Sarah Aroeste
Determined to help bring Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) culture to a new generation, Sarah Aroeste, a Ladino singer, author and cultural activist, draws upon her Sephardic family roots from Greece and Macedonia (via Medieval Spain) to present original Ladino songs and prose to audiences around the globe. Since 2001, Aroeste has recorded five albums, A la Una: In the Beginning (2003), Puertas (2007), Gracia (2012), Ora de Despertar (2016), the first-ever all-original Ladino children’s album, and Together/Endjuntos (2017) the first bilingual Ladino/English holiday album. In 2017 Aroeste released Ora de Despertar, Time to Wake Up! a bilingual illustrated children’s book. Aroeste uses universal themes to breathe new life into the beautiful and mysterious Sephardic Ladino tradition, and has been a vocal advocate for exposing children and families to contemporary Sephardic culture and diversity in Jewish life.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
It’s a toss up between “Dandelion” and “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.”
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I wanted to write stories for my own children to have.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
When inspiration hits, write it down immediately.
