Mazal Tov/Mabrouk to Serge Berdugo (Secretary General, Council of Israelite Communities in Morocco) and Sonia Cohen Azagury (Jewish Community of Tangier) on the inauguration of Beit Yehouda: Museum of Jewish Memory with the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI!
The Sephardi World Weekly is made possible by Professor Rifka Cook, Maria Gabriela Borrego Medina, Rachel Amar, Deborah Arellano, and Distinguished ASF Vice President Gwen Zuares!
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one
🥇“Israel wins gold in team marathon event at European Athletics Championships”
By The Times of Israel
Israeli Gold medalists: Maru Teferi, Gashau Ayale, Omer Ramon, Yimer Getahun, and Girmaw Amare, European Athletics Championships, Munich, Germany, 15 August 2022
(Photo courtesy of Ina Fassbender/AFP/Times of Israel)
“Israel took gold… in the men’s team marathon event at the European Athletics Championships in Munich… 50 years after the massacre of Israeli athletes in the same city.” The Israeli team was led by four Ethiopian Israelis including Marhu Teferi, who won the individual silver medal, and Gashau Ayale, who took home the bronze. Said Tefere, the Israeli marathon record holder who came in 13th at the 2020 Olympics, “This is really exciting for me. I am very happy with this achievement.”
Feature: Meet Marhu Teferi, the greatest marathon runner in Israeli history🏃
By The Jewish Federations of North America
Marhu Teferi
(Screenshot courtesy of The Jewish Federations of North America/Youtube)
Meet Marhu Teferi. At 14, Teferi made Aliyah with his family from Ethiopia. Today, he is the greatest marathon runner in Israeli history, having recently brought home the individual silver medal and the team gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Munich.
✨“A Modesty Proposal: Rethinking Tseniut”
By Rabbi Marc D. Angel, The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals
Rabbi Marc D. Angel, Ph.D
“The technicalities of tseniut should aim at fulfilling the ideals of the philosophy of tseniut,” according to Rabbi Marc D. Angel. Representing the perspective of Classic Sephardic Judaism, with humor and solid sourcing in the Talmud and Sages, Rabbi Angel asserts that “[A]ll discussions of tseniut should deal with both sides of the equation, not just with women’s mode of dress and behavior.” A contemporary Jewish vision of modesty will extend equally to men and women, and begin with the timeless basics: “[O]ur responsibility to be holy, and to treat ourselves and others as fellow human beings—not as sexual objects. When we live as tseniut human beings, we enhance our own dignity and the dignity we show to others.”
🌄“Ottoman lands provided safe haven for Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain”
By Andalou Agency
The Grand Inquisitor Friar Tomás de Torquemada offers to the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the Edict of Expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, 1492. Oil by Emilio Sala y Francés (1889) (Scan courtesy of Wikipedia)
Many Sepharadim found a safe haven in Ottoman lands after 31 July 1492, the deadline set by the Alhambra Decree (Edict of Expulsion), which raises the question: Why did Ottoman Muslims welcome Spanish Jews? According to the late Turkish historian Halil Inalcik: “In the Ottoman mind, Spain was a major antagonist, and the Ottomans made little distinction between the plight of the Andalusian Muslims and that of the Jews when both communities… appealed for Ottoman aid and protection.”
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The American Sephardi Federation invites all individuals, communities, and organizations who share our vision & principles to join us in signing the American Sephardi Leadership Statement!
Please also 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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By Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, a 2018 ASF Broome & Allen Fellow
In this extraordinary, award-winning and best-selling cookbook now in its 4th imprint, chef and scholar Hélène Jawhara-Piñer combines rich culinary history and Jewish heritage to serve up over fifty culturally significant recipes. Steeped in the history of the Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spain) and their diaspora, these recipes are expertly collected from such diverse sources as medieval cookbooks, Inquisition trials, medical treatises, poems, and literature. Original sources ranging from the thirteenth century onwards and written in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Occitan, Italian, and Hebrew, are here presented in English translation, bearing witness to the culinary diversity of the Sephardim, who brought their cuisine with them and kept it alive wherever they went. Jawhara-Piñer provides enlightening commentary for each recipe, revealing underlying societal issues from anti-Semitism to social order. In addition, the author provides several of her own recipes inspired by her research and academic studies.
Each creation and bite of the dishes herein are guaranteed to transport the reader to the most deeply moving and intriguing aspects of Jewish history. Jawhara-Piñer reminds us that eating is a way to commemorate the past.
By Oded Halahmy
Like countless New Yorkers who arrived from distant lands, Oded Halahmy has a rich personal history of exile, migration and travels. Born in the old city of Baghdad in 1938, the artist came from a family of Orthodox Jews with deep roots in ancient Babylonian culture. Iraqi Cooking: Exile Is Home is a tasty exploration of Oded’s roots accompanied by several pieces of original art, sculptures and jewelry.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
T-JEM: New Year, New Ideas
T-JEM is a series of online workshops by the ASF Institute of Jewish Experience for Jewish educators on understanding the Jewish mosaic and practical applications for incorporating the beauty, depth, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish experience into their classrooms.
