The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music

A Sydney Taylor Honor Book and CBC Best Children’s Book of the Year

When Flory’s ancestors are forced to leave Spain during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, they take with them their two most precious possessions--the key to their old house and the Ladino language.

When Flory flees Europe during World War II to begin a new life in the United States, she carries Ladino with her, along with her other precious possessions--her harmoniku and her music. But what of the key?

With huge interest in multi-cultural Judaism in the Jewish world these days, this picture book biography of a Sephardic Jewish singer tells a story unfamiliar to most American Jews whose ancestry comes from eastern Europe (Ashkenazim) rather than the Levant or Spanish part of the world (Sephardim). While most Jews are familiar with Yiddish, Jews with Spanish ancestry speak a language called Ladino, as Flory Jagoda does in this book.

Discover the story of Ladino singer Flory Jagoda, with QR code links to Flory Jagoda singing her famous Ladino Hanukkah song ＂Ocho Kandelikas＂ (Eight Candles)