Movies with a Jewish Topic on Netflix: Kulüp

 

For a long time I haven´t watched a movie with a Jewish topic on Netflix, but this was only a metter of time. As I am getting more and more interested in discovering the Ladino culture and its representations, I was recommended by several respectable sources to not miss Kulüp - The Club - set in the 1950s multicultural area of Pera in Istanbul. And what a journey it was - a binge watching one, for sure.

The series were released between 2021 and 2023, is spoken in Turkish with many Ladino expressions and beautiful songs. It is built around the story of a night club, who is undergoing various challenging, both at the personal, socio-political and economic level.

The film starts when Matilda Aseo, the heir of a once rich Jewish-Turkish family, is returning after an amenisty following the murder of her once lover, a Turkish entrepreneur who apparently ruined her family. After 17 years spent in prison, she is supposed to get in touch with her daughter, Rașel, who was sent meanwhile in an orphanage. The relationship is tensed and while trying to save her rebelious daughter from prison, she makes a deal that may mark her life from now on.

First and foremost, the screenplay is very well written, with way too many changes of situation, which correspond in fact to the outside environment, such as the riots against the Greek minority, the taking over of Jewish properties during the war, the military putch, the raise of real estate tycoons and the subsequent gangster-like crimes.

The representation of the Jewish identity is set in the context of interaction with the majority, the restrictions and the challenges. Matilda, although twice in love with Muslim men, she is lighting the Shabbes candles and keeps a mezuza at her door. It´s a feeling of being fully aware of who you are, in a nonstrident yet careful way. It is a sense of measure forgotten sometimes.

I am not familiar with a nuanced local representations of Jews within the Turkish society, but would definitely interested to explore more, but as for now, the feedback I´ve read about this film, coming from Jewish sources, was positive.

Personally, I´ve found the play of the actors very good, especially Rașel, particularly towards the end of the movie, as she is fighting against depression, set following her traumatic birth and first almost two decades of life.

With an interesting story and a lot of Ladino references, Kulüp can be a good introduction to a less known Jewish episode. Recommended for a good binge watching, but be ready for a lot of drama.

Kantika by Elizabeth Graver

Although at a different level compared to Yiddish, which is very much alive and very much kicking, Ladino is making a timid yet steady comeback, at a personal and scientific level. There are classes - online and in person - books and scientific articles, audio and video recordings of linguistic variations. Few days ago I´ve met someone whose grandparents are still active Ladino speakers, which is a surprise because we´ve been mostly told that Ladino is actually dying. Hopefully not.

Part of this revival is the emergence of a cultural wave of literary, visual - films and photography - as well as music renditions of Ladino identity. I am slowly going throuogh it myself - learning bits of language, reading studies and listening to experts - but literature is always for me the easiest door to a culture. Hence, my curiosity to read Kantika by Elizabeth Graver, a book I´ve heard about for a long time. Another pleasant revelation was The Wold and All That It Holds, also warmy recommended. 

Partly inspired by her own family experience - but unable to fully document it and turn into a memoir, hence the fictional choice - Kantika is a multi-generational account that starts in Constantinoble - soon to be Istanbul - in 1907. Through the jouorney of Rebecca Cohen - character inspired by the author´s grandmother - from modern Turkey to America, via Barcelona, there is a long episode of Jewish history revealed, although it gives place to relate to individual stories to unfold. 

Each chapter is illustrated with family photos and do contain a generous amount of expressions and words in Ladino - an useful tool for anyone trying to learn the language as well. What is remarkably from the point of view of the narrative construction, is the multiplicity of voices heard within the story, allowing almost all characters to have a say, to tell their own version of the story.

Kantika will make you curious to find out more about Ladino culture and individuals, to hear more stories. It adds more depth into an important episode of world Jewish history that needs a lot of more emphasis nowadays.

Rating: 5 stars

Children Book featuring Ladino Culture: The Key from Spain by Debbie Levy

I am very happy to discover lately so many events and discussion groups and publications - online particularly - dedicated to feature the Ladino language and culture. I am sure many of them were there already for a long time already and it´s only me who is a late comer in this movement, aimed to feature and outline an unique episode of the Jewish history.

As usual, it started with a tragedy that, as usual, we tried to get the best of it: as Jews were persecuted from Spain, they moved on to the Balkans particularly and especially Turkey. Carrying with them the language and the key of their houses, they contributed alongiside with the other communities to the new definitions of the modern states. I am far from being a naive assuming that life was ever easy for Jews living there, but no matter what, they were able to strive.

The Key from Spain by Debbie Levy, colourfully and beautifully illustrated by Sonja Wimmer, published in 2019 by Kar Ben Publishing is dedicated to the memory of the late Ladino singer Flory Jagoda. A Bosnian Jew with Spanish roots, she carried with her the songs and memories of the lost worlds and was an important supporter of the Ladino revival.

In a language accessible to children - preschool and first to mid-grade - the book convenes in few and simple words both the global and the personal histories: of the Jews fleeing Western Europe but also of the brave Flory who remained faitful to her culture and happily shared it with the older and newer generations of Jews from Ladino families. Children books on such topics are even more important than academic studies about Ladino because it raises the interest among the little ones at an age when they are curious and open to learn about the world, but also about themselves and their families. 

The book also includes a couple of words in Ladino, enough to create a certain level of expectation among the children for learn a bit more.

I am glad that such books exist and I was able to read it to my son. As I was growing up, Ladino was rarely, if ever mentioned and there were, for sure, no pedagogical resources and no children books to make you aware of your heritage. I am glad that nowadays there is a strong support to diverse identities among the Jewish communities, too much reduced before to the Askenazi vs. Mizrahi (with the Sephardim included here for the wrong reason of the mental comfort) duality. 

I hope to have the chance to read soon to my son and review more and more books on Ladino-related topics.

Buen Shabat, Shabbat Shalom!

 

A fierce supporter of Ladino culture, Sarah Aroeste is a complex personality, besides being a singer she also published one year ago a book featuring Sephardic traditions. Buen Shabat/Shabbat Shalom, illustrated by Ayesha L. Rubio is a good introduction to both children and parents into the world of Sephardic Jews.

Particularly, the book does a good work of introducing the world of Ladino, the language spoken by Jews originary from the Iberian Peninsula. In a very simple and genuine way, the reader is introduced to a couple of words said on Shabbat in addition to a couple of visual details to be added to the general story. It is a very short read but leaves strong memories, especially to children. 

As someone who is trying to learn more about the Ladino culture and heritage, this book was exactly the easiest incentive to want to find out more. Actually, I may have some interesting books related to the Ladino language and culture coming up for review very soon.

Until then, I am glad that my son was so interested by the book that he keeps repeating over and over again Buen Shabat, Buen Shabbat...It´s a big step, I think, towards the celebration and preservation of the Sephardic culture. One baby step at a time.

Rating: 5 stars