Sefaradim =}

@Solek95

3 жыл бұрын

Brazil was colonized by Sephardim (forced) to an estimated 40/60 million descendants.

@naomiooo6062

2 жыл бұрын

@@Solek95 the majority of Sephardim alive today are not the descendants of the colonizers

@gabrielriera9369

Жыл бұрын

I know what you mean. I virtually attend an Ashkenazi synagogue, because there are no synagogues in my city, and I couldn't find a good Sephardic synagogue online. Sometimes I feel like I really NEED to listen to some Ladino music and reconnect. There's so much Yiddish culture around, which is fine, but we all need some Sephardic too.

I just found out in my DNA that I am a Sephardic Jew!! thank you for this video and for sharing the information!! ❤

@joeyg283

Жыл бұрын

Thats awesome! What DNA service did you use? I also want to take a DNA test to see if I am also Saphardic.

I am so glad you did this video, thank you for your openness, sharing your story of discovery of your heritage, political views. For someone so young, I am encouraged by your corage to stand by your convictions.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate this so much!!!

Wow ur singing voice was amazing!

What an awesome video! Thank you for using your platform to educate us about this! (Also, not the point, but your voice is so beautiful oh my, more music please)

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

yesss i was happy to because of the mentioned lack of content on it :0 and hmmm we’ll see about the singing thing jskdkfm hehe

You're a lovely, well-spoken young lady. May many ברכה come to you!

this is so interesting elysse! wishing you the best of luck on your personal journey to get back in touch with a different part of your identity! also that ladino singing was GORGEOUS.

UGH I’m so glad I found your channel, you’re so cool 😩 my background is american but I used to live in Germany and speak German. I’ve been slowly learning Spanish these past few years (but as of recently with the quarantine I studied intensively for a few months) which is how I found your channel this year. As of today, after reading the title of this video, my jaw dropped because I’ve been interested in Judaism for years and have been going to a reform synagogue for some time 😂😂 It’s cool to find someone out there who I can relate to so much/ who talks about and knows the things I’m so passionate about/interested in😂

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

I’m glad i could be relevant/helpful in multiple ways!! that’s awesome, i hope to start going to synagogue too soon.

My dad was from Liverpool, England. He didn't know his biological father. He was told by his mother that he was a Jew called MIchael Wallis. I always wondered about this mystery so I got a DNA test. It came back 76 percent Irish, Scottish , Welsh and the rest was about 14 perfect Iberian, around 10 percent Italian and 1 point something percent North African. I believe my paternal grandfather was a Jew of Sephardic origin. The first Jews that came to England were from Spain and converts it seems.

@mariaamparoromerovicent955

6 ай бұрын

Los Íberos no somos Semitas,somos R1B,pero eso sale si te haces el Test del ADN

I'm in the same kind of situation of being a non practicing jewish family whos learning much more right now, its very comforting to know someone else is in a similar place! I just celebrated hanukkah :D (I'm Ashkenazi though) anyway, thank you so much for the video!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

awesome! may you enjoy and celebrate in whatever way you feel comfortable.

8:16 Wow. You really sing beautiful. Nice voice, intonation and harmony. HKBH has blessed you with an enviable and amazing gift. If you take it seriously, you could be a tremendous hit. Many of the artists out there are lousy singers. Many jewish women (sephardim) have their own Sephardic Romances repertory and groups. Why don't you give yourself an opportunity or chance? 💕

@lytelay467

2 жыл бұрын

Sephardic Jew is a pure Jew or not?

@idunmitrani2618

2 жыл бұрын

@@lytelay467 Your question is very interesting. I will try to answer according to MBA Nadia Cattan who is an authority on the matter. She is also youtuber.

@eliezerdecastro2002

Жыл бұрын

@@lytelay467 please what do you mean by "pure Jew" ?

Thank you for this video. I recently discovered that my father's family comes from Sephardic Jew roots from Portugal (maybe Spain). Unfortunately, a little after my dad shared his history with my mum and me, he passed away. So I am slowly starting to find more about it. Cheers!

