The documentary series "Sefarad – Ways and Life" addresses the identity of the Spanish Jewish community in the past and in the present. Shot on location in Spain, Israel and additional European and North African countries, the series focuses on the history of the Jewish community before the expulsion from Spain and its aftermath. We follow history thru the Golden Age, the Inquisition and into the birth of the State of Israel. The concept behind the series is to bring to the viewer an intricate story in a more in-depth way than has previously been done. We chose to focus on a particular city or district in order to present a layered and emotional story that is relevant to both the past and the present. Additionally, a meeting with a wider panorama is not only historical, but it also touches upon contemporary cultural life through interviews with poets, artists and musicians. Moreover the series examines the issue of Spanish-Jewish identity. Since the beginning of the Middle Ages, Spain was a large and fertile center for the Jewish community. Jews took part in the economic and social activities in Muslim Spain. Beginning in the 9th century until the 13th century Spain served as a safe haven for Jews who enjoyed a stable economic status and a rich cultural life. This was known as the Golden Age and symbolized the blossoming of the Jewish community in the Middle Ages. This period is an important one in the establishment of a Jewish spiritual body of work when poetry and spiritual writing flourished. Among the most prominent of the Sages of Spain were Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi – a philosopher and poet, Rabbi Abraham Ben Ezra who was a poet and a Torah scholar, and the Kabbalist who wrote the book of Zohar, Moses de Leon. Since 1391 the large Jewish community in Spain was divided into two streams: those who practiced their religion openly and those who were forcibly converted but secretly continued to practice their religion. In 1492 the expulsion of the Jews began as directive of the Inquisition. The decree signed by Ferdinand and Isabella the king and queen of Spain, determined the fate of the Jews. According to the order those Jews who did not agree to convert, to leave their religion and take on Christianity, were commanded to leave Spain within 3 months – by the 7th of Av in the year 1492. Those Jews who left Spain were called Sfaradim and continued to maintain their traditions even in the countries to which they immigrated. Additionally many of them also continued to speak Ladino, the language of the Spanish Jews. The idea for the series "Sefarad – Ways and Life" took on additional significance as we ourselves are the descendants of Spanish-Jewish exiles from the city of Leon. My mother's family name on her father's side was also Leon. One of the most significant facts about the Spanish-Jewish community is their consistent preservation of their indigenous language for over 500 years. The language was preserved by those who took it with them to places like the Balkans. And to this day Ladino is my additional creative language alongside Hebrew. This special language is taught now-a-days in Israel and there are currently 250,000 Ladino speakers world wide - most of whom live in Israel. The language continues to carry with it the traditions of a rich culture.