photo by: Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation

The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with two public events devoted to Mexican-Jewish literature, culture and cuisine.

The first event is a virtual author’s talk from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 29. The talk by Mexican author Gabriela Riveros Elizondo will focus on the experience of conversos or “crypto-Jews,” who settled in Northern Mexico after their expulsion from Spain in the 15th century. Elizondo will speak about her 2022 novel, “You’ll Forget the Fire,” which was inspired by the memoirs of Joseph Lumbroso, a poet, statesman and one of the first Hispanic settlers of Northern Mexico.

Elizondo’s talk will take place on zoom at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87079243671. The meeting ID is 870 7924 3671.

The second event is a dinner highlighting Sephardic cuisine typical of Northern Mexico. Scheduled for Oct. 1 at LJCC, 1917 Highland Drive, the dinner is a fundraiser for LJCC and will feature cortadillo (a beef stew), zucchini in pipian negro (a sauce thickened with ground pumpkin seeds), flour tortillas and a dessert of fruits.

Tickets for the dinner are $25 for adults and $10 for kids 6 years and up. Children 5 and under eat for free. To purchase tickets for the “Sephardic Cuisine of the Conquest,” visit lawrencejcc.com and click on “What We’re Doing.”

Both events are part of a collaboration with KU’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the cultural contributions of American citizens whose families originated in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

“When we (both Jews and non-Jews alike) think of Jewish culture, what we often picture are the staples of Ashkenazi culture: bagels and brisket; the flight from Europe and the cultural and theological ramifications of the Shoah (the Holocaust). But Jewish experience is so much wider and more diverse than that,” said Lara Giordano, the LJCC’s program and engagement director, in a news release about the events.

The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation is a nondenominational, inclusive and lay-led synagogue.