I hope that Muslims and jews can learn to live together and make peace, christians too. 🇸🇩

@meganb0711

3 жыл бұрын

Most Jews dont support Israel dont get it mixed up

@jlk9055

3 жыл бұрын

@@meganb0711most Jews DO support Israel. Most Muslims in Israel support and fight for their country. As well as many Muslims support Israel around the world. Get your sh*t together

@forshibeats6726

3 жыл бұрын

محمد ، أنا سعيد لأنك كتبته ، وأعتقد أنه أيضًا

@forshibeats6726

3 жыл бұрын

@@meganb0711 don't misinformed the world just because you are full of hate doesn't mean others too

@eliperetz8159

3 жыл бұрын

@@meganb0711 thats absolutely false. Half of jews live in Israel hence theh obviously support the existence of thr country otherwise they wouldnt have made aliyah. On top of this many want to immigrate. Every Ethiopian Jew still in the diaspora wishes to. And the majority of American Jews also support the state of israel. US+Israel make up 90% of world jewry. And in UK israel is so important to jews that the Labour candidate won just 1% of jews after anti-israel comments.

Please consider making full versions of traditional Sephardi songs, you absolutely blew me away with your singing!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha good idea!

Much more than i expected. i loved the video!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

‘much more’ in a good way i hope 🤣 thank you for watching it!!

That's really cool I just found out that my family came here from huelva Spain in the 1700s to settle in Santa Fe New Mexico it's a really rich history I wish I had been raised in knowing more this year we celebrated Hanukkah for the first time as a family and it was one of the most spiritual experiences in my life so grateful for Science and DNA and computers that can track all this stuff down cuz I've always known it in my heart something you know my grandmother and my grandfather's always prayed weird not like other Catholics

In Portuguese there's some surnames variations spelled 'Da Veiga' and also simply 'Veiga'. @ 3:47 - There they are. 6:48 Don't fall prey to anti semitism disguised as 'anti zionism'. And to anyone else listening, it's perfectly possible to be 'a zionist' (that is to believe in Israel's right to exist) AND to be critical of the Israeli gov't policies such as the settlements in the West Bank. The two are not mutually exclusive.

@fomalhauto

2 жыл бұрын

One of my Cape Verdean ancestral family surnames is Veiga.

I’m not even Jewish, I’m Arab, but even after diving into several books on Jewish history and just autobiographies and diaries of Jewish people who have lived, even I recognize the important of a free Jewish state… without a free Jewish state Jews who aren’t orthodox would eventually not even exist…

Elysse, your singing voice is absolutely beautiful.

For various reasons I'm unable to relate to heritage and history and family and religion the way you do but I'm here for it. The singing was absolutely beautiful. This video also made me laugh a few times. If you ever upload a short singing video that's definitely gonna be on repeat.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

whatever you get out of my videos, i’m glad you’re here :p

Wow what an interesting video! I was so enlightened when you mentioned something about Judaism being easier to identify with because of its practices. I guess I've been taking that aspect of my religion for granted.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

yes! the practices are such an accessible way to connect, even if you’ve never had an intense spiritual connection with your religion 🤔 glad i got you thinking

That's so interesting and cool! I am a Christian and I've recently been interested in learning Biblical Hebrew to be able to read the Torah. I also thought that Ladino was beautiful and it never even occured to me that a Judeo-Spanish language exists, so cool! So thank you for shining a light on this honestly confusing topic (maybe it's just my non-jewish self) 😁

@txjellybean3772

2 жыл бұрын

Shalom! I to have been called to all things Messianic. Any special things that's helped you?

@seekeroftruth45

2 жыл бұрын

Biblical Hebrew is extinct. You're learning a dialect.

Hi Elysse, I'm a Sephardi Jew as well. My Safta and father and all his brothers speak Ladino, I wish I did!!

Ty for this video. Both of my great grandmother's on my mother's side of the family were of Jewish heritage, my grandfather's mother was Ashkenazi from Bavaria, & my grandmother's mother was Sephardic Jewish from Mexico City via her father who came from Northeastern Spain.

finally another sephardic jew 😩 i’m deeply interested in my history but he most i know is that the ancestors on my moms side immigrated here from spain and greece, and then my grandfather married my grandma (who was christian but she actually converted) and then my mom married my dad (who’s a very not religious catholic but he’s also like 80% irish LOL) so by me and my sister the culture part was very detached. i try to enrich myself in the culture by looking into ladino and cultural dishes. i even found my great grandmother’s cookbook and there were still bits of spinach leaves on the inside for spanakopitas 😭 we still do basic practices like passover and hanukkah but i would love to dive further down that rabbit role. my grandfather’s first language was actually spanish and he grew up in spanish harlem but he joined the military in the 60s and just slowly forgot most of it, so i took it upon myself to learn it again. very nice video :)

@elyssespeaks

2 жыл бұрын

Oh wow!! What a nice story, especially about the spanakopita leaves

We have loads of sephardic jews in the UK. Fun fact! fish and chips originated from sephardic jews who fled Portugal and introduced it to the locals which became a staple food in England.

