Sephardic
Journeys: Bar Mitzvah Speech

The rare books and artifacts in this exhibit, Sephardic Journeys, reflect a rich tradition of scholarship and culture shaped by migrations, and they invite, in turn, reflection upon the physical, emotional and spiritual journeys of Jewish history. 

Item above:
Bar Mitzvah Speech
Morris Tarragano
(New York, 1933)
Ladino, English

Morris Tarragano’s family, as many Sephardim after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, immigrated to the West. A second generation American, Tarragano was a native speaker of English and Ladino, which was used both for sacred and secular speech. This Bar Mitzvah address was written first in Ladino and then transcribed into English, a sign of the changing linguistic preferences of American Sephardim.
Gift of the author, Mr. Morris Tarragano

Excerpt from the speech From Hank Halio’s Ladino Reveries: Tales of the Sephardic Experience in America, pp. 66-68

Dear Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother and Honored Guests:

Thirteen years ago I first saw the light of this world. During these thirteen years your thoughts have been on me. I look back on the years of my childhood with great pleasure. For years you watched over me with great care. Days that were enlightened for me through the sincere eyes of my dear mother, and guided through the advice of my dear father. Today I understand all the work you have done for me until now and how much work and anxiety I caused you.

Thirteen years of my life have passed and according to Jewish law, I am Bar Misvah (of age), a son of the Alliance of Israel, and I am considered among the responsible. Today I turn an entirely new page in the story of my life. A path of duty and activity is unfolded before me. Childhood, with its sweet dreams, is no longer with me. The solemnity of life with its fears and hopes confront me. There are difficulties in life. What will support and sustain me to live with love and dignity? What will save and prevent me from falling into sin? Nothing but the faith and belief in God.

Sephardic Journeys is on view through June 2015 in The David Berg Rare Book Room. Sephardic Journeys has been supported by a generous grant from The David Berg Foundation and was created by the Center for Jewish History with American Sephardi Federation. 

To see other artifacts from Sephardic Journeys click here: http://16thstreet.tumblr.com/tagged/Sephardic-Journeys