UPcoming Events
Eid Al-Banat
Sunday, December 5th 2021
Zoom and Facebook Live
The Institute of Jewish Experience and the Mizrahi Dance Archive invites you to a unique global celebration of Eid Al-Banat!
To join on Zoom: https://bit.ly/3ASYUeY
This year for the North African holiday of Eid Al-Banat (The Festival of Daughters, in Judeo-Arabic), or Hag HaBanot (Hebrew), we are bringing together female Mizrahi talents to virtually celebrate North African Jewish traditions, female leadership, music, dance, and so much more.
This festival honors the story of Jewish heroines like Judith and Queen Esther and the important role of women in Jewish life until today. It is customary to sing, dance, light the night’s Hanukkah candles and focus on bringing together generations of mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters and the extended community. Women would traditionally get together to bake sweet treats and give gifts to each other. They would sing piyyutim and pray for the health and well-being of the women in their lives. It is a celebration of women, past and present!
In this year’s celebration, we will be featuring musician Lala Tamar, a world-renowned Israeli singer, who will be streaming a concert from Morocco accompanied by local female musicians. Lala is known for her bold and feminine style where she incorporates her Moroccan roots and the ancient Judeo-Spanish language of Haketia.
Jackie Barzvi will be leading us in celebratory dance to Jewish Moroccan music, where anyone can follow along, without any previous dance experience. Jackie is a professional Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) instructor and performer and the creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive.
Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, author of "Sephardi: Cooking the History: Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora from the 13th Century to Today," will be sharing a new recipe created uniquely for this program that incorporates the historical and modern significance of the day in the context of specific food items.
Previous Events
Mizrahi Dance Series with
Jackie Barzvi
Sunday Oct 10th, 17th, & 24th 12pm ET
The American Sephardi Federation Institute of Jewish Experience and Jackie Barzvi, creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive, were proud to present a three-part series highlighting the history and movements of Mizrahi dance!
Jackie will focused on three different Mizrahi styles: Moroccan, Bukharian, and Yemenite dances. Each session was both a lecture and dance class and participants had the opportunity to learn about the history of each community, gain insight into how dance was included in their traditions, listen to Jewish music from each region, practice traditional movements, and so much more!
Mimouna, The Next Generation: Celebrating the Israeli-Moroccan Cultural Alliance
Monday, April 5th, 2021
Mimouna is a North African Jewish celebration that marks the end of Passover. This year, in light of the historic peace agreement between Israel and Morocco, it is also a celebration of the cultural bridges between the two nations and the artistic collaborations between their people.
For the first time, the Consulate General of Israel to New England and the Honorary Consulate of Morocco in New England join forces in a multicultural Mimouna celebration with the next generation of talents.
Dedicated in memory of Zohra El Fassia, an Israeli-Moroccan singer and poet who was the first woman recording artist in Morocco and one of the pioneers of modern Arabic music, this one-hour program included:
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Opening greetings from Ambassador Meron Reuben, Consul General of Israel to New England; and Carol Kopelman, Honorary Consul of Morocco to New England
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A specially curated photo presentation by ANU - Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, and a video tribute to Zohra El Fassia from the Museum’s collection, featuring the Israeli musician Neta Elkayam.
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A musical performance by the Grammy nominated Samir LanGus (Morocco), and Itamar Borochov (Israel), as part of their collaboration on the Jewish Gnawa Project.
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A unique session recorded in Agadir, Morocco, with singer Lala Tamar (Israel), and musician Mehdi Nassouli (Morocco).
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A tribute to Jewish-Moroccan dances by Jackie Barzvi (U.S.), a Raqs Sharqui dancer and the creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive.
This event was co-sponsored by CJP - Combined Jewish Philanthropies, AJC New England, הבית הישראלי - The Israeli House, ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, Jimena, IAC Boston, Jewish Arts Collaborative, Mizrahi Dance Archive, Beth Abraham Sephardic Congregation of New England, Northeastern University Hillel, and the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast.
Check out our dance segment.
Jewish Gnawa project featuring Jackie Barzvi, Samir Langus, and Itamar Borochov.
Chag Habanot: A North African Chanukah Celebration of Women
Thurs, December 17, 2020
Watch the recording of the event here.
JIMENA and the Mizrahi Dance Archive hosted an online North African celebration of Chag Habanot, Eid Al Banat (festival of daughters).
Lala Tamar, a world-renowned Israeli singer, streamed a concert from Morocco accompanied by local female musicians, including Hind Ennaira. Lala is known for her bold and feminine style where she incorporates her Moroccan roots and the ancient Judeo-Spanish language of Haketia.
Jackie Barzvi lead us in celebratory dance to Jewish Moroccan music. Jackie is a professional Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) instructor and performer based in North Carolina who recently created the Mizrahi Dance Archive.
Online Mizrachi Dance Showcase
Sat, November 14th, 2020
It was a huge honor to host the first ever online dance showcase dedicated to Mizrachi dancers all over the world. This was a virtual celebration of the beautiful diversity of the Jewish people, the Middle East, and our dance community. Thank you to everyone who watched live, interacted in the comments, and cheered on the dancers!
