Ladino in Turkey: Rescuing an Endangered Language

Ladino in Turkey: Rescuing an Endangered Language

The cobblestone streets of the old Jewish quarter with Galata Tower. A few months before the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey, I arrived in Istanbul and heard the melodic words of Ladino for the first time. I was with colleagues at one of the hot restaurants in the city’s oldest, most historic district, the now uber-hip area, Karakoy. Sung by our Turkish-Jewish guide Reyna Leon, the Ladino words had a familiar ring. Was it Spanish, with a twist? Yes and no. Ladino, also called Judeo-Spanish, is a distinct 500-year-old language rich—like Yiddish—in wisdom, humor and cultural pride....

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