Konstantinopol Djudyo / Jewish Constantinople – A Collection of Stories and Photographs

the long version

Jewish Constantinople portrays Jewish life during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Republic of Turkey. It spans the two generations prior to the one depicted in Jewish Istanbul. The semi-biographical vignettes feature the Kohen, Benshoam, Levi and Romano family ancestors. The book includes photographs from the Kohen family archives. These were the last generations to grow up speaking Judeo-Spanish. They strove to preserve their native tongue until the changes brought by the two World Wars overwhelmed their efforts. Through the passionate retelling of the previous generation's stories and the use of colorful Judeo-Spanish proverbs, they sought to preserve not only the language but the cultural history it embodied. Text in Judeo Spanish and its translation in English.