Heritage Words

Memoirist Samantha Ellis discusses her background as the daughter of Iraqi Jewish refugees and her memoir about losing her ancestral tongue, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. Samantha speaks about her family's migration from Baghdad to the UK, explaining why her parents chose not to fully pass the language down to her. And she explores her evolving connection to her ancestral culture, from her heritage words and foods like amba to embracing her role as a "keeper" of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, rather than a fluent speaker.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews musician Yoni Avi Battat, who discusses his background studying classical violin and his journey to bringing Arab music into the American Jewish soundscape. Yoni discusses his mixed Ashkenazi and Iraqi-Jewish heritage, explaining how he reclaims his Iraqi roots through microtonal melodies, the oud, and his album Fragments. Yoni explores the contrasting experiences of his ancestral languages, from his Polish maternal side's loss of Yiddish to the vibrant Judeo-Iraqi Arabic of his paternal grandparents, finding connection through heritage words like abdalak and the guttural sounds of Arabic.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Jenna Weissman Joselit discusses Restless Soul, her biography of Mordecai M. Kaplan. Jenna begins by exploring her own family’s linguistic history, including the myth of a “Marrano bullfighter” ancestor, before diving into Kaplan's 102-year life and massive diary that he called his “golem.” She details Kaplan’s vision of Judaism as a civilization rather than just a religion, highlighting his goal to create “plus-Jews” who embrace the joys of tradition. Jenna explains Kaplan’s rejection of Yiddish in favor of Hebrew and English and his invention of terms like “peoplehood” and “Reconstructionism”—a term likely borrowed from Upper West Side real estate development.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Meet Joseph Bendahan, a nuclear physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. Joseph details his family’s Sephardic roots in the Moroccan cities of Tetouan and Ouezzane before their migration to South America. Reflecting on the endangerment of his ancestral language, Haketia, he describes how the mix of Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic thrived in Venezuela’s unique social environment. Joseph highlights vivid folklore like the chicken-footed dembajos and expressive phrases like se te caiga el mazzal, illustrating how even his Ashkenazi friends adopted these colorful Sephardic words on the playground.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Today we want to introduce you to another podcast that we think you’ll like, Ayuni: Voices of our Jewish Grandmothers. On Heritage Words we discuss Jewish culture that's passed down through the generations. Ayuni does that too, taking us into the homes of Jewish families from the Middle East and North Africa. Dalya Arussy Di Veroli, Sarah Sassoon, and Dr. Drora Arussy have delightful conversations around rituals, holidays, food, and, yes, heritage words. Even their title is a heritage word. As their description says, "Ayuni, a term of endearment meaning “my eyes,” passes from grandmother to granddaughter, carrying worlds of memory, longing, and love." Check out Ayuni on YouTube and wherever you listen to your podcasts. As a taste, here's a sample episode we think you'll like: Food As Memory. The hosts share the foods they grew up on and the stories surrounding them. Enjoy this bonus episode!Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Nora Lacey, founder of the Assyrian Arts Institute, and Alan Niku, a filmmaker and scholar of Mizrahi culture. Together, they explore the connections between their endangered Neo-Aramaic dialects: Nora’s Christian Assyrian and Alan’s Jewish Hulaulá from Sanandaj. Nora details her work revitalizing the language through the arts, including the first Assyrian opera, Gilgamesh, while Alan discusses documenting his heritage through his Dreamy Kalimi video series. The guests test their mutual intelligibility and share heritage words.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Sam Miller, a computational linguist of mixed Ashkenazi and Nash-Didan heritage. Sam details his maternal roots in the cosmopolitan city of Urmia, Iran, where his family navigated a multilingual world of Aramaic, Farsi, and Kurdish. Driven by a childhood desire to shoulder the “burden” of his endangered ancestral language, he discusses his documentation work with the Jewish Language Project. Sam highlights Nash-Didan heritage words for traditional foods like shifteh and tava, and shares creative revitalization projects, including a Lishan Didan cover of “Country Roads.”Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Ashton Kahen, a Baruch College student and researcher dedicated to Iranian Jewish history and endangered languages. Ashton details his family’s diverse roots across Iran, including Tuyserkan, Damavand, and Kashan. Driven by a desire to preserve his heritage, he discusses his work documenting his ancestral language, Judeo-Tuyserkani, which has led to a partnership with the Jewish Language Project. Ashton highlights common Persian Jewish heritage words like kenisa and Ben Ebri, while also exploring the Farsi-English language mixing prevalent in his Great Neck community.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews writer and journalist Lauren Hakimi, whose family roots trace back to Mashhad, Iran, via Tehran. Lauren recounts the unique history of Mashhadi Jews, including the forced conversion, which led her ancestors to practice Judaism in secret for a century. She discusses the social separation of Mashhadi Jews from "Tehrani" (non-Mashhadi Persian) Jews in Great Neck, New York, a major center of Persian Jews. Lauren shares how her father integrated the Yiddish word tuches into their family and also shares Farsi terms like gabool boshe and delbozorg. She also discusses her reporting on Persian Jewish languages re-emerging in relatives with dementia.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Sarah Bunin Benor interviews comedian Ariel Elias, who discusses her unique background as a Jew growing up in Kentucky and her move to the Jewish comedy scene in New York. Ariel discusses her mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardic heritage, explaining why she prioritizes the Spanish connection and how she obtained Spanish citizenship. Ariel explores the contrasting experiences of her ancestral languages, from inheriting some Yiddish words like yenta and shaina maidele from her maternal side to feeling the "hurt" of losing her paternal side's Ladino.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

