Page 35 - FINAL catalogue.cdr

everyday life

social life and recreation

On multi-religious and multi-cultural Ottoman Rhodes, Christians,
Moslems and Jews all contributed to the creation of the special, local,
cultural identity. For their part, the Jews of Rhodes were trustees of the
centuries-long Sephardic heritage. They preserved Sephardic musical
tradition, in particular the rare Romances, which were long, narrative
th
ballads, stories from the 13 c., Spanish, epic poetry, with tunes frequently
betraying the influence of Ottoman music. These songs were usually sung
by women without musical accompaniment, both on special occasions
and as they went about their daily life. Other popular songs were the erotic
Koplas, religious, moralizing and satirical songs, as well as laments.
The Jews also continued to use Judeo-Spanish, and in addition to the
proverbs, fairy-tales and jokes, there was no dearth of scholarly
production (moral essays, biblical analyses, and poetry) in Ladino, the
most noteworthy exponents being Hizkia Shemuel Tarika, Hizkia
Shemtov Kodron, and Reuben Eliau Israel. Furthermore, 1928 to 1936
saw significant activity in printing, with the publication of the Judeo-
Spanish newspapers Buletino Mensual de la Comunidad Israelita de
Νεαροί Εβραίοι της Ρόδου σε εκδρομή πριν από τον πόλεμο. Rodes, El Boletin, El Mundo and El Flambo.
Young Jews of Rhodes in an excursion before WWII. As well as taking part in social life within the community, the Jews of
Rhodes also participated in the general goings-on in the city. They often
went for strolls in the countryside near the city, especially on the afternoon
of the Sabbath. There are accounts of a garden with lemon trees close to
the city, which was a popular recreational spot for all the people of
Rhodes, being open exclusively for Jews every Saturday and at Purim.
The Jews of Rhodes also amused themselves by going to cinema shows in
the city's first cinemas, attending concerts in El Puccini hall, dancing in La
Ronda hall, or joining clubs like the Italian club Circolo d'Italia. So the
Jews of Rhodes can rightfully lay claim to the title of “Perpetuators of
Sephardic Tradition” as well as that of “Cosmopolitan Innovators”.

Φωτογραφία από το “concerto vocale strumentale”, μια συνεργασία
του Ραββινικού Κολλεγίου με την Εβραϊκή Ιταλική σχολή, 1935.
Photo of the “concerto vocale strumentale”, a collaboration of the
Rabbinical College with the Jewish Italian school, 1935.

Εβραιοπούλες σε περίπατο
με ποδήλατο, Ρόδος ca. 1940.
Young Jewesses from
Rhodes in a bicycle
excursion, ca.1940.

Φωτογραφία του Νταβίντ
Φις κρατώντας τρομπέτα.
Ήταν μέλος της μπάντας της
Ιταλοισραηλιτικής σχολής,
της πρώην σχολής Alliance
Israélite Universelle , 1930.
Photo of David Fiss holding
the trumpet. He was a
member of the band of the
Scuole Israelitiche Italiani,
the former Alliance Israélite
Universelle School, 1930.