L'dor V'dor: An Odyssey

Reader mode
1
  • Index

    • Gog (♀)

    L'dor V'dor
    An Odyssey​

    1558

    Belvedere Castle, Kostantiniyye‎


    Gracia Nasi tapped her fingers on the desk as she waited for her partner and son-in-law to enter. Joseph had been visiting the Crown Prince at the palace, likely discussing affairs of state and perhaps the latest exotic item to come from the far east. Joseph was the one who was more gregarious and suited to schmoozing nobility, especially the Crown Prince. Gracia was the diligent businesswoman who focused on the accounts and debts. Besides, she felt more at home in the company of Jews than gentiles. Here she sat in the map room, which was well stocked with cartography of every location that had been seen by European eye, from China to Mexico. The centerpiece was a large Spanish map of the entire world, especially the newly discovered lands in the West Indies.

    Gracia pondered the West Indies in particular. She had read of the new continent, and talked with those who had been there. It was supposedly a virgin world, one of ignorant natives who lived in simple tribes and bountiful land. At least, it was until the Spaniards drenched the continent in blood. Now thousands lay under the whip of Christendom from the plantations of the Caribbean to silver mines of Peru. They also brought the stake and rack for the Jews that dared to escape their torment in Europe. Despite that, Gracia had heard that there were whole lands inhabited almost entirely by Anusim and Meshumad, living oblivious of their neighbor’s nature.

    Gracia was examining these Indies when Joseph came in, later than he should have been. “Sorry, Selim didn't let me go ‘till I ran out,” he said with a chuckle. “What was it you wanted to discuss? Was it our ventures in Tiberias and Safed, no?” Joseph was a great friend of Crown Prince Selim and had accrued many a sweet deal for the Nasi house in both the realms of banking and commerce from this relationship.

    “Yes, that’s it, I have been having some serious misgivings about the settlement project,” she replied with a sigh. “I believe that it may be doomed, for more than one reason.” For the past few months, Gracia and Joseph were attempting to secure Joseph's lordship over the city, although in ruins, and the surroundings. From this they would restore the land and attract fellow Jews to settle and restore the Jewish population of the holy land.

    Joseph looked confused, with an uncharacteristic frown on his face. “Why is that? We’ve worked so far to ensure its success and we must work further to do so. It's only the start of our efforts, and although negotiations with the local sheikhs have been tough, they cannot overrule the Crown Prince. Admitting failure would harden their resolve.”

    “I’m not admitting failure, just changing the plan. As of now, the holy land will be out of the reach of the Jews until G-d wills it so. We were not dispersed among the nations of the world for no reason. One day the Turks will take our land and disperse us just as the Christians before them, just as the Romans before them, just as the Greeks before them, and just like the Babylonians before them. From generation to generation we are put to the sword and exiled.”

    A long pause consisting of hard stares occurred on both sides. Finally, Joseph broke the silence. “Suppose you are correct. What then could we do safeguard our people? To save us from the ravages of the gentile kingdoms?”

    “We must turn to methods that have not been tried before. I have formulated an idea.” With this Gracia stood up, walked up to a map of the West Indies, and jabbed a finger at a large shape of land marked “Francesca.” “We must go to the land that G-d has shown us. A new land of milk and honey.”
     
    Last edited:
  • Index
    • Cheer

    Cheer

    Gog said:
    "Francesca" was the name given to what is now known as the northern part of the US and Canada by explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano. It's a bit obscure so I thought I'd clarify that bit.
    Click to expand...
    Looking forward to this. Should be a good TL.
     
    2
  • Index

    • Gog (♀)

    Belvedere Castle, Kostantiniyye‎

    The Castle was flooded with people on the 16th of March. The Nasi house was the most famous and well regarded Jewish family in all of Europe, and as such when they called the most important secular and religious leaders of the Jewish world, from Holland to Mashhad, for a conference of special urgency, they came, although it took some time for the most far off to arrive.

    Of the most important were the Chief Rabbis, or representatives of them, and the court Jews of particular notability. Both of these commanded the respect of their communities. After greeting the many visitors, the Nasi family sat down at the head of the table large table they provided, alongside the Chief Rabbi of the Turkish Empire, who also commanded the respect of the Empire’s Jewry. This man, one Eliyyah ben Hayyim of Kostantiniyye‎, sat on the Sultan’s Imperial Council and was a good friend of the Nasi family.

    “Please, settle down,” spoke Gracia sternly. The room began to quiet. Gracia spoke in Ladino, although she had a translator who could repeat these words in Yiddish, as most Ashekenazi did not know the Ladino tongue. “Before we commence with our business, we first should pray to G-d for its success, for without Him we would not be able to undertake such an mission.” The people in the room began a short prayer that was standard for most occasions before an important endeavor. The diversity of languages spoken then in the room made one wonder if these people all could be so entwined in one community.

    After the prayer, Gracia offered up a prayer for the Imperial Government and the Sultan’s and the Crown Prince’s general welfare. When that was concluded, she turned to the purpose of the conference. “We stand here today in jovial spirit, as we are together with our fellow Jews, scattered across the globe. A mere fraction, as well, for we were incapable of inviting those from the East and West Indies and Ethiopia. This goes to highlight our fragmented nature as of late. 60 years ago, over 200,000 souls were convulsed by the evil edict of the Spanish crown-” It was at the very reference to the Alhambra Decree that some of the Sephardis made a great deal of noise, similar to what is done when the Vizier Haman is mentioned in the Tanakh.

