The language is the Sefardi equivalent of Yiddish
It’s been hundreds of years since the Jews were expelled from Spain during the Inquisition, but Ladino culture remains strong. On Tuesday night, Israel’s Ben Gurion University honored a number of individuals who have made significant contributions to Ladino research and art, or promoted the culture by naming them members of “The Ladino Knights Order.”
Dr. Eliezer Papo, a senior lecturer on Ladino culture and literature at the university told the Tazpit Press Service that the culture is very much influenced by the Judeo-Spanish and Judeo-Arabic cultures existed before Inquisition. After the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, the culture continued in Turkey and the Balkans, where many of the Jews resettled.
“The language is the Sefardi equivalent of Yiddish,” Papo said.
According to Papo, 200,000-300,000 Ladino Jews live in Israel. There are Ladino communities in Turkey, the US, and Canada. Most Balkan Jews were killed in the Holocaust.