I'm an Ashkenazi Jew. My aunt told me that my grandpa - an amazing guy - said we were Jesus Christ's cousins. I want to find out more about my ancestors, culture, and language, and learn more about Judaism; even if I'm a Christian. Thank you, Elysse, for sharing some of your story with us! :)

@MohsinPerveaz-ji7of

5 ай бұрын

Lol your aunt lied!

@junior230

5 ай бұрын

@@MohsinPerveaz-ji7of I hope she didn't hahaha

8:17 I have chills down my spine

Why does it disgust you that Gibraltar belongs to the United Kingdom? Have you spoken to Gibraltarian Jews about this? I think you'll find that they are very proud to be British and indeed, I think it's fair to say that had the British not protected the Jews of Gibraltar from the 18th century onwards, Spain would have, at best enslaved the Jews of Gibraltar, and probably ended up doing a lot worse. They have a lot to be thankful to the British. On the subject of your Jewishness. It's wonderful that you are reconnecting with your family heritage but being that, as you mentioned, your parents were/are practicing Chrstians your Jewish status within Orthodox Jewish law, is in serious doubt. It is not simply a club where you can choose to belong to or not! As you probably know, Jewishness goes through the mother's line so if you wanted to claim Jewishness, you would have to sit with a Sefardi Orthodox Rabbi and discuss your family details. Your family's Chrstian Conversion could very well have cancelled your Jewish status under Jewish Law, no matter how proud you say you feel Jewish. If it turns out that, due to your family converting, you are not actually Jewish and would not be considered Jewish within the Jewish community (be they Sfardi, Ashkenazi or any other Jewish traditional line), then you can always convert and being that you are very proud of your Jewish heritage, I cannot see you having much difficulties. If you are thinking of marrying a Jewish boy and bringing up a Jewish family, then this is something best to think seriously about now. Good luck on your journey.

Im also Sephardic on both sides of the family never really paid any attention until i became a mother and wanted to be close to my roots

Loved hearing you sing!

Love this video SO much!! Absolutely do more videos like this 😍 Sefardi Jewish girl here also:)

8:17 omfg i was so taken aback, the language + her voice is just a stunning duo i could listen to this all day

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

omg thank you!! hehehe i had to take a couple cracks at it.

This was so interesting omg, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us❤️

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

thanks for letting me share!

Thank you for sharing. Recently learned about my Sephardic Jewish ancestry via Portugal. Still learning more of course. At least I don't feel so alone there's more of us apparently.

hearing you sign ladino made my heart jump, it took me 500 years in Andalusia.

I'm impressed by your video and the way you introduced and explained yourself, faith and practices. One thing I would like to invite you to is look up again please and search more for the real history about Andalus or Spain in the year of 1400. I can give you a hint with that and to learn more about Islam too. I'm following you, enjoy your stuff and learned from you a lot. Good day, Salam

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

i appreciate your comment! I am always striving to learn more, thank you so much :)

What a beautiful singing voice! I loved that little snippet of Ladino song!

u never told us YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL VOICE!! this video was super interesting and informative, thanks so much for the new knowledge and i’m excited to look more into it!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

i dont ever wanna brag on myself but i guess i don’t sound half bad 🥺 thank you mamas!! i’m glad you could learn something too ~ 💜

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

you should find some Brazilian content about Sephardim, there’s a lot in Recife!!

@ariannarivera5683

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks i fell in LOVE with recife when i visited and learning more and more about the people from there makes it 100x better

I love so much to read about Sephardic Jews, that group of Jews lived in my country (Serbia, south Europe). And i adoooreee Ladino 🥰

@goheine

3 жыл бұрын

Shalom Alechem!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

It just may be that you have begun a journey deeper and broader than you can imagine, Welcome home, we missed you.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

So sweet, i appreciate this so much.

