January 2009 Dear Friends, Finally, after five years of research and many months of working with Markus Wiener Publishers, my book “Once Jews: Stories of Caribbean Sephardim” will become available by April of 2009. The soft cover version of this limited edition will sell at $34.95, but I am offering it for prepaid orders received by April 1, 2009 at the price of $30.00. The book is of particular interest to scholars and researchers of Sephardic Jewry, the Caribbean, and Latin America. If you would like to understand the history of the steady disappearance of the Caribbean Sephardim, this book is for you! If you would like to learn about the disproportionate contribution of the Sephardic inhabitants of the Caribbean and Latin America to the socio-economic development of the region, this book is for you as well!! “Once Jews” is also of interest to those who descend from the Sephardim of Curaçao, many of whom migrated from this Dutch island to Venezuela, Colombia, St. Thomas, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. You will learn about these enterprising Jewish men and women who left “dushi Korsou” during difficult economic times and headed for the unknown in search of a better life for themselves and their children. The stories describe their arrival on foreign shores, where they became entrepreneurs, politicians, traders, retailers, writers, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals. Their stamina and hard work affected not only their own lives but also the cultural and economic environments of the countries that became their new homes. If you are related to the Lopez Penha, De Marchena, Delvalle, Capriles, Piza, Sasso, Senior, Curiel, Salas, Alvares Correa, Levy Maduro and other Caribbean Sephardic families, this book is for you Some of you are receiving this announcement because you expressed interest during the past few years about what could possibly have been keeping me so busy. So, here is your chance to find out. I have attached a copy of the preliminary book cover (front and back), as well as an order form that you can fill out and send with a check to the indicated address by April 1, 2009. If you live in Curaçao, you can sign up and pay for the book in the gift shop of Mikvé Israel – Emanuel or at the Bloemhof Art Center. If you live anywhere else, you can fill out the attached form and mail it to me with your check. As soon as I receive the books from the publisher, I shall mail your copy/copies to the indicated address(es). Please respond soon so that your order may be included in this special first run. Once these copies are depleted, you will be able to purchase the book at the regular retail price from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble later this year. If you know of others who may be interested in acquiring a copy of “Once Jews” at this special price, feel free to make use of the attached materials to publicize its availability among your acquaintances. With best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009, Josette Capriles Goldish
9 Benjamin PlaceChestnut Hill, MA 02467 jgoldish@brandeis.edu | ONCE JEWS: Stories of Caribbean Sephardim The phrase “I am Catholic, but I am Jewish” may seem contradictory to some, but in the Caribbean islands and the countries of the Caribbean periphery, there are hundreds if not thousands of individuals who identify themselves in this manner and can trace their ancestry back to the early Sephardim of the Dutch islands of Curaçao. The nineteenth century was a time of great political and economic upheaval in the Caribbean, precipitating waves of migration away from stagnant economies, revolutions, and religious persecution. “The Sephardic Jews of Curaçao” were active participants in this changing environment. They left the recessionary economy of the Dutch island in search of better opportunities in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Coro, Venezuela; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Barranquilla, Colombia; and many other Caribbean ports. Here, the Lopez Penhas, De Marchenas, Delvalles, Capriles, Sassos, Seniors, Curiels, and Alvares Correas involved themselves in all aspects of their new abodes. They were retailers, traders, politicians, poets, industrial entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals, each contributing in their own way to the economic and cultural growth of the countries that became their home. Over time, they and their descendants fully assimilated into their host communities. Yet, throughout the centuries, the generations that came after them continued to remember their Sephardic, Curaçaoan heritage. This book tells their stories. Author Biography: Josette Capriles Goldish was born in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. She now resides in the Boston area and is research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. |