This Heritage Words episode features Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator of the new Netflix series Long Story Short. Bob-Waksberg discusses his Ashkenazi roots, noting that his primary exposure to Yiddish came from American pop culture such as Mad Magazine and Mel Brooks. He also discusses his show's use of overlapping dialogue and Yiddish heritage words such as tsures and ungepatchke, sharing that this specificity allows audiences to find universal connections.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.Clips in this episode are courtesy of The Tornante Company.

This episode features Stephanie Ives, who shares her experience growing up in Los Angeles with a diverse Middle Eastern Jewish heritage, tracing ancestors from Tunisia, Libya, and Iraq. She discusses the various languages and cultural practices that shaped her and her journey to rediscover and transmit her family's Arabic and French heritage words to her children, emphasizing the importance of preserving this cultural depth for future generations.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

This episode features Dr. Karen Skinazi, who explores her diverse linguistic heritage, tracing words and expressions from her Ashkenazi mother's Yiddish-speaking background, including terms like "eggies" and "zei gezunt". She also delves into her Sephardic Egyptian-Israeli father's influence, discussing Arabic words like "do'a" and "howaga," a French children's rhyme, and Hebrew expressions.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

This episode features author Dara Horn, who discusses her approach to embedding "coded language" and hidden Jewish references, or "afikomanim," in her English novels, aiming to enrich American Jewish culture and connect readers to Jewish texts and traditions. She also shares her personal journey, including learning Yiddish to better understand Hebrew literature, her family's ancestral Yiddish background, and her new nonprofit, the Tell Institute, which educates the broader American public about Jewish civilization.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, host Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Elaine Lindheim, a native Los Angeleno deeply involved in the Jewish community, about her Sephardic heritage and connection to Ladino. Lindheim shares how Ladino was the "secret language" of her parents and other relatives and explores the preservation of linguistic heritage primarily through family recipes and food-related terms like ojaldres, borekas, fritadas, and rosca.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, host Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Aliza Bulow, CEO of CoreTorah.org, about her journey of converting to Judaism and navigating the language and culture of her new communities. Aliza discusses her names, the process of acquiring Jewish English, and her work in creating a Yinglish dictionary to help others acculturate. She also shares insights into the cultural nuances and linguistic specificities within various Orthodox communities.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