    After waiting for the noise to subsist, Gracia continued. “Over 100,000 Jews fled Spain, and thousands more were forced to convert or die. This cycle has been repeated across our history. Eight years ago Jews were banished from Genova, and but a year ago they were forced from Prague. In some lands where we are still allowed to live, we are penned up in ghettos unable to leave or interact with non-Jews. In essence, imprisoned. It seems as though we are in an eternal cycle of retreat and persecution, forced to prostrate ourselves before foreign kings and princes to simply survive.” Gracia’s words were met with begrudging agreement, as many, if not all, in the room had experienced persecution at the hands of gentiles.

    “Therefore what I am proposing today aims to remedy this, and see the gift that G-d has placed before us, in his wish to honor His covenant with us.” Gracia nodded and a servant brought out a large map of the West Indies and American continent on a trolley. “This is what He has shown us, and for a clear reason. We are to make use of this new land for a new country, a new Israel. While the Christians rush to the Indies for gold, slaves, and ‘G-d,’ as the Canaanites did to the old land of Israel, we are instructed to leave this hemisphere of Egypts and Pharaohs, to this new land.”

    At this the room descended into a mild uproar, as people voiced their support or discontent for a few moments before Joseph silenced them with a shout. “I can alleviate the worst of your fears on how this can be accomplished. I believe that with the recent victories against the Christians in the Mediterranean, I can persuade the Sultan and his court to establish Turkish possessions in the West Indies. He would look favorably upon being able to interdict the transfer of Spanish silver and gold, which would aid his efforts in destroying Christian rule of the Mediterranean. I can then assure the governance of such a American possession being under a pious Jew. From there we can establish a presence distant from the Spanish and Portuguese crown and unknown to them. At first we will mainly be looking for farmers and other such laborers to create a foundation for the enterprise. If any of you have any vital concerns we can address them.”

    Out of the ensemble of voices attempting to get louder than each other, one stood out more than the rest for certain. A older looking man asked, “How will we provide for the defense of this land when so few of us here are allowed in the militaries of gentile nations?” This query raised some serious concerns, as even the Sultan of the Turks was wary about Jewish officers in his forces. Many then echoed this man’s question before another came up for a response, identifying himself as the Rabbi of Tunis. “I say that there is one among us who outmatches any gentile in marital ability! One who has bested their forces many times over!”

    This man was then questioned by Joseph. “And who might be this man?” The rabbi replied, “The great and renowned Captain Sinan!”
     
  • Index

    • Dathi THorfinnsson

    Is 'G-d' likely to be 'ha Shem', 'Elokim' (with a 'k') or 'LORD' in Ladino? Any idea?

    Don't recognize 'dor' in the title. The prepositions 'l' and 'v', (to and in/to) even this goy knows, but not the noun.

    Please continue.
    Who is 'Sinan'?
     

    Gog (♀)

    I should have an update soon, I've finished a lot of work.
    Dathi THorfinnsson said:
    Is 'G-d' likely to be 'ha Shem', 'Elokim' (with a 'k') or 'LORD' in Ladino? Any idea?

    Don't recognize 'dor' in the title. The prepositions 'l' and 'v', (to and in/to) even this goy knows, but not the noun.

    Please continue.
    Who is 'Sinan'?
    Click to expand...
    It's the way to write god for many devout Jews as they don't think it is right to write his name in full.

    L'dor V'dor is a Hebrew song/prayer that means "From generation to generation"

    Captain Sinan, a Sephardi Jewish commander in the Ottoman navy.
     

    Minchandre

    Dathi THorfinnsson said:
    Is 'G-d' likely to be 'ha Shem', 'Elokim' (with a 'k') or 'LORD' in Ladino? Any idea?

    Don't recognize 'dor' in the title. The prepositions 'l' and 'v', (to and in/to) even this goy knows, but not the noun.

    Please continue.
    Who is 'Sinan'?
    Click to expand...

    "Dor" here is "generation". The title, "l'dor v'dor", means "from generation to generation" and invokes a well-known line in a very importnat Jewish prayer.

    The whole line is לדור ודור המליכו לאל כי הוא לבדו מרום וקדוש, which means "From generation to generation, they have crowned [God] because alone is high and holy", where "high" here is a word that refers to things like mountains and the sky, not things like the highest shelf in the cabinet.

    Also - please don't refer to yourself as a "goy". The use of this word by non-Jews is generally assocaited with anti-Semitism (for the record, Jews under the age of 70 don't really say it either).

    Yes, yes. G-d is used IN ENGLISH. I was wondering what it might have been in the original.
    Click to expand...

    In Hebrew, there's any number of words that could have been used to refer to God; in modern Hebrew, the one most likely to be used in that context is probably "Adonai"; I don't know what would have been most common at the time. In Ladino, the most common word for God was "Dio", or דיו in the Hebrew letters (there were other forms, but Dio was by far the most common, especially in ordinary speech).

    Incidentally, the habit of "mincing" God by writing G-d probably didn't exist at the time (because Jews had been expelled from England for some centuries)
     
    Reader mode
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Top
    Top