The Burden of Identity: Sépharade by Eliette Abecassis

Caught between multiple identities and family ties, Esther Vidal is unable to escape the constraints of something that looks like a ´project assigned to her from birth`. Assigned by her parents and her family, but also by the society. She is floating from an identity to the other - Moroccan, French, Alsacian, Jewish, Sephardi - adding more weight to her everyday spiritual burden.

Sépharade by Eliette Abecassis is a long story of many stories told in the quiet voice of the 1001 Nights, North African style. There are stories of the stories starting as far as the beginning of Jewish history. But there is hardly a topic left behind: from Jewish history to literature, anthropological insights into the  traditional world of Moroccan Jews, the relationships between different Moroccan Jewish communities, the immigration to Israel and the discrimination experiences of the Jews of non-European origin, but also the complicated political relationship between Morocco and Israel. There is suspense, and romance and unexpected situations, even a whodunit. There are culinary details that smells like dafina - the Moroccan variant of chulent (I know will be accused of cultural abuse but I take the risk) - and the many secrets of preparing the tastiest couscous in the world. 

It seems like Eliette Abecassis wants to tell everything you need to know about Moroccan Jews while creating a standalone story. There are many aspects that are fascinating, but there are also a couple of clichés, like for instance the ´classical´ unbreakable differentiation between Askenazim and Sephardim/Mizrahim (whose food is better, who is warmer, who is more respectful towards parents). Such an approach, although common in the minds and hearts of many representatives of both groups, only perpetuates the simplistic - kitsch even - mindset within both groups. None of them should be ashamed of the historical heritage and instead of drawing such cartoons, we are better grateful for the huge diversity of traditions and histories. I may love couscous and hate hering and embrace the post-Shoah trauma of my family by celebrating life and resilience.

But there is much more to Sépharade than those fake problems. The lecture offers an imaginary refuge covering many generations and historical periods, the stories are offering a lot of food for thought and challenges for everyone learning every day new juggling skills between tradition, modernity and various assigned and assumed identities. It tells stories about a world that is still here and hopefully will continue to be part of the present because it belongs to our Jewish heritage. 

I´ve read the book in the original French language.

Rating: 3.5 stars