Sephardic splendour: [Final Edition]

Abstract

About 300 people enjoyed wine and hors d'oeuvres catered by El Morocco. Among the guests were author Roch Carrier who is director of the National Library of Canada, Phillipe Sauvageau, director of the Bibliotheque Nationale de Quebec, Nina Safdie, Cheryl Jaffee, curator of the Lowy collection, Charles and Michele Dadoun, Adelia Bensoussan, Solange Oliel, Judah and Lea Castiel, Moise and Gladys Amselem, Michel Abitbol, president of the Centre Communitaire Juif, Sara and Elie Asher, Eric Krief, Fiby Bensoussan, Roger and Simone Banon, Clemence Bendelac-Levy, Oro Anamori-Lebrowicz, Nelly Roffe, [Joseph Chetrit] and Michele Cohen, Jacqueline Sparkman, who donated the jewelry to the exhibit, Lilo Bendavid, Simy Cohen, Annie and Elie Benibgui, Fortunee Papagouras, Ita Robinson, Lawrence Kaplan, Marie Laberge, Gilda Elmaleh, Harold and Linda Leiberman, and Dida Berku, a city councillor in Cote St. Luc, which also held a reception during the Quinzaine to bring together Sephardic and Ashkenazy Jews.

Others there included Quebec Liberal leader Jean Charest and Michele Dionne, Martha Beattie, Bob Laverdure, Nanette de Gaspe Beaubien, Tracy and Marc Bibeau, James Essaris, Carmen Bell, Harry Kloda, Rollande Bernie, Marcel Aubut, Shelley Rosenberg Redler and Norman Redler, Robert Sontag, Albert Mashaal, Andree Maisonneuve and Nat Lauzon from Mix-96, Barry Landy, Bill Rotari, Vincenzo Guzzo, Socrates Goulakos, Larry Day, George Kyres, Daniel Peritz and Jonathan Wener of Canderel, which is redeveloping the old Forum where the Sunshine Boys will open four restaurants, Dr. Arthur and Ronda Swift, Gerry Segal, Rob Braide and Tracey McKee, Ursula Babiarz, Peter Marcovitz,Beryl Baron, Gary Abrams, Rita Kape, Frank Narcisi, Graham and Kathy Smith, Dr. Rino and Ghyslaine Cianciulli, Gwen Nacos, Dina [Peter Morentzos], and Ian Cooney, who produced the Tsirco theme song, Oceans Rising.

Photo: JOHN KENNEY, GAZETTE / Serenaded at the Sephardic Heritage exhibit opener, Yaer and Solange Oliel (left), Viviane and [Simon Garzon], and Adelia and [David Bensoussan]. ; Photo: PIERRE OBENDRAUF, GAZETTE / Vincenzo Guzzo and Ursula Babiarz attended the packed opening. ; Photo: PIERRE OBENDRAUF, GAZETTE / Tsirco partners Peter Morentzos and [Tom Nacos] with Margaret Rudi. ;

The two-week Quinzaine-Sepharade 2000 (Sephardic Fortnight) has wound up and one of the many exciting events was a vernissage for the exhibit, Sephardic Heritage: From North Africa, at the Bibliotheque Nationale de Quebec.

The library was transformed into a time capsule with old manuscripts, rare books, Berber jewelry, costumes, and illustrated Kettuboth (marriage contracts) selected by religious art specialists Ralph Sultan and Simon Garzon. The documents were in Hebrew, Aramaic, Judaeo-Spanish, Ladino, Judaeo-Berberic and Judaeo-Arabic.

The library itself, on St. Denis St., was a topic of much admiration, especially for its majestic staircase and magnificent stained-glass windows and ceilings.

The monumental task of collecting, dating and interpreting the show's written works was done by Israel Maimaran from Jerusalem, David Bensoussan, president of the Quinzaine Sepharade, and Yaer Oliel, president of the exhibition.

"The heritage of the past is something which is part of us, even in a rapidly changing world," said Bensoussan.

"Our quest is a universal one ... both cultural minorities and cultural majorities struggle to survive in an era of globalization,"he added.

"On a less serious note, the Quinzaine has been magical ... the atmosphere has been friendly and the parties have been great. ... It's not yet quite like the jazz festival in numbers, but we're getting there."

The Bibliotheque Nationale also exhibited the prestigious Jacob M. Lowy Collection of Judaica and Hebraica, photographs of ancient Moroccan synagogues by David Cowles, and the opening night included a lecture by Joseph Chetrit, of Haifa University, on the Spanish- Moroccan golden age.

About 300 people enjoyed wine and hors d'oeuvres catered by El Morocco. Among the guests were author Roch Carrier who is director of the National Library of Canada, Phillipe Sauvageau, director of the Bibliotheque Nationale de Quebec, Nina Safdie, Cheryl Jaffee, curator of the Lowy collection, Charles and Michele Dadoun, Adelia Bensoussan, Solange Oliel, Judah and Lea Castiel, Moise and Gladys Amselem, Michel Abitbol, president of the Centre Communitaire Juif, Sara and Elie Asher, Eric Krief, Fiby Bensoussan, Roger and Simone Banon, Clemence Bendelac-Levy, Oro Anamori-Lebrowicz, Nelly Roffe, Joseph and Michele Cohen, Jacqueline Sparkman, who donated the jewelry to the exhibit, Lilo Bendavid, Simy Cohen, Annie and Elie Benibgui, Fortunee Papagouras, Ita Robinson, Lawrence Kaplan, Marie Laberge, Gilda Elmaleh, Harold and Linda Leiberman, and Dida Berku, a city councillor in Cote St. Luc, which also held a reception during the Quinzaine to bring together Sephardic and Ashkenazy Jews.

