Festival Presents Sounds, Sights of Sephardic Culture

Therese Stein said she came to the Sephardic Arts Festival on Sunday to learn something new and for the sense of community. But her tapping feet showed that the Middle Eastern music was her favorite part of the third annual festival held at the Skirball Cultural Center.

“It’s beautiful and has a lot of spirit,” said Stein, 51, who traveled from Victorville in San Bernardino County to enjoy the hypnotic sounds.

About 3,000 people jammed the cultural center for the event, which offered Sephardic arts and crafts, jewelry and food. The center also showed films and featured a storyteller spinning Sephardic tales.

Los Angeles has the second-largest U.S. community of Sephardic Jews, with more than 100,000, said cultural center spokeswoman Joana L. Fisch. Sephardic Jews’ origins can be traced to Spain (Sefarad is the Hebrew word for Spain) and Portugal. After the Jews were expelled from Spain in the 15th century, they settled around the globe; many live in the Middle East and in Latin America.

Loretta Engel said she is half Ashkenazi--a Jew of eastern or central European origin--and half Sephardic, and she feels comfortable in both branches of Jewish identity.

“It’s like two different worlds, in terms of food, prayer. A lot of things are different, but it’s nice to be able to appreciate both,” said Engel, 45, of Beverlywood.

Engel got a temporary henna tattoo on her hand, an intricate dark brown pattern usually drawn on hands or feet. The body art was made with henna plant powder, lemon juice, olive oil and tea. Under a series of white umbrellas, a line of people waited for their chance to get their tattoo.

“It’s a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and be cultured in Judaism, learning different forms of Judaism from different parts of the world,” said Susan Shapiro, 44, of West Hollywood. Shapiro came with her 5-year-old daughter, Sascha, who drew a colorful hamsa, a lucky charm shaped like a hand, on a piece of paper. “It’s all about our heritage, our history--and fun,” Shapiro said.

Although Kai Peterson isn’t Jewish, she visited the center, located in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center, because she enjoys going to festivals and learning about different cultures.

“I’m just a learner,” said Peterson, 26, of Van Nuys. “It broadens your horizons.”