This episode features award-winning culinary historian and food writer Michael W. Twitty, who discusses the significance of his diverse English, Hebrew, and African names and his extensive exposure to various languages growing up. He delves into his journey as a Jew by choice, how he learned Jewish English, and the profound connection between language, food, and cultural identity within Black and Jewish communities.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Genevieve Okada Goldstone, who has a rich multiracial heritage, including Portuguese, Japanese, and Chamorro. Genevieve shares her long, personal journey of converting to Judaism and discusses her efforts to imbue her children with a strong Jewish identity. She explains how she has prioritized Hebrew heritage words, while still infusing elements of her diverse cultural background.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and producer: Sarah Bunin BenorAssistant producer: Kyle Elbaz FingerhutEditor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Talia EhrenbergEditorial consultant: Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor hosts a roundtable discussion with staff members of the Jewish Language Project. Together, they explore heritage words from a range of languages, including Judeo-Arabic, Yiddish, Ladino, and two varieties of Jewish Neo-Aramaic. Participants explain how these words carry cultural meaning and share their personal connections to their heritage languages. The group also discusses the role heritage words can play in language revitalization efforts, offering insights into how even a single word can spark connection and continuity across generations.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor hands over hosting duties to a guest host, Jack Lieberman, who interviews his mother, Michele, about her ancestral language, Yiddish. From family memories to funny Yiddish anecdotes, their chat is a heartfelt tribute to preserving cultural language, food, and music as living links to a vibrant past.Jack was a student in Sarah’s class "Jewish Language in the 21st Century" at the University of Southern California in fall 2024. Sarah found the experience of interviewing people about their heritage words so interesting and enriching that she decided to share that experience with her students. For one of their assignments, each student interviewed someone who has an ancestral connection to a language about the heritage words that have been passed down the generations to them.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Ethiopian Jewish mother and son, Tawkalich Michal Avera Samuel and Telahun Liad Samuel, who share stories about their family’s migration, cultural traditions, and the Amharic words that connect their generations. Their conversation highlights how heritage words for foods, holidays, and rituals preserve identity and keep the community’s rich history alive across generations.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Sarah Aroeste in front of a live audience about her journey in exploring her Sephardic heritage through language and travel. They discuss Sarah Aroeste’s efforts to engage people of all ages to learn more about Sephardic Jewry through her career in writing and singing Ladino songs and writing multilingual, Sephardic-themed children’s books that encourage the usage of heritage words.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Yosef Goldman talks with Sarah Bunin Benor about the rich influence of Arabic music on his Sephardic Jewish heritage, showing how these sounds bridge cultures and generations from Yemen to New York. Yosef discusses the challenge of blending Sephardic and Mizrahi prayer styles into Ashkenazi services, highlighting the importance of educating communities about this rich diversity.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanSpecial thanks to Yosef Goldman for permission to use a sample of “Ya'alah Ya'alah” from the Kedmah album Simu Lev, courtesy of Rising Song Records.Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Galeet Dardashti, an anthropologist, musician, composer, and a trailblazing and award-winning performer and scholar of Middle Eastern Jewish culture. Galeet also co-created the award-winning podcast “The Nightingale of Iran,” about her family's Persian musical legacy.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanSpecial thanks to Galeet Dardashti for permission to use tracks from her album Monajat.Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Asher Shasho Levy, a Syrian Jewish musician based in San Francisco, where he is the hazan and musical director at The Kitchen, a progressive Jewish community. He's also the leader of the Aram Soba ensemble, a group dedicated to the musical heritage of Syrian Jewry.Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducers and editors: Kyle Fingerhut, Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, the guest is Mayim Bialik, who discusses Yiddish in American English.Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom Blossom. She played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory, a role for which she received 2 Critics’ Choice Award wins, 4 Emmy nominations and a SAG Award nomination. She served as host of Jeopardy! for 2 seasons, earning her fifth Emmy nomination for her contributions to the iconic show which won its first primetime Emmy the year she hosted. In 2021, Bialik wrote and directed the feature film As They Made Us, starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen, Dianna Agron and Simon Helberg. She hosts a popular mental health podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, with over 26 million downloads. Bialik holds a BS and PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA and she has authored four books, two of which are on the New York Times Best Seller list (Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular and Boying Up: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant). She lives in Los Angeles with her two teenage sons and three cats.Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducer and editor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, the guest is Sarah Sassoon, who discusses Judeo-Baghdadi Arabic in Australian English.Sarah Sasoon is an Australian born, Iraqi Jewish writer, poet, and educator. She is the author of the award winning picture book Shoham’s Bangle and This is Not a Cholent. Her poetry micro chapbook, This is Why We Don’t Look Back was awarded the Harbor Review Jewish Women’s Poetry prize. She is an editorial advisor for Distinctions: A Sephardi and Mizrahi Journal. She is also the joint author of The In-Between, a literary dialogue about identity and belonging. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and four boys. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducer and editor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.Thanks also to Yoni Avi Battat for allowing us to use his song “What would you say?” from the album “Fragments.”