In the workshops, we explore the video clips and complimentary resources ASF IJE designed to augment classroom lessons and explore Jewish diversity by expanding upon standard curricula.
Monday, 29 August at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
For more information, contact drora@americansephardi.org
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The Sephardi House Fellowship for College Students
Wisdom, Creativity, Community on Campus
Apply Now to be a ’22-’23 ASF Sephardi House Fellow!
Application Deadline: 30 August @ 5PM
The Sephardi House Fellowship (now in its third year) is an innovative initiative that seeks to infuse the wisdom, diversity, creativity, and warmth of the Sephardic spirit into Jewish student life—while also advancing Jewish unity, vitality, and pride on campuses.
Bringing together a select cohort of Jewish students from colleges and universities across North America, our program is the only national, yearlong fellowship dedicated to deepening a sense of Jewish belonging through an immersion in the multifaceted history, cultures, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardic and Mizrahi world.
This enrichment and leadership development experience is composed of the following key components:
1) 10 cohort-based learning and discussion sessions with influential Jewish educators, community and industry leaders, scholars, and artists, 2) one-on-one mentorship and tailored campus support, 3) access to the American Sephardi Federation’s robust educational and community resources, 4) a $1,000 stipend, 5) an in-person Shabbaton leadership summit, and 6) a capstone community-building project that empowers fellows to imbue Sephardic energy and their unique voices into Jewish student life.
Deadline: 30 August, 5PM.
Joshua Benaim, a Harvard University and Harvard Business School alum and Founder & CEO of Aria Development Group, is the visionary leader behind the creation of Sephardi House. He was inspired to create Sephardi House to honor his father Carlos, who instilled in him a love for the Sephardic tradition and community.
Joshua invites others to join him in founding and nurturing this exciting and essential initiative.
Please write to info@americansephardi.org for more information on how you can get involved today!
Learn more on our website, Sephardi.House!
Please support our work and help light a candle of wisdom and spirit on campus by donating now!
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Bene Israel Selichot
Join us as Hazzan Joshua Daniels introduces us to the Bene Israel piyyutim and selichot tunes as he shares stories from his life within and outside the Bene Israel community.
Tuesday, 30 August at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Joshua Daniels was born in Bombay, India to an observant Jewish family. He is a member of the Bene Israel community which is the largest and oldest Jewish community from India. At an early age, his father encouraged him to read Hebrew and to follow the Bene Israel traditions with an emphasis on music and singing. His father Samuel Elijah Z”l is the greatest influence on Joshua’s life. He ensured that Joshua received a Jewish education and appointed the local hazzan in Bombay from the Etz Haeem synagogue to train him in Torah reading from the age of Bar Mitzvah.
At the age of 15, Joshua immigrated to Israel with his family before ultimately moving to Toronto, Canada. Joshua has been living in Toronto for 29 years with his wife and daughter. He has served as a chazzan and baal koreh (Torah reader) in various congregations. Joshua has expanded his knowledge and can perform the prayer services and Torah reading in Ashkenazi, Yerushalmi and Moroccan tropes. He continues to expand his singing abilities and is self- taught. He also has enriched his performance of the Bene Israel tunes and leads a minyan for High Holidays. He has taught more than 100 boys for their Bar Mitzvah, many of which could not read Hebrew. Joshua is ambitious, he continues to discover further aspects of Jewish prayer and song and takes pleasure in sharing his expertise.
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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Philos Latino, Yeshiva University's Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs, & the American Sephardi Federation present:
Nosotros@YU: A Celebration of Judeo-Latino Art & Music
Weissberg Commons, 2495 Amsterdam Avenue, Ground Floor (at 184th Street), Manhattan
The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs at Yeshiva University is proud to partner with Philos Latino to host Nosotros@YU, an evening of Jewish Latino Art and Music. On Thursday September 8th at 7:30 at Yeshiva University’s Washington Heights campus we will present paintings from Nosotros’ 5-year retrospective exploring the rich synergy of Jewish and Latino culture and history.
This night of celebration will include, for the first time in New York City, the Jazzphardic Project with Yehonatan Elazar and Tal Cohen. The Jazzphardic Project explores Sephardic classics through the modes of Latin jazz, bringing together east and west and past and present. https://jazzphardic.com/
Brief remarks by special community and government leaders such as Representative Adriano Espaillat and others.
Light refreshments will be served. We hope that you can join us.
