Join ASF Sephardi House Fellow at Cornell (‘20-‘21) Esther Bentolila in “shedding light on the beautiful souls lost during the Hamas terror attacks on Israel to make sure they are never forgotten” #neverforget10.7
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The Sephardi World Weekly is made possible by Daniel Yifrach, Rachel Sally, Professor Rifka Cook, Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina, Rachel Amar, Deborah Arellano, & ASF VP Gwen Zuares!
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✌“From Hamas to redemption, through the eyes of Ethiopian Jewry”
By Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, The Times of Israel
Jewish refugees from Ethiopia await the arrival of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir after Operation Solomon, Absorption Center, Hadera, Israel, 9 January 1991 (Photo courtesy of Israel Government Press Office)
Exploring the Torah portion of Noah and the story of the primordial flood, Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom notes that the Hebrew word chamas, meaning violence, appears at the beginning of the Biblical tale. Chamas is the same Hebrew word that Israelis use today to denote their barbaric Islamist enemy. With the atrocities of Chamas playing in the background, in the Biblical tale, chamas leads to the corruption of the earth and the great, planetary flood. From here, R’ Shalom derives two fundamental and ultimate alternatives for human life: the way of chamas, “men who are righteous in their own eyes [who] commit acts of robbery, murder and violence,” and the way “of redemption… based on a conception of shared fate and a focus on the future when, as Isaiah wrote, the world will be ‘full of knowledge of the Lord.’”
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Feature: Aryeh Tepper Discusses Hamas and the Islamists on “Cut the Bull!” 🎙️ 🙌
The “Cut the Bull!” Podcast, Episode 122 - Israel-Hamas Part II
(Screenshot courtesy of Youtube)
The ASF’s Director of Publications, Aryeh Tepper, appeared on the “Cut the Bull” podcast together with David Bernstein, Charles Love, and Wilfred Riley to discuss the war with Hamas. While Bernstein shed light on different dimensions of purportedly progressive “woke” antisemitism, Tepper emphasized the need to clearly identify the Islamist enemy and to understand that the war with Hamas is only a battle in a larger war with the Iranian-led Islamists. Tepper argued that as strange as it might sound at first hearing, Israel has an opportunity to win a battle in the deeper spiritual War of Ideas that the Islamists have been waging for more than 100 years. That victory depends, however, on first materially decimating Hamas.
Don’t miss Aryeh’s other recent appearances on “Straight Ahead: The Omni-American Podcast” and on the Ben Shapiro Show.
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🛑“Muslim Americans Against Hamas”
By Zainab Khan, The Wall Street Journal
The WSJ article features a five year old photo of the ASF’s Ruben Shimonov conducting an ASF-MALA event, Maktub (Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy), at the Center for Jewish History. Ruben, who now serves as the ASF’s National Director of Sephardi House & Young Leadership, is the creator of the Convergence exhibit now on view in the Leon Levy Gallery.
(Photo courtesy of MALA/WSJ)
Zainab Khan, Co-Founder of the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, a long-time partner of the American Sephardi Federation, and participant in the ASF/Jazz Leadership Project/and Combat Antisemitism Movement’s inaugural Omni-American Future Project event, writes in The Wall Street Journal that American Muslim leaders should have quickly condemned Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7th attack “as an affront to the sanctity of human life according to our faith. With a few notable exceptions, prominent Muslims chose instead to make excuses and equivocate.” Khan attributes the equivocation to “an irrational ideological fixation on Zionism, which has no effect on most Muslims” and “an activist-fueled dehumanization of Israelis.” “To my Jewish friends, I am sorry. My organization remains committed to protecting you and your heritage-without compromise.”
Click here to watch a Fox News interview with Zainab.
