One click and $2.99 later, my kids and I were ready for what I thought would be the first portrayal of a Sephardic Jewish hero on an animated show in America. It’s unclear whether the show is referencing the city of Galonia in Serbia that had a Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jewish community. However, I was very quickly disappointed as Rebekah’s grandmother was introduced as “bubbe,” the Yiddish word for grandmother. The word “dreidel” (also Yiddish) was used instead of the Hebrew word “sevivon,” which was more commonly used in Sephardic lands. As usual, the only way that Sephardic culture gets represented in this episode of “Elena of Avalor” is by incorporating Sephardic food.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 17, 2019 17:37 UTC