Jewish Women's Voices Seminar: Daisy Abboudi, 'Tales of Jewish Sudan'

Jewish Women's Voices Seminar:

Daisy Abboudi, ‘Tales of Jewish Sudan’

Part of the Vera Fine-Grodzinski Programme for Jewish Women's Voices

'Rabbi Malka at the Head of a Communal Meal'. Credit: Tales of Jewish Sudan

According to traditional Jewish dietary practice (kashrut), meat and dairy products cannot be eaten together, creating quite the dilemma for anyone who appreciates a sweet treat! So, what do you do if you're the Rabbi's wife and you really like dessert—but all the main dishes on the menu contain meat, and all the delicious cakes contain butter?

Daisy Abboudi began Tales of Jewish Sudan in 2015 with the aim of documenting and preserving the stories and recipes of her grandparents’ community. The community was most active between 1900 and 1970 - a melting pot of Jewish people from all over the Middle East where traditions and food cultures came together and adopted an extra Sudanese dimension. In this session, Daisy will share stories told by the women from this small, vibrant community, exposing a more nuanced picture than one might expect. And the best time to have a chat? While cooking, of course!

At the end of this session, participants will taste one of these delicious dairy desserts that tempted the Rabbi's wife.

Please note that the dessert that will be served contains dairy, gluten, and nuts.

This event will be introduced by Dr Aviva Dautch.

Speaker Details:

Daisy Abboudi was born in London. Her grandparents were Jews from Sudan and this inspired her to create the website Tales of Jewish Sudan in 2015. Tales of Jewish Sudan brings together oral histories and recipes with historical research. Her interests include questions of identity, heritage and education. Her work on the Jewish community of Sudan has been featured in both national and international press.

Dr Aviva Dautch is the Executive Director of Jewish Renaissance, the UK's Jewish arts and culture quarterly. She lectures on modern Jewish literature at the London School of Jewish Studies and JW3 and contributes to programmes on BBC Radio 4. She is an award-winning poet whose residencies and commissions have included The British Museum, The National Gallery and Bradford and Hay Literature Festivals. Aviva is the Jewish Women’s Voices OCLW Visiting Scholar for 2025-6.

About Tales of Jewish Sudan:

Tales of Jewish Sudan is an online archive of oral history interviews and photographs relating to Jews who lived in Sudan and who now live all over the world. Many live in Israel and the United States of America, but a small community still live in Britain.

The Tales of Jewish Sudan archive consists of over 65 interviews and over 300 photographs. It covers daily life in the cities Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman and the towns of Wad Medani and Port Sudan. The Jewish community of Sudan was formally established in 1901, although Jews were living in the country before this. At its peak, the community numbered 250-300 families. The last members of the Jewish community left Sudan in the early 1970s. Tales of Jewish Sudan is a part of the private research conducted by Daisy Abboudi on this small but vibrant Jewish community.

About the Jewish Women’s Voices Programme:

Jewish Women's Voices is a collaborative initiative by Dr Kate Kennedy, Director of the ‘Oxford Centre for Life-Writing’, and Dr Vera Fine-Grodzinski, a scholar of Jewish social and cultural history.

The Programme is the first of its kind at any UK academic institution. Launched in October 2023, the Programme celebrates the life-writing of Jewish women often underrepresented in mainstream history accounts. The Programme is a three-term seminar series dedicated to exploring the diverse experiences of Jewish women across centuries, countries, and cultures. Further information about the Programme can be found here. 

Further Details and Contacts:

This hybrid event is free and open to all; however, registration is required.

This event will be recorded and made available soon after on the OCLW website.

Registration will close at 5:00pm on 13 May 2025. Successful registrants will be informed soon after.

Queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.