From Empires to Nation-States
The Great War irrevocably transformed the map of Europe and the Middle East by provoking the dissolution of the major empires of the Hapsburgs, Romanovs and Ottomans. This lecture by UW History Professor, Devin Naar, focuses on the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the role of the war in galvanizing new nation-states in the region and the cataclysmic impact of these processes on diverse populations.
Thinking Forward with Jewish Studies
Sephardic Studies Chair Devin Naar discusses the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary, celebrating forty years of "thinking forward" in the field of Jewish Studies.
“The Holocaust in Greece: Genocide and its Aftermath”
Ladino: the Jewish language that once could be heard in every corner of town and which has long since disappeared from Salonica’s soundscape. This language, from my perspective, was once just as much a Jewish language as a Salonican language, and this point must be understood and accepted.
Sephardic Jews and the Holocaust: In Search of Uncle Salomon
Prof. Naar explains the twist of fate that led him to piece together his own Sephardic Jewish family's experience in Salonica (Thessaloniki), Greece, during the Holocaust. His journey led him to the serious study of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and a new perspective on the stories that Jewish historians need to tell.
Welcoming Devin Naar, Sephardic Studies Professor
The Stroum Jewish Studies Program welcomes Professor Devin Naar, specialist in Sephardic history, to the University of Washington.
Between the Ottoman Empire and the Greek Nation-State — The Jews of Salonica
Prof. Naar talks about the history of Greek Jews in Salonica, the "Jerusalem of the Balkan."
Learning Soletreo Writing: Devin Naar and David Bunis
Professors Devin Naar and David M. Bunis discuss how they first learned Soletreo, the writing system that was historically used by Sephardi Jewish speakers of Ladino / Judezmo.