As far as I know, my entire heritage is Italian. When I did a DNA test it came back that I was 87% Eastern European and 13% Sephardic Jew. My family was shocked into disbelief, but I want to know more about my possible people, the Sephardic Jew.

Awesome vlg ❤

I learned about Sephardic Jews from the novels of Abraham Yehoshua (great books by the way). Fascinating topic. Thank you for sharing!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

I just ordered Mr. Mani because of this comment! Let's see where it takes me.

@MyItalianCircle

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks Wonderful! I read it when I was in college - quite some time ago! 😱

there is a space in the radio in Spain dedicated to sephardic and Ladino language and it´s fully spoken in ladino if I´m not mistaken. Maybe you will find it interesting. If I find a podcast I´ll edit the comment and add a link.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

So awesome, really?? i had no idea. if you find it send it to elyssespeaks@gmail.com!

@VibeWithZari

3 жыл бұрын

Please link it . I would love to listen to it and practice my Ladino.

My family are Sephardi Jews, here in the UK. They arrived through Hull, in 1798. And spoke Ladino, but it was a mixture of Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic.

I’m so glad I found this video to learn a simple context to my ancestry. So long story short, I’ve been told by my mom who was also told by my grandpa’s brother (grand uncle of you will), that there’s a Sephardic Jewish line in my grandpa’s side. He was known to be a jokester so my mom had no idea if he was telling the truth or not when he had claimed he wasn’t lying or joking at all. WEEEELLLLLL..... just a week or so ago, I got into my family search tree, I only went as far back as just my great grandpa on my grandpa’s & Dad’s side when I was doing it on my own. Not that much back but that was like years and years ago. Every now and then I get email notifications that a family name got added into my family search tree line, and I didn’t pay much attention to it. But lo and behold a week or so ago, I found out that either somebody’s been adding names onto my family tree line or it got automatically added or linked there (idk how that worked but something did happen). And I found out that the said grand uncle wasn’t joking at all, I saw that there’s some ancestors in Spain (specifically I saw Seville) who were in fact Sephardic Jewish, but have converted to Christianity or Catholicism. I wasn’t exactly sure why that is as I was way too overwhelmed & shocked with enlightenment of learning that & other new information that I absolutely had no idea about at all that very same night, but I may have to double check again to see if their conversion was done by will or by force of a threat, I’m sadly assuming the latter. I may come back again some other time to edit this for any updates I wanna share that I come to learn with that. Elysse, thank you so much for this video!☺️ This does help me with a simple historical context to my Sephardic Jewish ancestry that I’m trying to learn, understand, and embrace!💕 I’m a Jesus follower, crystal gem user, astrology believing gal who happens to go to an LDS church. Thank you so so so much!!!

Your singing is Gorgeous and i just found out im Spanish and Sephardic and would love to learn ladino suena mucho como el espanol antiguo de espana y somos de mexico pero originalmente de la playa vizcaya y dicen que tambien tenian judeos

I just found out that my "Italian heritage" was actually Sephardis in Italy 😁

@ironic_normalcy5409

Жыл бұрын

Same here!

Elysse: I've been reading the comments: so many of them rave about your voice!(rightly so).....you should consider making a video of sefardí songs. It would be marvelous 🙂! All the best......and you have another fan.

I have so much respect for the amount of work you've done to research your Jewish ancestry. I'm pretty much ashkenazi (I've got ancestry from Russia, Poland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania) but potentially with some sephardic ancestry as well, my family isn't sure. It's interesting though since in hebrew school we never discuss ethnicity as much as denominations. I'm reform so conservative and orthodox and Hassidic jews talk shit about us, meanwhile, we talk shit about the reconstructionists lol (not really though haha, we're respectful to each other). I'm really impressed at how thorough you were in explaining everything and I was thrilled to see you discuss Ladino since I think it's such an interesting language. and btw your singing was absolutely beautiful. Amazing vid as always!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

thank you! and yeah, i feel like there’s a lot of constant debate in the Jewish community and it can be so tiring. everyone should practice & live how they want to.

