19 June 2009

El Paso: 6th Sephardic Anousim Conference, July 31-Aug. 2

The Sixth Sephardic Anousim Conference will take place July 31-August 2 at Congregation B'nai Zion (El Paso, Texas), headed by Rabbi Stephen A. Leon, and sponsored by the Bat-Tzion Hebrew Learning Center (Ruidoso, New Mexico).

Click here for the congregation's page on Crypto-Judaic stories and links.

The conference begins Friday, July 31, 6.15pm Shabbat evening service, followed by a traditional Shabbat dinner, with keynote speaker Dolores Sloan on "Honoring the Sacred Memories: In Praise of the Ancestors.”

A writer and speaker, Sloan is the communications vice president of the Society of Crypto-Judaic Studies. She teaches writing and public speaking at Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles

On Shabbat morning, August 1, services start at 9.30am, followed by lunch with speaker Professor Seth Kunin (see more here), “The Complex Nature of Crypto-Jewish Identities,” and Rabbi Peter Tarlow, "Peruvian Jews and Returnees in Huanuco.”

Rabbi Juan Mejia, a just-ordained graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary's Rabbinical School, has a Crypto-Jewish Colombian background himself. He will speak at the Seudah Shlishit, "The Death of Crypto-Judaism: Moving Forward and Creating a Jewish Future for Our Children”

On Sunday morning, August 2, there are services and a bagel breakfast where Aaron Rehberg will present “A Crypto-Jewish Account of Self-Realization.” There will be a panel discussion with speakers.

The fee of $110 payment deadline is noon, July 24. It includes the entire program, Shabbat dinner, Kiddush lunch, Seudah Shlishit, and Sunday bagel breakfast. Accommodations are at the La Quinta (N. Mesa and Bartlett); contact the hotel directly for the discounted price.

Send registration checks payable to "Bat-Tzion Hebrew Learning Center" to conference co-chair Sonya Loya, 2204 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso, New Mexico 88345. For more information, email Sonya, or call Rabbi Leon at the congregation (915-833-2222).

This conference is immediately followed by the annual Society of Crypto-Judaic Studies conference in Denver, August 2-4 (see separate blog post).

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