Congregation Ezra Bessaroth in Seattle is one of the last remaining strongholds of Rhodesli Sephardic tradition. Founded in the early 20th century by Jewish immigrants from Rhodes, then under Ottoman rule, the congregation preserves distinct liturgical and musical practices tied to its diasporic history. Among these is the Ladino liturgical repertoire of Reuven Eliyahu Israel (1856–1932), the last chief rabbi of Rhodes, who translated Hebrew piyyutim into Ladino to deepen communal engagement with Jewish ritual. Once an expression of a predominantly Ladino-speaking world, this repertoire now continues in a community where many congregants no longer speak the language fluently. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted during Rosh Ashana services at Ezra Bessaroth, this paper examines how the continued performance of Rabbi Israel's liturgical songs serves as both a linguistic and cultural bridge. Even as spoken Ladino has become endangered, the retention of the language through music and performance resists assimilation and affirms Sephardic identity. Framing this tradition within scholarship on diasporic language shift, I argue that Ladino liturgy today carries significance beyond comprehension—it embodies heritage, continuity, and the persistence of a tradition shaped by migration, genocide, and marginalization. In resisting erasure, this liturgical tradition demonstrates how ritual performance can sustain endangered diasporic languages even as their communicative function diminishes.

The international upheavals of 2020 sparked public reevaluations of the orientation of contemporary American society to the issues of race and systemic racism. In parallel, I had begun an investigation on the implications of being a Black performer, composer and arranger of music in Yiddish, that thousand-year tongue of Jewish diaspora. Through autoethnographic reflection exploring the intersections of Black and Jewish musical traditions, this paper investigates what possibilities Yiddish language and culture possess for those of the African diaspora who engage with it. What does it mean for a queer, classically-trained member of the African diaspora who initially came to Jewishness as a religion, and only afterwards as a medium of artistic expression? And what possibilities does Yiddish language and culture possess for those of the African diaspora who are able to access it? In this paper, I analyze my performances and compositions spanning multiple genres and formats, in particular an album that explores a century of Black and Ashkenazi Jewish folk, art and religious music, a multimedia performance piece reflecting on the status of Paul Robeson as both an artistic and political exemplar, and an interactive concert/lecture featuring new compositions based on by Yiddish cultural responses to the Scottsboro trials of the 1930s. This paper traces a gradual development from mere performance of Yiddish as a bridge of affinity to the active wielding of Yiddish as a dialectical site of Black-Jewish solidarity, articulation of diasporic identity, religiosity, shared political future and possibilities of intercommunal responsibility.

As many Jews grow increasingly alienated from hegemonic Zionist narratives within Jewish communities, the transnational Yiddish music community has emerged as a space for expressing solidarity with Palestinians and articulating alternative forms of Jewish diasporic belonging. Particularly in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre on October 7th, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent destruction in Gaza, many Yiddish musicians have responded by creating new songs that call for an immediate ceasefire and Palestinian liberation. This paper examines these developments through the project Lider mit Palestine ("Songs with Palestine"), a collaborative album featuring newly composed Yiddish songs spanning multiple genres and styles, intended to raise funds for cultural organizations in Gaza and the West Bank. As one of the organizers, I will provide insights into the conceptualization and curation processes, analyzing how musicians employ diverse songwriting techniques and musical traditions – from folk idioms like protest songs and paraliturgical tkhines prayers to popular styles – in articulating solidarity. Drawing on theories of diaspora, multidirectional memory, and solidarity, this study explores how different musical approaches enable varied forms of political expression and connection, while examining the specific role that Jewish diaspora languages play in facilitating transcultural alliances. These compositional and stylistic choices will be critically assessed in light of the potential pitfalls of performative solidarity and appropriation, particularly considering the complex power dynamics at play. This research illuminates how Jewish diaspora language songs can serve as instruments of counter-hegemonic resistance and as vehicles for articulating transcultural solidarity through diverse musical means.