Vanessa Paloma, Mystic Siren

Vanessa Paloma is an internationally known performance artist, author, and lecturer on music and Judaism, as well as being a scholar in the field of women’s spirituality. In addition to solo work, she founded and co-directs Flor de Serena, a Judeo-Spanish ensemble. A Fulbright Scholar to Morocco in Judeo-Spanish song and mysticism, her work has also been supported by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, Brandeis University, Maurice Amado Foundation, California Council for the Humanities, The Righteous Person’s Foundation, and American Sephardi Federation among others. She has performed widely from the United States and Israel to Europe, South America, and China.

Mystic Siren is about women’s spirituality, Jewish mysticism, and Sephardic music and cultural traditions. Paloma’s explanations of the place of women in creation are critically important for both men and women in our times. It is a delightful read that ranges from fable to Kabbalistic meditations, and it is grounded in religious practice and study of the Torah. Mystic Siren is beautifully designed, and it is a unique artistic and scholarly collaboration between this talented mother-daughter team.

Gloria Abella Ballen, the artist and designer, has won numerous international awards with recognition from UNESCO and the National Endowment for the Arts among others. Her work is in the collections of modern art museums in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.

Vanessa Paloma writes with a modern sensibility and an old school bohemian romance. This little book is an unusual mix of fable and spiritual wisdom that will elevate and enrich the reader, even the parent who is reading to the child.
David Suissa, Editor, Olam Magazine

Vanessa Paloma...is a passionate scholar and performer of songs from the Sephardic Diaspora from North Africa to Turkey...
NPR

Paloma...brings this richness of heritage to her work as an author, performer, teacher and preserver of Ladino songs and music.
Here & There, Hadassah Magazine

Flor de Serena’s…artistic Ladino landcape is marked by elegance and emotion…conveying both these elements with intoxicating skill…Serena is an ethnic music lover’s dream…
Ben Jacobson, The Jerusalem Post

...a major presence...particularly spirited... ...multitalented soprano...
Elissa Strauss, Forward Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles