A Manisa Street Named after Yasmin Levy's Father

Isaac Levy (1919-1977) was a Turkish-born musicologist, collector of Sephardic music, and singer. Born in Manisa (near İzmir) in 1919, at the age of three he moved with his family to Palestine. He studied in conservatories in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and went on to work both as a composer and as a cantor. After the creation of the state of Israel he was appointed head of the Ladino department at Israel’s national radio station. His life’s work was devoted to the collection and preservation of the songs of Sephardic Jews; these songs had been passed down orally from generation to generation for more than 500 years. December 23, 1975 Jerusalem born, Israeli singer-songwriter of Judaeo-Spanish music Yasmin Levy is her daughter.

Part of the Ottoman Empire from 1425, Smyrna was for centuries a prosperous trading port to rival Constantinople. By the end of the 19th century, Smyrna had grown into one of the largest, richest and most cosmopolitan cities in the Mediterranean. It contained large Armenian and Jewish communities, plus at least twice as many Greeks as then lived in Athens. There were 11 Greek newspapers available in the city, as well as seven in Turkish, five in Armenian, four in French and five in Hebrew. Smyrna was also home to a collection of amazingly rich Anglo-Levantine families.

Mavi Boncuk |Traditional Sephardi Ladino song sung by Yasmin Levy in Bulera style.