`Sefarad: names to (re)construct a memory´ conference

For the last 20 years, more than 30 countries have been celebrating the European Days of Jewish Culture throughout the month of September with an aim to raising awareness of the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people.  This year, during which we are commemorating the 20^th anniversary of this institution, we therefore wish to contribute to the development of these days by programming a specific cycle dedicated to the Sephardic legacy and, in particular, its Moroccan dimension.

Within the framework of this cycle we are holding the conference: Sefarad: names to (re)construct a memory, led by historian, documentalist and Casa de Sefarad director Sebastián de la Obra.

The Hispano-Jewish or Sephardic memory has its origins in the first epigraphic remains (of a funerary nature) that date back to the 1^st century. Between that time and their official expulsion in 1492 there was a long period of 14 centuries of presence in the social, political, cultural and financial fields, always determined by their minority nature. From the 15^th century to the 19th century, another diverse and exceptional reality was in existence: that of the Jewish converts. A group that influenced Hispanic thinking, literature and mysticism.

The diaspora of the expelled Hispano-Jews and their descendants provides another dimension of the Sephardic memory. In Europe, the Maghreb and the American continent, the descendants of the Sefarad resist and maintain their memories. The language, the literature, the music and the popular traditions conform a multiple identity.

Different places and times that make of the Sephardic memory a true cultural treasure and a unique experiment in survival.