THE KEY FROM SPAIN
Flory Jagoda and Her Music
When Flory's ancestors were expelled from Spain during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, they took with them their two most precious possessions: the key to their old house and the Ladino language. They lived in Turkey, and then settled in Bosnia. There, in the village of Vlasenica, the family became known for making music — for Sephardic and Bosnian melodies, for trilling voices, for guitars and mandolins, for tambourines pulsing out rhythms.
Flory was born in and grew up in Vlasenica, but World War II led to another expulsion. When she left Bosnia, and then departed Europe after the war, she carried Ladino with her, along with her precious accordion. Unlike those ancestors who had been forced out by the Inquisition, she carried no key — not from Spain, and not from Vlasenica. But she did carry her family’s music with her to America, and it became a different kind of key. With this key of music, she unlocked the door to the lives in Bosnia, and in Spain, that she and her ancestors had once enjoyed.
Flory Jagoda became known as the keeper of the flame of Sephardic music, as well as of the Ladino language. She brought Sephardic music to people everywhere, around the country and the world, on stages, in schools, and in homes.
Kar-Ben Publishing
Ages 4 and up
ISBN 978-1-5415-2218-3
Buy the book:
IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor 2020
Tablet Best Jewish Children’s Books of 2019
REVIEWS
“*Levy’s writing and Wimmer’s mixed-media illustrations strike the perfect synergy. . . . The writing is poetic and lyrical, effortlessly weaving centuries of history into the story while maintaining a strikingly intimate tone.”
“An inspirational reclamation of history.”
“A worthy . . . homage to a language and its fervent promoter.”
“Levy’s impassioned text and Wimmer’s lavish pictures invite readers to learn more about the beauty of Sephardic culture through the story of Jagoda’s courageous life journey. . . . The Key from Spain is highly recommended. . . .”
“This powerful picture book biography of Ladino singer Flory Jagoda celebrates the importance of preserving connections to the past, even when you must travel to a new country.”
MUSIC
“Ocho Kandelikas”
Flory Jagoda, with Susan Gaeta and Howard Bass, perform Flory’s famous song “Ocho Kandelikas.”
“La Yave d’Espanya” (“The Key from Spain”)
Trio Sefardi, a group inspired by Flory, sing her song “La Yave d’Espanya.”
“Sviraj Harmoniku” (“Play Your Accordion”)
This is Flory’s song about her escape from Zagreb on a train during World War II.