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Benyamin Rafael ben Yosef

Benyamin Rafael ben Yosef (1870-1928), printer, editor, collector of manuscripts and old books, born in in Adrianople (now Edirne) in Turkey (then part of the Ottoman Empire), into a family of rabbis. He moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) after 1895 and dedicated his life to the study of Judeo-Spanish also known as Ladino. Ben Yosef is regarded as the most prominent publisher in Constantinople during the first three decades of the 20th century. His career as a printer and editor began in 1898 with the release of Sefer me-'Am Lo'ez Ester. During this period, there was a demand to adapt and translate various literary works into Judeo-Spanish, including novels like Paul et Virginie, Jardin des histoires, Le fils repenti, Les deux jumeaux, and other contemporary novels, which were initially serialized in newspapers. Ben Yosef also was a collector of manuscripts and old books, particularly of religious texts and liturgical chants, a pursuit he engaged in during his travels, mainly in the Middle East.

In 1910, he published Sefer haim va-hesed, a compilation of laws and customs related to the sick and the deceased in Constantinople. Thirteen years later, he followed it up with the publication of Sefer renanot u-bakashot. His enthusiasm for Sephardic liturgical chants, particularly piyutim and maftirim, led him to commission Isaac Eliyahu Navon, a poet and musician from Edirne, to create a comprehensive inventory of known maftirim in 1926. The remarkable publication of Shirey Israel be-Eretz ha-Kedem ("Songs of Israel in Eastern Land") received highly positive reviews from religious circles, poets, and musicians. Ben Yosef also released a selection of Eastern Jewish chants titled Excerpt of fassil Husseini, which included references to liturgical poet Israel Najara and the renowned rabbi of Izmir, Abraham Ha-Cohen Ariyas, and then followed by Los piyutim de los dias temerosos (1927), published posthumously.

Ben Yosef also translated social-political books into Judeo-Spanish. For instance, he translated Cinco anyos de mi vida which delved into the Dreyfus affair. Following the impact of the Dreyfus affair, many of Ben Yosef 's clients sought out the Judeo-Spanish version of this story.

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Benyamin Rafael ben Yosef

Benyamin Rafael ben Yosef (1870-1928), printer, editor, collector of manuscripts and old books, born in in Adrianople (now Edirne) in Turkey (then part of the Ottoman Empire), into a family of rabbis. He moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) after 1895 and dedicated his life to the study of Judeo-Spanish also known as Ladino. Ben Yosef is regarded as the most prominent publisher in Constantinople during the first three decades of the 20th century. His career as a printer and editor began in 1898 with the release of Sefer me-'Am Lo'ez Ester. During this period, there was a demand to adapt and translate various literary works into Judeo-Spanish, including novels like Paul et Virginie, Jardin des histoires, Le fils repenti, Les deux jumeaux, and other contemporary novels, which were initially serialized in newspapers. Ben Yosef also was a collector of manuscripts and old books, particularly of religious texts and liturgical chants, a pursuit he engaged in during his travels, mainly in the Middle East.

In 1910, he published Sefer haim va-hesed, a compilation of laws and customs related to the sick and the deceased in Constantinople. Thirteen years later, he followed it up with the publication of Sefer renanot u-bakashot. His enthusiasm for Sephardic liturgical chants, particularly piyutim and maftirim, led him to commission Isaac Eliyahu Navon, a poet and musician from Edirne, to create a comprehensive inventory of known maftirim in 1926. The remarkable publication of Shirey Israel be-Eretz ha-Kedem ("Songs of Israel in Eastern Land") received highly positive reviews from religious circles, poets, and musicians. Ben Yosef also released a selection of Eastern Jewish chants titled Excerpt of fassil Husseini, which included references to liturgical poet Israel Najara and the renowned rabbi of Izmir, Abraham Ha-Cohen Ariyas, and then followed by Los piyutim de los dias temerosos (1927), published posthumously.

Ben Yosef also translated social-political books into Judeo-Spanish. For instance, he translated Cinco anyos de mi vida which delved into the Dreyfus affair. Following the impact of the Dreyfus affair, many of Ben Yosef 's clients sought out the Judeo-Spanish version of this story.

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People