Throughout the Ottoman Era, Jews, mostly of Sephardic origin, inhabited the city of Monastir (today, Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia). After World War I, most of these Jews moved to North and South America as well as Israel carrying with them a rich musical tradition. Zack Youcha, a young descendant of a distinguished Monastirli family living in New York City, initiated the present project by assisting in the digitization of historical recordings carried out by Joe Elias, arguably the most prominent Monastirli active musician of recent decades.
Recorded materials in the playlist are made available to the public by Dan Elias. Digital repair and mastering by Nikhil Wadhwa and Zack Youcha, with guidance from Phil Klum and Elliot Majerczyk.
See also in our website the biographies of Sarah Elias ("Shorty") and Joe Elias.