That singing was beautiful omg

Coming from India, a country that has so few Jews that I can count on the fingers of one hand, a country that’s far away from the Jewish lands/places where jewish people live, I was used to equating Judaism with Israel. So, the part where you said ‘A Jew need not necessarily be a Zionist and homecoming for me wouldn’t mean a trip to Israel but rather a trip to Gibraltar’ really made this video sort of an eyeopener for me, just as I’m sure it would’ve been an eyeopener for so many of my fellow countrymen as well.

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

Interesting take! Yes, ultimately I guess Jews stem from one place, but over time I've become so far removed from Israel that I feel no connection. Thanks for your comment!

@TheMouryan

3 жыл бұрын

Elysse Speaks You’re welcome :) and just to add, I think similarly the non-iranian shias and non-iranian persian speakers everywhere are often associated to Iran even when the individuals may not like/want such a connection. Well, I think this concept of equating people with a Regime holds true for just about every community (both religious and linguistic) that is overwhelmingly represented by one single State/nation in the world. Asking an afghan shia living in Toronto to defend/provide answers for the actions of Iran is just as ludicrous as asking a non-israeli jew living in Melbourne to explain why the Israeli government is doing what it’s doing.

@naomiooo6062

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheMouryan I agree but I think it’s important to distinguish between the different forms of Israel. The state of Israel or Medinat Israel, Eretz Yisrael etc. A lot of Jews feel connected in some way to Israel, esp spiritually or culturally but not necessarily to the state of Israel.

@TheMouryan

3 жыл бұрын

@@naomiooo6062 Oh, I see.

I know it's been said, but your singing was amazing. Not that we expected your singing to be bad, but that was a shock.

Yay thanks for sharing info about us Sephardim! I’m learning and connecting with this lost part of my heritage, too. Through genealogy records and DNA tests I’ve found some cool information about my ancestors. PS your voice is lovely!

This is not to flatter but the singing voice was divine.

I feel like I just got a deeper understanding of how the Spanish language just runs through your blood everything connects that is super cool!

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

in a way yes 😁 that is super cool!!

@marcrivas5796

3 жыл бұрын

@@elyssespeaks Here are a few channels and videos that'll help you learn more about Judaism, the sephardic way: kzread.info/dash/bejne/fnx-t9KsesvJZLQ.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/pIiVwdqcm7qwlco.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZZmGmLmrh6jTYqw.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/hIl_0sR7fJeneJs.html

What a great video thank you. I was looking at some medieval songs and came across "El rey que tanto madruga" and I've been researching it since last night, and was reminded how little I know about Jewish culture. So i stumbled across your video on my research! Thank you for the background!!!!

Elysee Davega you teach so much.

I wish everyone a (hopefully better) happy new year 2021!🥺❤️ Greetings from a fellow youtuber 🧸

@sonjak8265

3 жыл бұрын

The new year, according to the Jewish calendar, began in September.

PLEASEE do a whole video singing this😍😍

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

Maaaaaybe

Really enjoyed this video, especially the Ladino singing. Also as an Ashkenazi teen in the US (and still today 15 years later), I felt disconnected from many aspects of Ashkenazi culture because it feels a bit frozen in time and romanticized (plus all the propaganda we were taught by older Jews who still believe it). So sometimes the grass can be a bit greener on the other side.

This song that you were singing....magnificent

Well guess what I'm a North African berber person who has a Jewish grandmother so sephardic.. And I'm already learning Spanish so what a coincidence I'm big fan of Yiddish language and culture I learned some Hebrew and Yiddish And planning to visit Spain next year hopping to find some Jews out there ahaaa😅🇪🇸❤️✡️✡️✡️🕎🕎🕎 Shalom todos

in Vienna, we have also the "Bucharim" . They do more for Jewish Live in Vienna. I still remember as Vienna looked without them. = No kosher supermarket. No kosher real Parmesano cheese. etc. They are really serious Jews who care for other Jews. And they are also really religious!

thank you so much for sharing! 💕 i probably would have never known about any of this had i not watched this video 😭

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

i’m glad you can keep discovering !!

This is so awesome I connect with your video so so so much. I feel so disconnected from my Jewish identity and feel a calling to reconnect and explore. I am ashkenazi and my ancestors came to NY in the 1900s. but I also have some ancestry from Portugal. I speak Spanish and I have a book on Ladino, even though I am not Sephardic I want to learn Ladino because of the mix of Hebrew and Spanish is so beautiful.

