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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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📣Dr. Mijal Bitton Speaks at the March for Israel!
This past week, over 290,000 Jews (the American Sephardi Community proudly amongst the myriads) came together in Washington, D.C., in the largest gathering in American Jewish history, to march for the America-Israel alliance. In lieu of the Sephardi World Weekly, we present the inspirational speech of Dr. Mijal Bitton, a fiery young Jewish leader and thinker and inheritor of the Classic Sephardic Tradition from her family, including her Great Uncle, Hakham R’José Faur. We invite you to listen to her impassioned address celebrating Israel, “A Nation of Lions, a Nation of Lions!” and the “extraordinary country that has blessed us with freedom that our ancestors could not have dreamed of,” the United States of America!
The American Sephardi Community Marches for Israel!
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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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
Save the Date! 7th Annual New York Ladino Day on 21 January 2024!
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The Jewish-American Hall of Fame, Combat Antisemitism Movement, B’nai B’rith International, American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, and Jewish Heritage Alliance present:
2023 Honoree: Photographer, Artist, Explorer, Author, and Inventor
Solomon Carvalho (1815-1897)
A dozen experts will describe the accomplishments of this 19th century Renaissance man
Sunday, 19 November at 12:30PM EST
Zoom ceremony
Sign-up Now!
“Arthur Maserjian, Chief of Staff and Director of International Affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, as well as Deputy Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame is the moderator and will tell how the Jewish-American Hall of Fame has been fighting antisemitism since 1969. Mel Wacks, Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, will talk about the other Sephardi Jews in the Hall of Fame ― from Spanish Biblical scholar and statesman Don Isaac Abravanel to Statue of Liberty poet Emma Lazarus. Sam Asher, Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum will unveil the Solomon Carvalho plaque in the museum’s permanent exhibit of Jewish-American Hall of Fame honorees. Keith Atkinson, whose wife is Solomon Carvalho’s granddaughter, will talk about the family tree. Carvalho’s time in Charleston in general, and his paintings of the historic synagogue in particular will be the topic of Anita Rosenberg, past president, of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, Historian and Chair of Museum, Archives and Fine Arts Committee. Dr. Ava Kahn, who authored the introduction to “Incidents of Travel and Adventure in the Far West with Colonel Frémont’s Last Expedition, by Solomon Nunes Carvallo, will describe Carvalho’s adventures on the trek between Missouri and California, across mostly unexplored territory to identify a viable route for a transcontinental railroad along the 38th parallel. Dr. Michael Hoberman, author of “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America” and “A Hundred Acres of America: The Geography of Jewish American Literary History,” will cover Carvalho’s time in Los Angeles, based on his article “100 Years of Sephardic Los Angeles.” Dr. Micah Christensen, a partner at Anthony’s Fine Art & Antiques in Salt Lake City and an expert on Solomon Carvalho’s paintings, will discuss his artistry. Steve Rivo, producer of TV series “Death Row Stories,” The Hunt with John Walsh,” “Disappeared,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy,” will talk about his documentary “Carvalho’s Journey,” and show an excerpt. And rounding out the all-star lineup of speakers, will be Jerry Klinger, the president and founder of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, revealing his efforts in trying to get the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to name the famous formation of the Three Sisters Obolisks in the Capital Reefs National Park (Utah) after Carvalho. The induction ceremony will also include remarks by Gemma Birnbaum, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, David Dangoor, President of the American Sephardi Federation, and Dan Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith International.”
For any questions about the Jewish-American Hall of Fame contact Mel Wacks at directorjahf@yahoo.com.
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The American Sephardi Federation presents:
Maimonides in Times of Crisis
The ASF is proud to host two renowned Sephardic spiritual leaders and scholars—Rabbi Dr. Marc Angel and Rabbi Yamin Levy—for a timely conversation about the Rambam’s intellectual legacy in contemporary times.
They will discuss insights from their books “The Mysticism of Andalusia: Exploring HaRambam’s Mystical Tradition” and “Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism.”
Join us for this fascinating discussion, moderated by the founder of ASF’s Sephardi House, Joshua Benaim
Monday, 27 November at 6:30PM EST
@The Center for Jewish History (Kovno Room)
Sign-up Now!
The talk will be followed by refreshments, book signing (books will be available for purchase), and a tour of Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition on Maimonides.
Rabbi Yamin Levy is a practiced educator, rabbi, author, and academic administrator. Rabbi Levy has devoted his career to teaching and preserving Sephardic culture, law and philosophical worldview. He is the senior Rabbi of Beth Hadassah Synagogue, the Iranian Jewish Center in Kings Point NY and the founder and director of the Maimonides Heritage Center based in Tiveria, Israel and New York. He authored four books the most recent of which is titled “The Mysticism of Andalusia: Exploring HaRambam’s Mystical Tradition.” He edited two books and published numerous articles in Jewish Law, Biblical Exegesis and Sephardic Philosophy and Jewish Mysticism.
Rabbi Dr. Marc Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, fostering an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism. Rabbi Angel is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City. Author and editor of nearly 40 books and hundreds of articles, he has won acclaim for his studies in Jewish history and thought. Among his recent books are “Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire” (2006) and “Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism”, (2009)—both of which won Finalist Awards from the National Jewish Book Council. He has served as officer and board member of numerous communal organizations, including the American Sephardi Federation, Jewish National Fund, HealthCare Chaplaincy, and UJA-Federation of New York; and is past president of the Rabbinical Council of America. He is the co-founder of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. He earned his B.A., M.S. Ph.D. and Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University. He also has an M.A. degree in English literature from City College of New York.
Joshua Benaim is a leading real estate investor and entrepreneur and the visionary founder of the ASF’s Sephardi House Fellowship. He is the founder and CEO of Aria, an award-winning real estate company on a mission to humanize the experience of living in our great cities. An operatic baritone who has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera and throughout the United States, Benaim lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
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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.