Obj. ID: 38969  Silabario Ispanyol, Istanbul, 1884

This text was prepared by William Gross:

An Aleph-Bet book in Ladino for children learning Hebrew letters.
Title page with illustration of four children; two are standing and holding a banner, while two are seated on the floor with books.
Literacy has always been a primary goal for Jews throughout the Diaspora. Even during he dark ages the knowledge of reading and writing was maintained. The study of the Holy texts was impossible without these skills and such study was the goal of every Jewish male. Education began at an early age. There are many books and single sheets in the Gross Family Collection that are testimony to the efforts made for teaching.
During the late 19th and 20th centuries a considerable number of Ladino books were printed in Istanbul by Armenian Christian presses. Boyajian, which printed the present Aleph-Bet primer, was one of several such printing houses.