Preserving Sephardic Heritage: Ladino Archives and Oral Histories from Greece

AMAA Archives

© 2010–2025 All rights reserved.® ℗



Introduction

The AMAA Archive compiles oral testimonies  in Ladino(  Djudeo Español) gathered through personal interviews conducted between 2010 and 2024. Its primary focus is the historical and geographical identity of Jewish communities, particularly in Salonika, Greece, and other Greek cities, as well as in the Diaspora in countries like Israel, the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina.

The Archive aims to:

     • Preserve historical memory

     • Safeguard the Ladino language  

     •Connecting generations

     • Foster empathy and understanding

These testimonies serve as a valuable legacy for future generations, transmitting the language and cultural stories from one generation to the next. The Archive also acts as a living document, preserving the linguistic heritage for future research, while capturing the personal stories and memories of Greek Jews.


Testimony Categories

The testimonies are categorized as follows:

• Survivors of Nazi extermination camps• Hidden children during the German occupation of Greek territories and those occupied by Bulgarian forces

• Immigrants (to Israel, the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina)

• Post-war generation( Second generation)

• Brides: Young women who arrived in Salonika from Constantinople and Smyrna (Turkey)

• Christians (Armenian and Greek-origin from Asia Minor): Fellow citizens, friends, classmates, and neighbors

• Descendants of Greek Jewish immigrants abroad

Additionally, the Archive includes testimonies from Jewish communities in Greece that no longer exist, such as those from Veria, Florina, Drama, Didymoticho.

AMAA Collection artifacts

Some of the artifacts in the AMAA collection include:

  1. Photographs of German soldiers during the German occupation of Salonika
  2. Tea service from the 1920s
  3. Postcards from the 1920s depicting Jewish Salonika
  4. Photographic records of Jewish heritage sites and gravestones from the old Jewish cemetery of Salonika (which were repurposed as construction material)
  5. Synagogue matchmaking handwriting records from per-occupation Salonika (Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, copied in 1962)
  6. Books, stamps, posters, and newspapers from the 1922-?


The Archives 

The Archive is an ongoing project of classification, development, and expansion. It currently includes:

  • 100+ interviews in Ladino
  • Hundreds of hours of audiovisual material, with the majority in audio format (WAV, MP3), and a portion in various video formats (AVCHD, MP4, and others).

    • Interview lengths vary, from brief memories to lengthy stories of survival. The unifying thread across all testimonies is the Ladino language and the shared origin of Sephardic Jews of Greece, with phrases in French, Italian, Greek, and Turkish, showcasing the rich linguistic heritage of Jewish Salonika.

    All interviews were conducted by Angela Ma. Arbeláez, and the collection is enriched by documents, photographs, and materials provided by the interviewees.

    Process of Collecting Testimonies (2010-2025)

    To gather these testimonies, after securing the support of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki in 2010, we interviewed Holocaust survivors as well as their fellow community members residing in the Bet Avot Saúl Modiano of the city. We established a personal connection, which, along with repeated meetings during various everyday occasions for them and the community, allowed us to listen to and collect memories of childhood, recipes from mothers and grandmothers, and traditional songs.

    Subsequently, we traveled to other cities and interviewed members of the Jewish Communities of the Island of Rhodes, Corfu, Volos, Athens, and others. Thanks to the support of some survivors' families, we were able to live with them for several days in order to develop a personal bond and revive memories of the life paths of the interviewees.

    During our fieldwork in Israel, we interviewed several Holocaust survivors. With permission from the management  Roni Anaya of the Thessaloniki Cultural Center and the Bet Avot Leon Recanati in Petah Tikva, Israel, we were able to collect testimonies from Thessalonikli Jews.

    In Miami, Florida, United States, we had the opportunity to interview descendants of Thessalonians Jews. Our collection also includes testimonies from Sephardic Jews from Greece who were born or raised in  Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia.


    Development and Promotion of the AMAA Archive.The Archive's outreach has included:

    • Radio Sefarad (2010-2018): The program Desde Grecia, Akí Salónika became a reference for Ladino speakers, with episodes that transported listeners to the past through flavors, aromas, songs, and stories.
    • Recognition: The program received the Americas Award (Israel, 2015) and the Marca País Marca Colombia Award (2012).
    • Our work and research have been presented at special events organized by Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities in Colombia, and at activities by WIZO, B'NAI B'RITH, French Institute, Municipal Library, American College (ACT) and the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki.

    • The audio archives were also featured in a major exhibition titled The Jews in Thessaloniki: Indelible Marks on the Space organized by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (2011).