I am also half Sephardi (and half Mizrachi on my mother’s side) but I wouldn’t say I’m from Iran or Morocco which is where my grandparents and great grandparents were born. I wouldn’t say I’m from Spain on my father’s side either. We are from Judea (hence we are called Jews) and despite the fact that we were kicked out by the Romans and our land colonised were are still indigenous to that land just like Native Americans are still native/indigenous to their lands. And as far as I’m concerned we (Jews) and our Palestinian cousins should live together as equals and form our own civilisation, not split the land and live as divorced nations for the West to control and weaken. However that being said just because Arab colonisers violently conquered the land and moved in doesn’t mean we suddenly lose our connection or native link to Israel. That’s why I consider Israel my nation because being Jewish and Israeli have been synonymous throughout history before even the state of Israel and Zionism. That’s why Hebrew is my language. Because although my father’s parents knew some Judeo-Spanish and as beautiful of a language as it may be, like Yiddish which many of my friends speak fluently, it is a language of exile, it’s a sign that we lost our culture and our connection to Jerusalem and Israel and it is a sign that our culture and even language was colonised by the very people who oppressed us whether that be the Spanish who signed the Alhambra decree and carried out the inquisition or the Germans who persecuted us for hundreds of years. To be clear not making a religious argument, our indigenous status is history based not as some divine promise. That’s why I believe we were exiled to Babylon, Ethiopia, Spain and Germany, but we didn’t originate there. That being said it’s amazing to see you connect to your Jewish roots.

@Esteban_46

3 жыл бұрын

Wow you couldn’t have said it any better! I’m also trying to learn and connect to my Jewish roots, hence why I’m learning Hebrew.

@oremfrien

3 жыл бұрын

"we (Jews) and our Palestinian cousins should live together as equals" -- Then how would the country of Israel fulfill its mission to protect Jews around the world, serve as a place of refuge for Jews fleeing persecution, promote the development of modern Jewish culture, or prevent the imposition of barbaric 7th century laws which a number of Palestinian groups (and Haredi Jews) seek to implement?

@jamesbond8348

3 жыл бұрын

No Jews were exiled to Germany ever.

@eliperetz8159

3 жыл бұрын

@@oremfrien there were non-Jews living in Judea and the Kingdom of Israel before we were expelled. Many palestinians have Jewish heritage, hence they are one of the closest populations to us genetically. And as for the Haredi and Extremists, we have to bring the peaceful cooperative majorities together. If we allow the fringes to divide us indeed we will never have peace.

@oremfrien

3 жыл бұрын

@@eliperetz8159 You haven't actually answered the question that I posed. I don't argue that Palestinians lack Levantine heritage; they certainly have that. But simply having some of the same ancestry does not mean that the two groups (Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs) have the same political beliefs at a core level. If two groups of people live in two very different realities with two very different aspirations, the country is truly ungovernable. And so my question is that since majorities of Palestinians reject Israeli Jewish Cultural Values, how can the two peoples live together in one state? (Just for clarity, some Israeli Jewish Cultural Values include: the Jewish Right of Return, the Jewish cultural symbols of Israel, the values of the Jewish Enlightenment that guide Israeli Secular Laws, and Israel's mission to protect/advocate for World Jewry.)

I really loved your video! It's so true that people don't know enough about Jewish history and the varying communities within the diaspora. I think it's amazing how you are diving in and on a rediscovery journey. I recently took the 23andme ancestry test because I know basically nothing about my family. I am biracial black/white and most of my family were adopted (and at the time there wasn't a formal adoption so there is no way to know who biological relatives were). I know that those tests can only give me so much information and it is general information, but even having some idea of my ancestry/the journey to present day is really important for me. lol I say all that to say I think its beautiful that you are learning more about your family and yourself. Thank you for sharing and helping to educate me, and also inspire me to learn more as well. xoKira

@elyssespeaks

3 жыл бұрын

What a lovely comment!! I’m glad you could reconnect and i could be a part of it 🥺 especially with the US Black population, so many people were just ripped from their histories & now don’t know about it :/ it’s a shame. anyways, thank you for watching!!

Just a disclaimer, there are more small sections Myself, I am Juhurio (Mountain Jew) Bnei Menasha, parts of Igbos, and more

@yakov95000

2 жыл бұрын

Kavkazim are bigger group then Ethiopian