Sefardic Poetry Translation Project
History and Context
Translator Héctor Contreras López turned his eye towards the life and work of Emma Lazarus in 2017. He wanted to make the poetry of this Sephardic writer available to Spanish speaking Jews in her native country, the United States, and to Spanish speakers everywhere.
After three years of meticulous and loving attention, a handful of poems were ready. Stephanie Sofie Shefia Cohen, the leader of Nahalat Shalom’s monthly Sephardic Shabbat gatherings agreed to launch a poetry segment as part of these evenings.
The September 2020 presentation on Zoom, was likely the first public reading of nineteenth century Sephardic-American poet Emma Lazarus in Spanish. It was a memorable experience. Those who were there noted how moved they felt by hearing Emma’s words returned to one of her ancestral languages. “Reading these poems in Spanish brings them back home,” says Héctor.
Héctor continues to curate and translate great poetry from the Sephardic diaspora across time and space. We share these poems in English and Spanish, inviting people to interpret their context and meaning. Our discussions are always dynamic, and we are surprised and delighted by the depth of emotion they evoke.
