The first chapter is devoted to the northern Spanish town of Léon, a town with a rich, but little-known, Jewish history. The movie deals with the fine line dividing the apparent and the obscure in relations between Jewish and Spanish cultures. Via testimonies and interviews we reach fascinating personal stories and discover the extent to which the ties between Jewish and Spanish culture has survived to this day. An entire chapter is devoted to the Jewish scholar, Moses de Léon, who, was born in Leon. Moses de Léon was a prominent spiritual leader of his time, a Kabbalist, a philosopher and one of the authors of the Zohar. The moving story of two women, descendents of the Maranos provides recent testimony that they continue to practice Jewish rituals in their homes. The excavations at Puente del Castro and the findings - revealed here for the first time - point to a 10th century Jewish settlement on the site. In the movie, we discover Agaden the mystical spot among the Aquilianos mounts near the town of Ponferrada, where a group of banished Jews got lost on their way to Portugal. The Jews lived there in isolation, finally becoming extinct. Their story became a legend. The musical band, Sirama and its female soloist, provide an ancient musical scent, based on the old Spanish “romances” that have become a tradition among the Sephardic Jews. As well as traditional “romances,” the movie introduces us to modern Ladino compositions in music and lyrics. Photography and editing: Jack Matitiahu


Leon - A New Encounter

doc, 90 min, 2008

Director: Jack Matitiahu
Production: Margalit Matitiahu
Length: 90 minutes
Language: Spanish/Ladino

DVD - For Home Use Only :
$29.90

Synopsis


The first chapter is devoted to the northern Spanish town of Léon, a town with a rich, but little-known, Jewish history. The movie deals with the fine line dividing the apparent and the obscure in relations between Jewish and Spanish cultures. Via testimonies and interviews we reach fascinating personal stories and discover the extent to which the ties between Jewish and Spanish culture has survived to this day. An entire chapter is devoted to the Jewish scholar, Moses de Léon, who, was born in Leon. Moses de Léon was a prominent spiritual leader of his time, a Kabbalist, a philosopher and one of the authors of the Zohar. The...

Festivals

  • Seattle Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2010
  • NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, 2009

Additional info

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Festivals

  • Seattle Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2010
  • NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, 2009

Educational

  • Duke University
  • Harvard University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Amherst College, USA
  • Stanford University
  • Yale University