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Teacher, poet, and sometime actor Isaac A. Habib –a first-generation son among a handful of Sephardic survivor-families from the Island of Rhodes who found their way to Cape Town, South Africa – has put together a stark, moving tribute to the people of the Djudería of the Island of Rhodes in his published “anthology of writings,” La Djuderia de Rhodes.
Inspired by the story of his mother, Lucia, his writings are accompanied by a collection of evocative photographs of the period and of the survivors.
La Djudería was Jewish Quarter of Rhodes, Greece, inhabited by Sephardic, Ladino-speaking Jews. Today visitors will find it centered on Dosiadou Street, with the lone remaining synagogue Kahal Shalom, is located.
Written in the original spoken and written Hispanic language of Jews of Spanish origin–Ladino, with literal translations into French and English “to make the original text more accessible to current readers.” This anthology was published in July 2010. Cape Town resident Isaac A. Habib has penned it with the intention of preserving for future generations the centuries-old Judeo-Spanish language spoken on the Island of Rhodes.
As a work of Judaica, Habib’s anthology is a remarkably original, personal keepsake, a reminder of a close community whose humanity was shattered when its members were taken away in the summer months of 1944. Only about 150 of the 1,700 who were deported to Auschwitz in this horrendous manner survived.
The book is available at the Giftshop
Isaac Habib is a Judeo-Spanish poet and artist. In 2010, his book “La Djuderia de Rhodes”, a compilation of Ladino poems was published. In 2017, he held a painting exhibition called “Art in the Making” at the Alliance Française du Cap, Cape Town.
Isaac is the son of Gershon Habib and Lucia Capelluto, a Holocaust survivor. He lives in South Africa and has been a source of knowledge about the history of “La Juderia.” During the summer months, he dedicates his time on the island of Rhodes providing educational tours to the Rhodesli descendants and visitors.
Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation
