The Jews of Edirne: The End of Ottoman Europe and the Arrival of Borders
A lecture and discussion with Professor Jacob Daniels

Join us on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 4:00 PM PT for a special conversation with historian and author Professor Jacob Daniels, exploring the shifting world of the Jews of Edirne—a community at the crossroads of empire, culture, and identity.

Once a vibrant center of Sephardic life in Ottoman Europe, Edirne stood at the intersection of languages, traditions, and histories. As borders hardened in the late Ottoman and early modern periods, the Jews of Edirne experienced profound change, navigating the decline of empire and the rise of the nation-state. Professor Daniels’s work offers a moving account of how this community preserved memory and belonging amid political upheaval and cultural transformation.

This event will include both a lecture and an open discussion, inviting participants to reflect on the broader themes of migration, border-making, and the resilience of Jewish communities across time.

The program is free and open to all, hosted by Kultur Mercado, and co-sponsored by the Jewish Language Project, Stanford University Press, and the American Ladino League.

We look forward to welcoming you for an afternoon of learning and dialogue that connects the history of Edirne to questions of identity, heritage, and community today.