This musician helps keep an ancient language alive for Sephardic Jews
“Why are there so many Sephardic Jews in Seattle?” That’s the question we dove into on our latest episode of the SoundQs podcast where you ask a question and KUOW explores the answer.
The inquiry took us back in time and across the ocean to the countries of Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. In the podcast, we look at old photographs of handsome men with striking facial hair and listen to a vintage recording of one of the first Sephardic families to arrive in Seattle.
We also learn about the ancient language spoken by Sephardic Jews, called Ladino. It sounds similar to Spanish but mixes in other languages including Arabic and Hebrew.
Musician Sarah Aroeste has built her career on singing songs in her family’s original language of Ladino. SoundQ’s co-host Anna Boiko-Weyrauch spoke with her about why that’s important and what’s driving her to do this.
Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.
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Kyle Norris
Producer
Kyle Norris has worked in public radio as a host, reporter and producer for nearly 20 years. He spent 10 of those years at Michigan Radio and has additionally worked for KNKX and KUOW in Seattle. He currently teaches audio storytelling at KUOW’s RadioActive youth media program.
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Anna Boiko-Weyrauch
Reporter
Anna Boiko-Weyrauch is a general assignment reporter focusing on public health stories.
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