The Quinzaine Sepharade is a biennial cultural showcase for Montreal's francophone Jews, a community of approximately 26,000 people with origins primarily in Israel, Spain, North Africa and France. The Quinzaine attracted more than 15,000 people to 30 events -- comedy shows, theatre, exhibitions, conferences and concerts.

Among the international figures who attended were Benito Garzon of Spain, chief educator of the World Sephardic Education Centre, comedian Ary from France, and from Israel, TV director Israel Halperin, historian Ilan Greilsammer, painter Yoel Benharrouche, and newspaper editor Yeshayahu Ben Porat.

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A NEW TSIRCO ACT: You mean you weren't at the opening party of Tsirco?

Now you'll have to beg for a table at the hottest new place town.

Peter Morentzos is the thirtysomething restaurant magician who created (and has since sold) Eggspectations and Weinstein and Gavino's and also owns Moe's brasseries and the steak palace Queue de Cheval. Morentzos has a spectacular new high-wire act -- Tsirco, which means "circus" in Greek. It's in Le 1250 (aka the IBM tower, on Drummond St. at Rene Levesque Boul.) and it's owned by The Sunshine Boys Holding Corporation, made up of Morentzos and Tom Nacos.

If Queue de Cheval is dark, masculine and clubby, with he-man portions of steak and tycoon-level prices, Tsirco is all open, airy and light with soft white cotton seating, ultra-contemporary steel and glass, and towering windows flanked by white velvet curtains. The place and the prices are geared toward career women. (Why they earn less than male tycoons, I dunno ... ask Gloria Steinem.)

Against this virginal white and glass backdrop, what's meant to be colourful is the food, the art and the people.

The opening attracted hundreds of guests, including enough glitzy gate-crashers in turquoise nail polish and leopard dresses that I knew it was a hit.

Others there included Quebec Liberal leader Jean Charest and Michele Dionne, Martha Beattie, Bob Laverdure, Nanette de Gaspe Beaubien, Tracy and Marc Bibeau, James Essaris, Carmen Bell, Harry Kloda, Rollande Bernie, Marcel Aubut, Shelley Rosenberg Redler and Norman Redler, Robert Sontag, Albert Mashaal, Andree Maisonneuve and Nat Lauzon from Mix-96, Barry Landy, Bill Rotari, Vincenzo Guzzo, Socrates Goulakos, Larry Day, George Kyres, Daniel Peritz and Jonathan Wener of Canderel, which is redeveloping the old Forum where the Sunshine Boys will open four restaurants, Dr. Arthur and Ronda Swift, Gerry Segal, Rob Braide and Tracey McKee, Ursula Babiarz, Peter Marcovitz,Beryl Baron, Gary Abrams, Rita Kape, Frank Narcisi, Graham and Kathy Smith, Dr. Rino and Ghyslaine Cianciulli, Gwen Nacos, Dina Morentzos, and Ian Cooney, who produced the Tsirco theme song, Oceans Rising.

Tsirco's cuisine is modern and light with Asian accents on salads, meat, fish, and pasta. Samples: Baby spinach and prosciutto salad with olive oil and lemon dressing ($14),tagliatelle with white asparagus and black truffles ($23), cumin-crusted Chilean sea bass ($29), roasted milk- fed lamb ($22 ), and inventive desserts like mangoes poached in Sauternes ($11).

About his grand style, Morentzos says: "It's time that Montreal (met) North American standards. We have a lot of cute little restaurants but Queue de Cheval and Tsirco are two examples of what Montreal can do that's bigger."

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THE FALL SOCIAL CALENDAR: Now's the time to plan the 2000 Fall Social Calendar. If you have a major social or fundraising event taking place between Sept. 1 and early 2001, fax to [phone]. Please submit one typewritten page (cover sheet is not necessary), with the time, date, place, ticket price, chairman, organization, type of event or theme, and day and evening phone numbers. The deadline is Aug. 19.

- Rochelle Lash's Social Column appears on Monday, Wednesday

and Friday.She can be reached at [phone].

Illustration

Photo: JOHN KENNEY, GAZETTE / Serenaded at the Sephardic Heritage exhibit opener, Yaer and Solange Oliel (left), Viviane and Simon Garzon, and Adelia and David Bensoussan. ; Photo: PIERRE OBENDRAUF, GAZETTE / Vincenzo Guzzo and Ursula Babiarz attended the packed opening. ; Photo: PIERRE OBENDRAUF, GAZETTE / Tsirco partners Peter Morentzos (left) and Tom Nacos with Margaret Rudi. ;