ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question:  Where did Flori Senor Rosenthal get her inspiration for the Ladino phrases used in her book?

In 2013 Israel’s 5th President Yitzhak Navon endorsed Zelda Ovadia’s idea of International Ladino Day. Since then celebrations have been held in Jerusalem, Seattle, Istanbul, Madrid, Dallas, New York, Boston, and other cities around the world to honor the Ladino language, also known as Judeo-Spanish. On January 10 the American Sephardi Federation commemorated New York Ladino Day 2021. To celebrate the language and Sephardic culture, this week we are featuring a book that was especially written to introduce the language to young children.

Flori Senor Rosenthal is the author and illustrator of Nono’s Kisses for Sephardic Children.  It is the first in her Legacy and Literacy Scholastics Series.  While she comes from a mixed Sephardic-Ashkenazi background, she has always been especially interested in delving into her Sephardic roots, largely through the language spoken by her father’s family.  The purpose of this book is to give young children an introduction to Ladino in a fun way.

Professionally, Ms. Senor Rosenthal works as a genetic counselor.  And to stimulate her creative side, she hand paints porcelain Judaica, and designs and prints invitations and other printed material for special events.  She also joined a Ladino singing group in Los Angeles with her oldest daughter and a Sephardic friend.  She is currently expanding her knowledge of Ladino and finds the online Ladino group, Ladinokomunita a wonderful resource.

Nono’s Kisses for Sephardic Children is especially recommended for children from 4-10 years old, and can be ordered here.