The book Izmir preserves the history
of the Nahum Benjoya family by combining contemporary art,
family photographs, documents and Sephardic artifacts. Using
a personal lens, Izmir focuses on a 500-year period
of history. Sephardic Jews fled Spain after the decree of
expulsion, ordered by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand
in 1492. Izmir focuses on the group of Sephardic
Jews who fled to the safety of the Ottoman Empire. The Nahum
Benjoya family settled in Smyrna, now known as Izmir. After
leaving Spain in the 1400’s they lived in Sephardic
communities in the Ottoman Empire and have maintained Judeo
Spanish until the present. Judeo Spanish is also known as
Ladino and is written in Solitreo script, Rashi print and
Roman characters.
The Nahum Benjoyas remained in Izmir until the beginning
of World War I, when members of the family emigrated to
Cuba, South America and the United States. Some of the family
remained in Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dolsa and Isaac Benjoya lived in Cuba before they settled
in Brooklyn, New York. They were part of a community of
Sephardic families from Turkey who lived in Coney Island,
Brooklyn. Isaac Benjoya worked as a chef and moving man;
later in life he had a candy and souvenir stand in the subway
station in Coney Island, where he worked with his brother
Moshon Benjoya. Isaac helped found Torah Israel,
a Sephardic Synagogue on 13th Street in Brighton Beach and
The Sephardic Home for the Aged in Bay Ridge.
Four children died before Dolsa Benjoya gave birth to her
first child to survive. Rachel was followed by three daughters
Luna Luisa, Calomira, and Ester. Dolsa worked in the home,
taking care of her family.
Bohora (first born) Calomira Benjoya, Isaac’s mother
came to the United States after her husband Mordichai Benjoya
died in Izmir. The Solitreo script letter from Moshon Benjoya
in Chicago to Isaac Benjoya in New York included in Izmir
describes Bohora Calomira Benjoya’s fate when she
arrived in the United States. The letter found in Isaac's
papers after his death remained a mystery until November
2000 when Professor Isaac Jerusalami of Hebrew Union College
was able to translate it.
Rachel Benjoya was the first daughter to attend Abraham
Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. She graduated from Brooklyn
College in 1944 and finished graduate school at the University
of Pittsburgh. This was a remarkable accomplishment, considering
the poverty and traditional roles for men and women in the
family. Rachel collected the family photographs and documents
that are included in Izmir. She has made a life-long
study of Sephardic culture and has been the inspiration
for Izmir.
The Nahum Benjoya family was poor immigrants and few documents
and photographs remain to include in Izmir. Family
photographs are fading and documents are crumbling. Using
these for the basis of contemporary prints will extend their
lifetime. This history is important for members of the family
and in preserving the Sephardic culture for the future.
The cover of the portfolio is a watermark
in cotton and flax handmade paper. The watermark is Solitreo
script. The interior of the portfolio is
a map dated 1893 of Turkey in Asia with an inset of Smyrna
(Izmir). All pages are handmade Gampi paper. Gampi is a
plant grown is Asia and was used for some of the earliest
paper that has survived. Gampi paper was made for Izmir
in the hope that it becomes an artifact that will survive
for the next 500 years. The book contains 40 prints and
22 pages of Rachel Benjoya’s memories.
