| Founder: | Sadi Levy |
| Foundation: | 1 November 1875 |
| Language: | Ladino |
| Ceased Publication: | 1911 |
| Headquarters: | Thessaloniki |
| Sister Newspapers: | Le Journal de Salonique |
La Epoca (Ladino: The Era) was a Ladino language newspaper published between 1875 and 1911 in Thessaloniki, Ottoman Empire. Published nearly for forty years it was the leading Ladino publication in the Empire[1] and first Ladino newspaper in Thessaloniki.
La Epoca was launched by Sadi Levy in 1875, and the first issue appeared on 1 November that year.[2] He also served as the publisher and editor-in-chief of the paper until 1888.[3] He was the publisher of another paper entitled Le Journal de Salonique, a French language newspaper.[4] The subtitle of La Epoca was Revista comerciala y literaria (Ladino: Commercial and literary newspaper), and the paper had a progressive and avant-garde stance. Its supporter was Alliance Israélite Universelle, a Jewish organization. La Epoca targeted the Sephardi Jews living in Thessaloniki and other towns who could only read Ladino materials.[5]
Following the death of Sadi Levy his son, Samuel, became the editor and publisher of La Epoca.[2] The newspaper was first published on a daily basis, and then, its frequency was switched to weekly.[2] One of the contributors was Mercado Joseph Covo.[1] [6] La Epoca and its sister newspaper Le Journal de Salonique both supported Zionism, socialism and Ottomanism.[4] In 1892 La Epoca praised the Ottomans for offering them a land after their expulsion from Spain and described the Empire as the "land where we are eating free bread."[2] Following the Young Turk revolution in 1908 both La Epoca and Le Journal de Salonique focused more on Zionism.[7]
La Epoca folded in 1911.[8] [9] The paper was archived by the National Library of Israel.[2]