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How did Seattle become home to a large Sephardic Jewish community?

caption: Solomon (Sam) Calvo (left) and Fred August stand in front of Waterfront Fish and Oyster Co. in the Pike Place Market.
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Solomon (Sam) Calvo (left) and Fred August stand in front of Waterfront Fish and Oyster Co. in the Pike Place Market.
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, UW 1092

The answer takes us all the way back to 1492. And it features a couple of excellent mustaches.

There's a bit of family legend in this answer too. And there are issues we're still wrestling with - race, immigration, and privilege.

This archive episode originally aired June 6, 2019.

Listen to the episode by clicking the play button above or on your favorite podcast app. SoundQs is a weekly podcast where our KUOW reporters tackle questions submitted by our listeners.

Have a question about the Seattle region for us to answer? Drop it here:



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