Sephardi Jews celebrate roots with festival of spices, camels and a magic carpet

Sephardi Jewish families in London took a turn back to their collective roots on Mother’s Day by riding camels, ‘flying’ on a magic carpet, eating red-hot chilli dishes and dressing in traditional Moroccan attire.

The fun was had at the Mashalla Fair run by Sephardi organisation Chazak, with Rabbi Moshe Levy saying the idea was to “bring all ages and levels of the Sephardi community together to connect to their heritage and rich culture.”

Attendees experienced a real life Israeli shuk, buzzing with energy, and an assortment of delights like freshly-made shwarma and pitta, while youngsters had the run of a full sweet store, while adults tucked into an array of traditional baked goods including chocolate rugelach, bourekas and nut-filled baklava.

Chazak’s Rabbi Yitsy David said: “We are a fully committed team of people who are passionate about continuing to enrich the Sephardi community and beyond with a full host of programs for all levels stages.”

The organisation’s next communal events will take place in May with Shabbat Chazak in north-west London and St Johns Wood.