Across So Many Seas: Chapters 55-61

by Ruth Behar
This novel tells the stories of four girls from the same Jewish family at different times, one living in 1492, another in 1923, another in 1961, and another in 2003.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-7, Chapter 8-13, Chapter 14-19, Chapter 20-26, Chapter 27-33, Chapter 34-40, Chapter 41-47, Chapter 48-54, Chapter 55-61
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. playwright
    someone who writes plays
    When we’re ready to rest, we have tapas at one of the cafés on the Plaza de Santa Ana, next to a statue of the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca.
  2. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    Our waiter overhears my mom’s impromptu poetry recital and tells us that the statue was built years ago and kept in storage for over a decade because Spaniards are divided in their feelings for Lorca.
  3. socialist
    a political advocate of state control of industry
    Some think he was a hero, executed during the Spanish Civil War because he was gay and a socialist, while others think he was a traitor who deserved his cruel death.
  4. glimmer
    a flash of light
    The balcony in my parents’ room is open, letting in the glimmer of a Madrid sunset.
  5. generation
    all the people living at the same time or of the same age
    And my dad adds, “Yes. You and your generation give us hope for a better future, Paloma.”
  6. terrain
    a piece of ground having specific characteristics
    My dad has rented a car, and we drive across the dry terrain of red earth and hardy olive trees.
  7. outlaw
    declare illegal
    We believe the Jews of Toledo prayed here until their religion was outlawed in 1492.
  8. barrack
    a building or group of buildings to house military personnel
    Then it became a church, then a military barrack, and now the Sephardic Museum.
  9. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    I look up at the walls and ceiling, covered with elaborate designs and colorful etchings.
  10. menorah
    a seven- or nine-branched candelabrum used in Jewish worship
    “Have a look at this marble basin. See the menorah in the center? And there’s a tree of life, a shofar, peacocks on either side, and an inscription in Hebrew asking for peace. It’s from the time of the Romans. That means Jews were on this soil already long, long ago.”
  11. intact
    lacking nothing essential, not damaged
    “And that Torah there, it’s hundreds of years old and still intact. Just some of the writing has smudged. We think it’s of Spanish origin. An antiques dealer discovered it in Istanbul and brought it to us.”
  12. facsimile
    an exact copy or reproduction
    As we follow along, she points to a large facsimile of the Edict of Expulsion hanging on the wall.
  13. unleash
    release or vent
    “You can see the signatures of King Fernando and Queen Isabel, and the date, March 31, 1492. It’s here so we won’t forget the horror they unleashed with their words of intolerance and hate.”
  14. translate
    restate from one language into another language
    I translate it to myself as I hear it: Goodbye, my Toledo, my beloved home, once I was welcome, now I am not, where I am going tomorrow is a mystery of our God.
  15. seminar
    a course offered for a small group of advanced students
    Mari Luz leads us to an empty seminar room and passes out drinks of water.
  16. request
    ask a person to do something
    “Sing, Paloma, sing,” Abuela requests, and I sing the words about the girl in the tower.
  17. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    “Shabbat dinner?” my mom asks, flabbergasted.
  18. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    My mom and dad happily accept the invitation, and Abuela looks mesmerized upon hearing all this.
  19. filigree
    delicate and intricate ornamentation
    All around are stores selling gold filigree jewelry and embroidered cloths in buildings where Jewish artisans must have labored centuries ago.
  20. radiant
    emanating or as if emanating light
    “You are, you are,” Abuela says, and her face looks radiant.
  21. descend
    come from
    I clearly descend from the ones who fled, but I’m starting to think I may have had family who stayed.
  22. challah
    (Judaism) a braided loaf of white bread containing eggs
    After Mari Luz lights the candles and we say the Shabbat prayer together, we sit, and Juan Carlos tears us each a piece of braided challah bread.
  23. champion
    someone who fights for a cause
    When we’ve all finished, I break into a song by Flory Jagoda—a woman who was a champion of Sephardic music and sang in Ladino.
  24. expel
    force to leave or move out
    My mom nods. “I feel that too. Even though our ancestors were expelled hundreds of years ago, the houses and streets still seem filled with the memory of their presence.”
  25. jagged
    having a sharply uneven surface or outline
    As I gaze at the enormous sky laced with jagged clouds and so many shining stars, I think of the ancestors who came before me.
Created on Thu May 01 09:33:00 EDT 2025 (updated Fri May 02 19:17:18 EDT 2025)

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