Jerusalem, December, 7, 2000                                          Back

CURRICULUM VITAE

MATILDA KOEN-SARANO - Writer, Scholar, Poet, Storyteller.

Matilde Cohen Sarano

 

M.K.S. was born in Milan (Italy) (1939) to a Sephardic family from Turkey. Her grandfather, Moshe, was born in Bergama (Pergamon, Turkey) in 1874. Both her father, Alfredo, and her mother, Diana Hadjes, were born in Aydin (Turkey). Her father moved to Rhodes and lived there till 1925, and her mother moved to Izmir (Turkey) and lived there till 1937. They eventually married in Milan in 1938. During the Second World War the family was hidden in the Italian mountains in order to escape the Nazi persecutions. Her father became the Secretary of the Jewish Community in Milan from 1945 until 1969. In 1960, Matilda married Aharon Cohen, (presently the Director General of The National Authority for Ladino and its Culture) and moved to Israel. She has lived in Jerusalem since 1962. She is mother of three children and grand-mother of nine. She completed her studies in the Jewish Community’s School as well as the Bocconi University in Milan. In 1979 she participated in a Seminar for Radio Programming in Judeo-Spanish at Kol Israel (The Israeli Radio) in Jerusalem. She received her B.A. in Italian Literature, Judeo-Spanish and Folklore in 1987 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

For 23 years she worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem (1974-1997). She is now retired from this position.

The goal of Matilda’s activities and labors has been the conservation and revitalization of the Judeo-Spanish language, culture and heritage; this she considers the mission of her life because she escaped from the Holocaust, and is a survivor.

To this end she:

  1. teaches the Judeo-Spanish language at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, (since 1996-97), and two courses for Ladino teachers and Ladino language organized by The National Authority for Ladino and its Culture, in Jerusalem, (since 1998-99 and 2000 respectively). She taught the Judeo-Spanish folk-tale at the Midreshet Amalia in Jerusalem (from 1991-92 to 1998-99).
  2. is a broadcaster for Kol Israel, where she not only does the news in Ladino (since 1995), but also hosts her own program featuring Judeo-Spanish music and folk-tales (since 1996). She is also a frequent guest on mainstream Israeli Radio where she comments on Italian music and folklore, as well as Judeo-Spanish subjects (since 1985).
  3. writes for the Judeo-Spanish periodicals "Aki Yerushalayim", (since 1979), and "Los Muestros" in Brussels (since 1990), and has published many scholarly articles in Israel and abroad.
  4. appears as a storyteller all over Israel and abroad, either alone or in conjunction with the singers Betty Klein, Nurit Henig and Moty Abramov. She also does volunteer work in schools and retirement homes around the country.
  5. has in Jerusalem a monthly club of storytellers in Judeo-Spanish (since 1987), and the winter’s club "Vini kantaremos" with the singer Betty Klein, to teach Judeo-Spanish songs (since 1995).
  6. has participated since 1988 in 18 international conferences and many national conferences concerning Judeo-Spanish language, culture and folklore.
  7. lectured and performed in Argentina (in 1992 and 1999), in Mexico (in 1996 and 1998) and in Uruguay (in 1999) in the field of the Judeo-Spanish language, culture and folklore. She gave courses for teachers and pupils in Mexico-City, and was present at the performance of her own musical comedy "Sefaradis de dor en dor" by the pupils of the Colejio Sefaradi (1998).

PUBLICATIONS:

  1. Kuentos del folklor de la famiya djudeo-espanyola + cassette of folk-tales, Kana, Jerusalem, 1986 (Judeo-Spanish/Hebrew).
  2. Djoha ke dize?, Kana, Jerusalem, 1991 (idem).
  3. Konsejas i konsejikas del mundo djudeo-espanyol, Kana, Jerusalem, 1994 (idem).
  4. Lejendas i kuentos morales de la tradision djudeo-espanyola, Nur, Jerusalem (idem), 1999 .
  5. Vini kantaremos, collection of Judeo-Spanish songs, Author’s Edition, Jerusalem, 1993.
  6. Sipure Eliau Anavi, with remarks of Shifra Safra, Midrashiat Amalia, Jerusalem, 1993-94 (idem).
  7. De Saragoza a Yerushalayim, Ibercaja, Zaragoza, 1995 (Judeo-Spanish).
  8. Storie di Giocha, in two editions: one for schools (1991) and another for the general public, Sansoni, Firenze, 1990 (Italian).
  9. Le storie del re Salomone, Sansoni, Firenze, 1993 (Italian).
  10. King Solomon and the Golden Fish, with notes by Reginetta Haboucha, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan (English) (in preparation).
  11. Sefaradis de dor en dor, Musical Comedy (music by Hayim Tsur), Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, Jerusalem., 1997. Adapted by her for radio in 1999.
  12. Mil i un Djoha, Musical Comedy (music by Hayim Tsur), Author’s Edition, Jerusalem, 1998 (Judeo-Spanish).
  13. Kurso de Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino) para Prinsipiantes, Merkaz Eliachar Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, 1999.
  14. Kurso de Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino) para Adelantados, Merkaz Eliachar,

    15. Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, 1999. 15) With Maymon Benchimol, Vokabulario Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino) - Ebreo;

    Ebreo-Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino), Merkaz Eliachar, Ben-Gurion in the Negev,

    1999.

  15. Tabelas de verbos en Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino), Author’s Edition,

    16. Jerusalem, 1999.

  16. Ritmo antiko, poems and songs, Edition Zaviyot, Jerusalem, (Judeo-Spanish/Hebrew) (in preparation).
  17. Por el plazer de kontar, collection of personal tales, Jerusalem

    18. (Judeo-Spanish/Hebrew) (in preparation).

  18. C.D. Jewish Ladino Songs, Hataklit, Ramat-Gan, 1993 (5 songs in Judeo-Spanish) (words: Matilda Koen-Sarano, music: Hayim Tsur).
  19. C.D. Nostaljia, Hataklit, Ramat-Gan, 1995 (18 songs in Judeo-Spanish)

(words: Matilda Koen-Sarano, music: Hayim Tsur).

21) C.D. Sefaradis de dor en dor (The Musical Comedy’s Songs),

(words: Matilda Koen-Sarano; music: Hayim Tsur), Hataklit, Ramat-Gan, 1999.

  1. Kuentos salados djudeo-espanyoles, Editorial Capitelum, Valencia, 2000.
  2. Maridos i mujeres", Radio Comedy in 7 acts, music: Hayim Tsur, Author’s

Edition, Jerusalem, 2000 (in Judeo-Spanish).

  1. Joha the Jester: Sephardic Trickster Tales, translated into English by David Herman, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia (in preparation).
  2. Tres ermanikas, Radio Comedy, music: Hayim Tsur, Author’s Edition,

Jerusalem, 2000 (in Judeo-Spanish).

  1. El kurtijo enkantado, Judeo-Spanish Folk-tales, Nur Hafakot, Jerusalem,

(in preparation).

Matilda Koen-Sarano: Rehov Harav Maymon 6, Jerusalem 95429

P.O.B. 34040, Jerusalem 91340

Tel. 02-6523864; 051-812007

Fax.: 02-6514286

E-mail: paz3@zahav.net.il

web: http://www.princeton.edu/~rsimon/koen.html

web: http://www.sephardichouse.org/sarano.html

web: http://www.sephardichouse.org/sarano1.html