In this episode, the guest is Ilana Mansharov, who discusses Juhuri in Modern Hebrew and Canadian English. Ilana Mansharov began her career as a Jewish educator over 21 years ago in Toronto and the greater Toronto area. She comes in with a diverse experience teaching, guiding, developing and leading staff and programs for students of all abilities in Jewish elementary day schools and students of all ages programs in Jewish communal settings. Ilana is a native Israeli and a descendant of Mountain Jews who speaks Judeo-Tat, an endangered Jewish language spoken by Juhuro. Ilana fully supports diversity in Jewish education and Hebrew learning programs. Ilana advocates for neurodiversity and the incorporation of the arts into Jewish and Israel learning programs. She has expertise in leading Jewish text study, as well as history, literature, arts and culture and current events in Israel education. Ilana Mansharov obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University, Judaic and Hebrew Teacher Certificate from Board of Jewish Education, Special Education certification from York University and Masters of Arts in Leadership in Jewish Education and Religious Education from Hebrew Union College. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives. Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin Benor Producer and editor: Avishay Artsy Video editor: Annabel Noar Editorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah Pressman Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, the guest is Danny Jassen, who discusses Ladino in American English.Danny Jassen is a Seward Park, Seattle native who grew up in the Sephardic community. His maternal great-grandparents were Ladino-speaking Jewish emigrants from Turkey and the island of Rhodes. He currently serves as a board member for Sephardic Adventure Camp, North America’s only overnight Jewish camp that is a unique Sephardic experience. Having lived in Seattle, New York and Israel, you might hear him incorporate English, Hebrew and Ladino words or phrases all in the same sentence.Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives.Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducer and editor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, the guest is Rozeeta Mavashev, whose heritage language is Bukharian.A graduate of CUNY with a Master's in Clinical Social Work from Hunter College and a BA in Education and English Literature from the College of Staten Island, Rozeeta Mavashev is deeply committed to education, which has driven her volunteerism and career path in the Jewish professional sector. Currently, she serves as the North American Executive Director at Masa Israel Journey. Rozeeta is also a fervent advocate for amplifying diverse Jewish voices, particularly those of Mizrahi and Sephardi descent. Recognized by Jewish Week as one of the 36 Under 36 in 2021 for her leadership in this area, she sits on the Board of Directors at SAMi Global, a nonprofit she helped establish to support Mizrahi and Sephardi college students and young professionals through leadership, professional, and personal development. In 2021, Rozeeta became the first Bukharian to receive the Wexner Davidson Scholarship Fellowship. As a first-generation American whose parents migrated from Uzbekistan, she credits her success to their unwavering support and love. Rozeeta currently resides in NYC and spends her time reading, painting, and biking.Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives.Jewish Language Project's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jewishlanguageprojectHost and executive producer: Sarah Bunin BenorProducer and editor: Avishay ArtsyVideo editor: Annabel NoarEditorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah PressmanTheme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

In this episode, the guest is Dr. Evelyn Maria Dean-Olmsted, who discusses the concept of heritage words. Evelyn Dean-Olmsted is an anthropologist whose academic research focuses on Jewish Latin America.  Her book, provisionally entitled The Pragmatics of Diaspora: Language, identity, and religiosity among young Syrian Jewish Mexicans is forthcoming with Brill. She currently serves as Project Lead at Rosov Consulting, where she contributes to community studies, program evaluation, and other research services for Jewish nonprofits. Dean-Olmsted also serves on the editorial board of the journal Latin American Jewish Studies; the advisory board of the Jewish Language Project; and the advisory board of Olamim, a grassroots organization of Latinx Jewish families in the Bay Area. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect: conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives. Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin Benor Producer and editor: Avishay Artsy Video editor: Annabel Noar Editorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah Pressman Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.

Heritage Words is a podcast about how we engage with our ancestral languages in new and creative ways. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project, which raises awareness about Jewish ancestral diversity through the lens of language. The song used in this trailer is "Sheikhat Al​-​Hara / شيخةالحارة" from Fragments by Yoni Avi Battat, used with permission. Host and executive producer: Sarah Bunin Benor Producer and editor: Avishay Artsy Video editor: Annabel Noar Editorial consultants: Kyle Fingerhut, Annabel Noar, Hannah Pressman