Why read Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim?

Book cover of Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim

Book description

Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim, prepared under the auspices of the National Museum of Man, contains 80 folktales, legends and anecdotes collected by André Elbaz from Moroccan Jewish immigrants in Canada.Moroccan Sephardim have a rich oral literature, which is still alive among the older members of the community. However, the…

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Mythology

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Why read it?

1 author picked Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Justin Jaron Lewis

Author

The Jewish stories I know best were first told in Yiddish, but there is so much more to Jewish storytelling.

This little book is a treasury of stories told by Moroccan Jewish immigrants to Canada, who spoke Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Spanish, and French. The author introduces each storyteller and includes photos of them. Most of their stories happen in Morocco, but some in Montreal, including a bitterly humorous first impression, and an amazing miracle.

Many of these stories have a fairy-tale feeling – including the personal experiences. The Jnun (Jinns), also known as “our friends from the underworld” are very real to…

From Justin's list on The best books about people telling each other stories.