Por Daniel Santacruz
English below
Nota del editor: Kaminando i Avlando, la rivista de la Asociation Aki Estamos Les Amis de La Lettre Sepharade, ke se puvlika en Paris desde 2012 es una joya en fransez i un poko de ladino para meldar una i otra ves, yena de istorias, entrevistas, haberes del mundo sefardita i tambien rechetas de las nonas.
Nasio kuando La Lettre Sepharade, la rivista fundada por Jean Carasso en 1992, estanko su puvlikasion.
Su editor, François Azar, mos avla de eya i de su vida.
Kolsefaridm: Kualo es el buto de Kaminando i Avlando?
François Azar: La rivista Kaminando i Avlando tiene mas de un buto. Enprimero keremos dar a konoser la kultura i la lingua sefardi de Oriente i del norte de Marueko kon tekstos en franses i en ladino.
Sigundo eskopo, la rivista es un atadijo entre todos los miembros de la haveransa Aki Estamos, fundada en el anyo 1998, i su suplemento La Niuz. Konvido a los muestros a partisipar a muestras aktividades komo kursos de ladino i de kante, enkontros, seudas, sedarim, konsiertos, nochadas i atöliyés.
KS: Onde sirkula la revista?
FA: La rivista sikula enprimero en Fransia, ma tenemos tambyen unos abonamientos afuera de Fransia, komo universidades, bibliotekas, amigos de los Estados Unidos, Israel, Turkiya, Grechia, Italia, Meksiko, Brazil, Alemania, Austria…
KS: Kualo es el tiraj?
FA: Agora el tiraj es de 600 kopyas. Fue mas en el pasado, asta 1050, ma dospues de la pandemia desmazalmente pedrimos munchos amigos de la hazinura i del enviejezimiento…
KS: Kuantos lektores tiene la rivista?
FA: Es muy yuch de risponder a esto porke tenemos tambyen la edsyon digital, ke se topa en muestro sitio web, sefaradinfo.org. Tenemos munchos meldadores ayi tambyen, komo 500 kada mez.
KS: Todos tienen abonamiento o es de baldes en el Internet?
FA: Agora es de baldes en el Internet, ma si keresh resivir la edisyon por la poshta kale pagar el abonamiento.
KS: Kuantos anyos tenesh kon la revista?
FA: M’enkargo de la rivista desde 2012, dunke aze 13 anyos ya.
La rivista en su forma aktual nasyo en 2012, ma eksiste desde 2006. Antes de Kaminando i Avlando aviya una rivista ke se yamava La Lettre Sépharade, fundada por Jean Carasso (dbm) en el anyo 1992.
La Association Aki Estamos nasyo komo la haveransa de los amigos de La Lettre Sépharade i Kaminando i Avlando, ke nasyo kuando La Lettre Sépharade estanko su puvlikasyon.
KS: Kuentame de tu vida: Onde nasiste? Onde embesaste ladino? De tus djenitores? I si es asi, de onde vinieron a la Fransia?

AS: Nasi en Fransia en el anyo 1969. Mi papa (dbm) fue el primero de la famiya ke nasyo en Fransia, en Paris, en el anyo 1931. Sus djenitores, mi nono i mi nona, son de una famiya sefaradi de Esmirna [oy Izmir].
Mi nona, Matilda Benghiat (dbm), nasyo en el foburgo de Karatash en el anyo 1900. Eya teniya la nasionalita italiana.
No se eksaktamente onde nasyo mi nono, Isaac Azar (dbm), ma fue en la Grechia. Komo munchos de los muestros antes de vinir en Fransia, se establisyeron en Egypto, onde mi nona i mi nono se kazaron en 1920. Mi nono era dyamentero komo su padre i munchos de los antepasados muestros.
Pasi muncho tyempo kon eyos, ma no m’akodro ke avalaron kon mi la lingua muestra. Komo kriatura no me akavido de esto.
Lo ke m’akodro de eyos fue ke eran presonas muy karinyosas kon mi i tambyen de las guizadas savorozas de mi nona, de su manera plazentera de avlar en franses kon el aksento de Oriente.
Mi nono konosiya siete linguas, komo los syete modos de guizar la berenjena: ladino, griego, franses, italiano, ingles, arabo i el lashon akodesh.
Pekado i mansya ke yo no me ambezi la lingua muestra kon eyos. Lo ambezi kuando teniya ya 40 anyos en los kursos de muestra asosyasyon i en la universita kon la profesora Marie-Christine Varol.
KS: Kenes eskriven para la revista?
FA: Enprimero kale dizir ke es muy importante ke lo ke kitamos a luz en la rivista seyga de alta kualita. Fue el enpenyo de la La Lettre Sépharade i tenemos ke seguir los pasos de Jean Carasso. Munchos de los ke eskriven en la rivista son universitarios o eskrivanos.
Mi buto es de tener mas mansevos de alta nivel ke ainda estudyan en la universita. Es el kazo, por ekzempyo, de Marie-Laure Rebora, ke agora atakana su tesis sovre la vizion de las kriyaturas djudyias en la literatura de la antikedad.
KS: El disenyo es muy profesional. Ken la diseña?
FA: Desde el anyo 2012 es una grafista diplumada de una eskuela de Bellas Artes ke se yama Sophie Blum. Estamos muy orozos i mazalozos de lavorar kon eya.