Co-Sponsored by Yeshiva College, Care Café at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Bernard Revel Graduate School, & Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program
Thursday, 8 September at 7:30PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Rosh Hashana Foods with Sarina Roffé
While most Jews have apples and honey before their Rosh Hashanah meal, Syrian Jews have many more brachot.
Journalist, Sephardic historian, and cookbook author Sarina Roffé will share recipes and discuss the foods unique to Syrian Jews on Rosh Hashanah. The recipes are for the brachot said before eating the holiday meal on Rosh Hashanah.
Wednesday, 14 September at 12:00PM EST
(Tickets: $8)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Sarina Roffé is a professional genealogist, editor of the journal DOROT, and founder of the Sephardic Heritage Project. She is the author of Branching Out From Sepharad (Sephardic Heritage Project, 2017), which outlines the history of Jews in Spain, the 1492 expulsion, their history in Syria, and their immigration to the Americas. She is Co-Chair of the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative, and Chair of the JewishGen Sephardic Research Division.
Sarina is also the author of Backyard Kitchen: Mediterranean Salads, and Backyard Kitchen: the Main Course and a cooking app called Sarina’s Sephardic Cuisine, available in the Apple Store, as well as hundreds of articles. Sarina presents often at IAJGS Conferences and has completed over a dozen genealogies, through her genealogy consulting business, Sephardic Genealogical Journeys.
For more about Sarina’s cookbooks:
https://sarinassephardiccuisine.com/cookbooks
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Exclusive Authors Series with Regina M. Tessone
Join us for a new episode of the Exclusive Authors Series with Regine M. Tessone who discusses her book Monavar’s Journey.
Tuesday, 20 September at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the book:
On February 1, 1979, Regine Monavar Tessone recalls running through the Mehrabad airport with her parents and three brothers to board the last flight out of Tehran on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. The pilot announced as they entered the aircraft, “You are the lucky ones! The airport is now closed and the Ayatollah Khomeini has arrived.” In this intimate memoir, Monavar (a Farsi name meaning light) recreates the life of her Persian Jewish family before they fled Iran and her own adventures in their new home in America. Always buoyant (her maiden name Omid means hope), she describes reuniting with her mother’s family in Brooklyn, visiting Israel and serving as a volunteer, falling in love with a non-Persian Jew, and becoming a successful fashion designer. Her story, at once personal and paradigmatic, reflects her nostalgia for the homeland of her youth and her embrace of the opportunities of her adopted homeland in the United States as a successful Iranian-Jewish immigrant.
About the author:
Regine Monavar Tessone is an Iranian American fashion designer. As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she founded Aqua Modesta, a unique line of modest women’s swimwear and sportswear that attained worldwide success. Her initial professional goals achieved, she wrote this memoir to fulfill a lifelong dream: to share the story of her family’s incredible escape on the last flight out of Tehran. She resides with her husband and children in New York and Jerusalem.
For more about the book: https://www.amazon.com/Monavars-Journey-Bridge-Regine-Tessone/dp/163837306X
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The American Sephardi Federation, the Seattle Jewish Theatre Company, and the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America present:
“ARRIVALS”
A Jewish Romeo & Juliet love story based on historical events.
A hit in Seattle, coming to New York.
(Written and Directed by Art Feinglass)
When the first Sephardic Jew arrived in Seattle in 1902, not everything went as planned. Marco Cordova, a young Sephardic Jew from Turkey, came to America to make his fortune. Bayla Keigelman, a fragile Ashkenazi girl from Russia, arrived fleeing a pogrom. Their meeting seemed written in the stars until tradition declared their love forbidden.
Sunday, 30 October at 3:00 PM EST
Monday, 31 October at 8:00 PM EST
Tuesday, 1 November at 8:00 PM EST
Thursday, 3 November at 8:00 PM EST
Sunday, 6 November at 3:00 PM EST
Sign-up Now!
$36 Early bird discount (if purchased before October 9th)
$50 Ticket price (if purchased after October 9th)
The Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York City
“Arrivals tells the Sephardic story with great drama, humor and warmth.”
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, Seattle, WA
“Everyone in the audience was engaged and enjoyed the show.”
Aaron Petersen, President , Temple Beth El, Tacoma, WA
“A tour de force!”
Rabbi Emeritus James Mirel, Temple B’nai Torah, Bellevue, WA
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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ASF Broome & Allen & ADL Collaborative for Change Fellow Isaac de Castro presents:
Entre Diasporas: Telling the Latin-American Jewish story. Contando la historia judía latinoamericana
Tell your story. Cuenta tu historia.
We’re looking for first-generation Latino Jews in the United States who immigrated because of political and social turmoil. Jews of Sephardic descent from Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela that now reside in the Miami area will be given priority, but others are welcome to apply as well.
Fill out this form to be considered as an interviewee for this project. After you’ve submitted, we will be in touch promptly to set up a preliminary phone call.
Click here for more information.