Press Highlights
What I Want for My Kids: Symbolic Bilingualism in Jewish Children’s Books - What does it look like to be bilingual in not just decoding languages, but also symbols? Read Sarah's essay on how we should help our children interpret Jewish symbols in bilingual ways.
- Jewish Book Council, 9/22/25
In this episode, Sarah Bunin Benor interviews Sarah Aroeste in front of a live audience about her journey in exploring her Sephardic heritage through language and travel. They discuss Sarah Aroeste’s efforts to engage people of all ages to learn more about Sephardic Jewry through her career in writing and singing Ladino songs and writing multilingual, Sephardic-themed children’s books that encourage the usage of heritage words. Listen or watch the podcast episode here.
-Jewish Language Project, Heritage Words Podcast, 5/29/25
Uplifting Sephardic Voices in Literature: More Important Now than Ever. The Jewish experience cannot be boiled down to Seinfeld, matzoh ball soup, or yiddishisms like "kvetch" or "schvitz." Jewish culture is not a monolith, and as a proud Sephardic Jewish woman, I want more people to understand and learn about this oft under-represented part of Jewish life, especially in books. Read more here.
- Guest Blog by Sarah Aroeste, GilaGreenWrites, 11/10/24
Just for This pocast, with host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, the podcast features powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. This week’s guest is Sarah Aroeste - musician, writer, cultural leader. Inspired by her family's Sephardic roots, she writes and sings in Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish dialect that originated by Spanish Jews after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. In this episode, we spoke about family stories, musical leadership, the great Dona Gracia Nasi and Jewish communities from Western Massachusetts to N. Macedonia. We also discuss access to childcare and paid leave as key issues for women’s leadership and equity. Listen to full podcast episode here.
-Women of Reform Judaism, Just For This Podcast, 4/18/24
The modest title [Savor], which means taste or flavor in Ladino, belies this rich portal into a world that explores Sephardi culture through classic Ladino songs, traditional recipes and detailed cooking videos...Taken together, the recipes with their videos create an exuberant delectable meal. Read full article here.
-Beth Segal, Hadassah Magazine, 6/13/23
Sarah Aroeste and Susan Barocas, co-directors of Savor: A Sephardic Music & Food Experience bring together food and music to create a multi-media cultural project celebrating the women who carried these traditional recipes and songs forward, through the Spanish Inquisition, through the Holocaust, through centuries of diaspora and oppression, to the present. https://paradigms.life/2023/sarah-aroeste-susan-barocas-savor-ladino-cooking-and-music/Listen as they join the Paradigms Podcast to discuss the project’s many layers of meaning.
-Baruch Zeichner, Paradigms Podcast, 5/28/23
"[Savor is] a perfectly curated experience." Read the full article from HeyAlma on Savor, Sarah Aroeste's new project with chef Susan Barocas that combines music, food, history and more.
-Caroline Levine, HeyAlma, 4/21/23
Ladino singer/songwriter Sarah Aroeste and chef/teacher Susan Barocas have teamed up for a unique project designed to keep Sephardic traditions alive. Read full article here.
-Debra Eckerline, Jewish Journal, 4/20/23
When is making music about community survival? For Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste, her role is as much as a cultural preservationist. Aroeste discusses with host Jack Gordon how she is creating opportunities for young people to connect to their Sephardic heritage through not just music, but also literacy and food, and why her work pushing back against cultural assimilation is particularly poignant during the festival of Hanukkah. Listen here.
-Interfaith-ish (podcast), 12/23/22