KS: Ke klase de apoyo ofrecen a la revista las organisasiones ke aparesen en la pajina de alkavo: Foundation pour la Memorie de la Shoah, Fonds Social Juif Unifié, La Lettre Sépharade, Fondation Rothschild i Fondation de Judaisme Français?
FA: La Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, el Fonds Social Juif Unifié, la Fondation Rothschild i la Fondation de Judaisme Français apoyan kon paras kada anyo la haveransa Aki Estamos para azer konsiertos i enkontros, i para la rivista kon algunos suplementos.
El ultimo [Decémbre 2024] ke aprezenta el diskurso de entrada de la eskritora Paloma Diaz-Mas en la Akademia Real Espanyola, una maraviyoza akdama de la literatura sefaradi en ladino.
Lo trezladimos en franses de una manera muy profesional i guadrimos las ekspressiones, biervos i pasukes en ladino.
'Kaminando i Avlando' has Sefardim reading and thinking
By Daniel Santacruz
Editor's note: Kaminando i Avlando, the magazine of the Asociation Aki Estamos Les Amis de La Lettre Sepharade, published in Paris since 2012, is a gem in French and a little bit of Ladino to read over again and again, full of stories, interviews, news of the Sefardic world as well as grandmothers recipes.
It was born when La Lettre Sepharade, the magazine founded by Jean Carasso en 1992, ceased publication.
Its editor, Francois Azar, talks about it and his life.
Kolsefarim: What is the goal of Kaminando i Avlando?
FA: First of all, we want to make the Sefardic language of the East and of northern of Morocco known with articles in French and Ladino.
Secondly, the magazine connects all members of the Aki Somos Association, which was founded in 1998, and its supplement La Niuz. I invite Sefardim to participate in activities such as Ladino and singing classes, gatherings, festive meals, sedarim, concerts, night activities and workshops.
KS: Where does the magazine circulate?
FA: It circulates, mostly, in France, but we also have some subscriptions outside of France, such as universities, libraries, friends in the United States, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Austria…
KS: What’s the press run?
FA: Right now it is 600 copies, It was more in the past, up to 1,050 but, unfortunately, we lost a lot of friends due to illness after the pandemic as well as to old age. . .
KS: How many readers does the magazine have?
FA: It’s difficult to answer that because we also have a digital edition, which you can read on our site, sefaradinfo.org. Many readers, about 500, read it there every month.
KS: Do all those readers subscribe or is it free online?
FA: Right now it’s free online, but you have to pay the subscriptions if you want to receive the printed copy by mail.
KS: How long have you been with the magazine?
FA: I have been managing the magazine since 2012, that is 13 years now.
The magazine, in its current format, was born in 2012, but it has existed since 2006. Before Kaminando i Avlando there was a magazine called La Lettre Sépharade, founded by the late Jean Carasso in 1992.
The Aki Estamos Association was born as a joint effort between associates of La Lettre Sépharade and Kaminando i Avlando, which was born when La Lettre Sépharade ceased publication.
KS: Tell me about yourself: Where were you born? Where did you learn Ladino? From your parents? If so, where did they come from to France?

AS: I was born in France in 1969. My late father was the first in the family to be born in France, in Paris, in 1931. His parents, my grandfather and my grandmother, belong to a Sefardic family from Esmirna [today Izmir].
My late grandmother, Matilda Benghiat, was born in the suburb of Karatash en 1900. She had Italian nationality.
My late grandfather, Isaac Azar, was born in Greece, but I don’t know exactly where. Like many Sefardic Jews, they settled in Egypt before coming to France and they got married in Egypt in 1920. My grandfather was a diamond setter like his father and many of our ancestors.
I spent a lot of time with them, but I don’t remember that they spoke with me in our language. As a child I wasn’t aware of this.
What I do remember is that they were very affectionate with me as well as my grandmother’s delicious cooking and her pleasant way of speaking French with an Oriental accent.
My grandfather knew seven languages, like the seven ways of cooking eggplant: Ladino, Greek, French, Italian, English, Arabic and Lashon akodesh.
It was my misfortune that I didn’t learn our language with them. I learned it when I was already 40 years old in the courses of our association and in college with professor Marie-Christine Varol.
KS: Who writes for the magazine?
FA: First of all, it must be said that it’s very important that whatever we publish in the magazine be of high quality.That was the purpose of La Lettre Sépharade and we have to follow on the footsteps of Jean Carasso. Many of those who write in the magazine are university students or writers.
My goal is to have more top notch young people on staff who are currently attending university. That’s the case, for example, of Marie-Laure Rebora, who is now working on a thesis about how Jewish children were seen in ancient literature.
KS: The design looks very professional. Who designs it?
FA: Since 2012 it has been designed by a graphic artist graduated from a school of fine arts by the name of Sophie Blum. We are very proud and lucky to work with her.
KS: What kind of support do the organizations that appear on the last page offer to the magazine: la Foundation pour la Memorie de la Shoah, el Fonds Social Juif Unifié, La Lettre Sépharade, la Fondation Rothschild i la Fondation de Judaisme Français?
FA: The Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, the Fonds Social Juif Unifié, the Fondation Rothschild and the Fondation de Judaisme Français support the Aki Estamos Association financially every year organizing concerts and get-togethers as well as supporting the publication of magazine supplements.
The latest one [December 2024] features the acceptance speech of writer Paloma Diaz-Mas, a wonderful introduction to Sefardic literature in Ladino, into the Royal Spanish Academy.
We translated the speech into French in a very professional way and kept the expressions, words and Biblical verses in Ladino.
March 7, 2025