Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim (Paperback)

"Folktales of the Canadian Sephardim, "prepared under the auspices of the National Museum of Man, contains 80 folktales, legends and anecdotes collected by Andre Elbaz from Moroccan Jewish immigrants in Canada.Moroccan Sephardim have a rich oral literature, which is still alive among the older members of the community. However, the combined influence of mass emigration out of Morocco, and the ensuing disappearance of ancient communities rooted in North Africa, the new social mores and the levelling impact of mass- media are threatening the survival of these folktales in Canada. This first survey attempts to preserve from oblivion an interesting aspect of the traditional heritage of this new Canadian ethnic group. Tales of magic and fantasy, legends of miracle-working rabbis, the exploits of the malevolent "jnun" from the Underworld, the mischievous tricks of Jha, the famous Arabo-Berber rogue, make up the repertoire of our Moroccan Jewish raconteurs. Andre Elbaz translated all stories from the original Judeo-Arabic or Judeo-Spanish of his informants.