She previously co-authored two articles with the ASF’s Executive Director Jason Guberman in Newsweek (“How Our Muslim/Jewish Partnership Can Help America Overcome Divisiveness”) and the Algemeiner (“Muslims and Jews Unite to Speak Uncomfortable Truths”)
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📣“Kin of hostages get emotional welcome from hundreds of supporters outside UN in NYC: ‘Bring them home’”
By Georgett Roberts, Isabel Keane, and Patrick Reilly, The New York Post
The ASF proudly supports the #BringThemHome campaign
The “Bring them Home” campaign on behalf of Israeli hostages held by Hamas brought together hundreds of supporters outside the UN. Speakers included Moran Aloni, whose two sisters, brother, three nieces and brother-in-law were all kidnapped. Aloni offered thanks “for all the support. We see it. We feel it. I want to say thanks to the countries that support us in bringing our families back.” Na’ama Keha, an ASF Broome & Allen Fellow and Artistic Director of the 25th NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, struck a sombre and defiant note, “‘We know the nature of Hamas. We know it’s a barbaric terrorist organization, so this is to support the families coming from Israel, and also to show the United Nations, the world leaders … all the organizations that need to be more active, and show them that we won’t be silent, we won’t sit still.’”
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Please support the ASF with a generous, tax-deductible contribution so we can continue to cultivate and advocate, preserve and promote, as well as educate and empower!
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Jewish Women from Muslim Societies Speak
Published by the American Sephardi Federation and Hadassah International Research Institute on Jewish Woman at Brandeis University
Jewish women from Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran were invited to share their personal stories. It could be said that these women's voices are from the last generation of Jews to have an intimate personal knowledge of the Muslim world, the enormous diversity within and among Middle Eastern Jewish communities.
We hope that these essays, told through the medium of vivid personal stories, will stimulate discussion about contemporary dynamics in the Muslim world and raise awareness of Jewish women’s history in North Africa and the Middle-East.
Our Story: The Jews of Sepharad; Celebrations and Stories
By Lea-Nora Kordova Annette and Eugene Labovitz
Celebrations and Stories, a special publication of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education with the American Sephardi Federation, is an essential work that enhances the teaching of Sephardi history, traditions, and cultures.
The life cycle and calendar sections are designed to horizontally connect to the teaching of customs and ceremonies from the Spanish & Portuguese, Syrian, Judeo-Spanish, and Moroccan traditions. Other sections include translations of classic texts and poetry, tales of our history’s heroes, and classroom activities.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The American Sephardi Federation presents:
Convergence: Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian Calligraphy in Conversation
Featuring the multilingual art of Ruben Shimonov Convergence creates a visual world where Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian languages interact with, and speak to, one another; a world where stylized letters and words dance together on the page; a world where cultures, religions, communities, and philosophies intersect.
Juxtaposing cognates from these ancient West Asian languages, artist Ruben Shimonov encourages the viewer to explore the deep-rooted connections between these tongues, as well as the multilayered and transnational identity of the artist himself.
On View in the Leon Levy Gallery
through 31 December 2023
@ the Center for Jewish History
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The American Sephardi Federation and Mimouna Association’s Rebuilding Our Homes Project present:
Re-Creation: Judaica by Moroccan Muslim Artisans
Explore the exhibition of Judeo-Moroccan art, Moroccan Judaica, cultural and religious objects, including Menorot, Mezuzot, Yads, Shabbat Candleholders, Seder Plates, Hallah Covers, and much more.
On View through 31 December 2023
@ the Center for Jewish History
As Moroccan Jewish populations largely left the mellahs (Jewish quarters) in the latter half of the 20th century, there was a danger that not only designs but even the traditional artisanal techniques needed to create them would be lost. Passed down from one artisan to another and perfected over time, these designs and techniques. ranging from vibrant patterns to intricate metalwork and soulful wood carvings, are expressions of Moroccanity and reflect the individual character of each city. The materials and craftsmanship of Rabat are different than Fez, and Essaouira is distinct from both.
Mimouna Association and the American Sephardi Federation’s Rebuilding Our Homes Project, a multi-year USAID-supported New Partnerships Initiative, brought three notable experts-Ms. Zhor Rehihil, Ms. Deborah Koenigsberger Gutierrez, and Ms. Meryem Ghandi to train Moroccan Muslim artisans in the history of Judeo-Moroccan art and guided them in re-creating Moroccan Judaica, which encompasses a diverse array of cultural and religious objects, including Menorot, Mezuzot, Yads, Shabbat Candleholders, Seder Plates, Hallah Covers, and much more.