Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In celebration of Jewish American History Month, the American Folklife Center presented an evening of Sephardic Jewish music with Lily Henley. Lily Henley is a talented singer, songwriter, and violinist who performs traditional and original songs in the Ladino language. Henley's music is influenced by Sephardic Jewish traditions from across Europe and western Asia, as well as by Celtic music, American old-time, and other folk music genres. Ladino, also called Judeo-Spanish, is an endangered language that evolved from 15th century Castilian Spanish, with influences from Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and other languages of the Jewish diaspora. Ladino is spoken by Sephardic Jewish communities across the globe. In addition to performing ancient Ladino ballads and love songs, Henley is one of the few songwriters composing new songs in Ladino. Her music mixes old and new sounds, creating a contemporary musical offering that keeps Sephardic traditions relevant for future generations.
This event is hosted in collaboration with the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and in partnership with the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress. The American Folklife Center is organizing this concert as part of the Homegrown Concert Series and in celebration of the Center's 50th anniversary.
For transcript and more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-12173
In celebration of Jewish American History Month, the American Folklife Center presented an evening of Sephardic Jewish music with Lily Henley. Lily Henley is a talented singer, songwriter, and violinist who performs traditional and original songs in the Ladino language. Henley's music is influenced by Sephardic Jewish traditions from across Europe and western Asia, as well as by Celtic music, American old-time, and other folk music genres. Ladino, also called Judeo-Spanish, is an endangered language that evolved from 15th century Castilian Spanish, with influences from Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and other languages of the Jewish diaspora. Ladino is spoken by Sephardic Jewish communities across the globe. In addition to performing ancient Ladino ballads and love songs, Henley is one of the few songwriters composing new songs in Ladino. Her music mixes old and new sounds, creating a contemporary musical offering that keeps Sephardic traditions relevant for future generations.
This event is hosted in collaboration with the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and in partnership with the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress. The American Folklife Center is organizing this concert as part of the Homegrown Concert Series and in celebration of the Center's 50th anniversary.
For transcript and more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-12173
