EDITOR’S NOTE–On both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are groups of people whose families either practiced some form of Judaism secretly– a holdover from the days of persecution under the Spanish Inquisition –or whose families converted to Christianity and now wish to return.
Among them is Ysmael Escudero Tisnado(Coronel) II, who writes in Ladino about his experiences. A member of Temple Beth Sholom in Chula Vista, Tisnado agreed to provide San Diego Jewish World with some of his poems as well as their translations. They follow, first in Ladino, and then in English translation:
No fui a maldara judeo
No fui a maldara judeo
kuando me engrandesi
para ambezarme ebreo
ni skrivirlo o meldarlo.
Kresi en una konsensia no
djudia sefaradi ni konosko
las kumidas sefardis
ni avli judezmo en la kaza
en kresiendo de mi chikez.
Todo lu ke me ambezi no inkluyendo las kumidas es komo un grande de 27 a 38 anyos porke no savia ke era un Benei Anusim Ve Sefarad.
De los 16 a 27 bivi komo Anusim. Agora de los 27 a los 38 bivo komo djudio sefardi avyertamente komo un Anusim ve techuva
Me siento kontente ke so sefardi Meksikano-Amerikano
Todavia esto en proseso de konversyon ainda a mis 38 anyos no me ambezo el ebreo presto?Senti Kestava en la chara de eskuridad.
*
I did not go to religious school
when I grew up
to learn hebrew
nor write or read it
I grew in a conscience not
Sephardic Jewish nor do I know
the Sephardic foods
Nor did I speak ladino in the house
in growing up in my youth
Everything I learned including the foods was as a grown up from of 27 to 36 years old
From 16 to 27 I lived as a crypto Jew.
Now I at 27 to 38 live openly as a Sephardi Jew like a crypto Jew in repenting.
I feel happy that I am a Mexican-American Sephardic
I’m in the process of conversion still at my 38 years and have not learned Hebrew quickly
I felt that I was in the forest of darkness
–(c) Ysmael Escudero Tisnado(Coronel) II
**
Agora bivo yo sin lus agora
Agora bivo yo sin lus agora
So djudio no Hristiano del Jesus.
Apagado esto porke no topo mi mujer sefaradia ni mi amigo ashkenazi su lehlia.
Siempre para mozos la merrekia no atopamos muestra djudia.
Kizeramos ser felises kon muestras raises toparla mujer djudia.
Solo el Dyo sabra ke mos akontesera
Kon ken vamos darmos kidushin.
Mozos seriamos los mas kontentes del mundo kon muestra djudia
Mozotros no keremos una mujer no djudia para kasarmos.
*
Now I live without light
I am Jewish not Christian of the Jesus
Forlorned I am because I don’t find my Sephardic woman nor my Ashkenazi friend his counterpart
Always for us the worry we don’t find our Jewish girl
We want to be happy with our roots but find the Jewish woman
Only GOD will know what will happen to us
Who will marry us
We would be the happiest in the world with our Jewish woman
We don’t want to intermarry with non-Jewish woman
–(c) Ysmael Escudero Tisnado(Coronel) II
These are quite beautiful expressions of thoughts about which I know you are passionate. How lovely to say them out loud as well! I now have a better sense of your love of ladino, The language fits your feelings so incredibly well.
Shalom, ubrajot desde Tehuacan Puebla Mexico.
Anusim habemos en todo México, buscando la identidad y el reencuentro con nuestras raices, de origen Sefardí.
Oscar.
I find it fascinating and unbelievable that people still think this way in our day and age.