Shimonov also leads the new American Sephardi House Fellowship program, which immerses Sephardic Jewish college students in the intellectual and cultural legacy of the Sephardic tradition. The fellowship is designed so the new generation of Sephardic leaders can acquire knowledge about the greater Sephardic experience to take ownership of their Sephardic identity, said Shimonov. The 13 fellows—representing campuses across the U.S. and different Sephardic backgrounds—participate in a yearlong program that incorporates text study, monthly group discussions and guest lectures by leading scholars and artists, and leadership training. An important component is creating original projects reflecting their own Sephardic identity and skill sets, which they share with their campus community such as: an online art exhibit, Shiviti, produced in May by Rochelle Dweck—a studio art major at Syracuse University who comes from a Syrian and Egyptian background—that reflects her research of ancient Syrian synagogues where Shiviti images on the walls are a reminder of God’s presence; a Shabbaton organized by Ariella Niego Levy at the University of Pittsburgh that showcased the Sephardic cuisine of her Ladino-speaking ancestors from Greece and Turkey; and a 10-minute music video about the Sephardic experience produced by Queens College student and musician Dvir Avnon-Klein, the descendant of Spanish Jews who lived in Jerusalem for generations.
If this music helped Jews sustain their heritage, it can help contemporary Jews maintain the bond,” said Avnon-Klein, who also plays in Chutzpah Caravan, his family’s band, “it is important for me to keep this musical tradition alive.
The fellowship was conceived by Joshua Benaim, a real estate entrepreneur and operatic baritone—and author of the forthcoming book Real Estate, A Love Story: Wisdom, Honor, and Beauty in the Toughest Business in the World, which makes a passionate case for incorporating old world values and the humanities into business. “Amid antisemitism and the contentious political environment, I wanted to light a candle,” explained Benaim. “I realized the best antidote would be a positive and joyful immersion in poetry, philosophy, history, spirituality, and music. To me, Sephardic Jewish culture has always been able to synthesize the spiritual and Jewish world with the world of science, philosophy, and business.”
Sephardic Jewry celebrated at Hillel JUC’s annual summit
Deluxe dinner, Havdalah and cooking demonstration broaden students’ cultural awareness
Hillel JUC students were given a taste of Jewish culture during a special Sephardic-themed Shabbaton last weekend, when hundreds of students enjoyed a deluxe Shabbat dinner to-go, Havdalah with Israeli maestro Yaniv Attar and a cooking demonstration with chef and author Hélène Jawhara Piñer.
The multifaceted program gave nearly 300 students a chance to “learn and celebrate their Judaism,” said Dan Marcus, Hillel JUC’s president and CEO.
In years past, the annual Ignite Summit has enabled students to circle around Shabbat tables, enjoy meals and hear from Jewish luminaries, including neuroscientist and actor Mayim Bialik and Israeli jewelry artist Ariel Tidhar. This year, even in the midst of the pandemic, “it was essential that we still had our annual Ignite Summit,” said Marcus. “It’s such a highlight of the year.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s summit was largely conducted online. Shabbat dinner and dessert were available for Friday afternoon pickup, but written materials related to Sephardic Jewish life, culture and migration were posted online. Havdalah and the cooking demonstration were also shared virtually.
Ariella Levy, a University of Pittsburgh sophomore, began planning the weekend’s activities in November. As a Hillel JUC Ignite intern, and a Sephardi House Fellow, Levy worked with staff from Hillel JUC and the American Sephardi Federation to ensure students from diverse backgrounds could better appreciate the history and nuances of Sephardic Jewry.
For many people on campus, there’s a misconception that Sephardic Jews reside solely in Israel or that “all Jews are white or from Europe,” said Levy. “There are Jews from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and it’s important to share their stories not only for diversity purposes but also for people to learn about their cultures.”
Danielle Kranjec, Hillel JUC’s outgoing senior Jewish educator, credited Levy with creating a multisensory experience authentically capturing Sephardic traditions.
Jamie Frame, a University of Pittsburgh senior, participated in the weekend with his roommates and friends. The five-person pod regularly celebrates Shabbat, but being able to do so with Sephardic overtones was a learning experience, explained Frame, who described himself as “coming from a very traditional, very Ashkenazi background.”
Between watching Attar’s Havdalah service and partaking in Piñer’s cooking demonstration, Frame gained a new appreciation for Sephardic Jews generally, and some childhood friends in particular.
“We have a whole bunch of Sephardi community members at our synagogue back home in northern Virginia, but my interaction was always at synagogue,” he said. “I had heard how they lained Torah or led davening but had never seen them lead Havdalah or cooked with them.”
After following Piñer’s instructions on how to make fideos, Frame reached out to a Sephardic high school classmate and asked if he knew anything about the pasta dish.
“He was like, ‘Of course I know that. My mom makes a delicious one,’” said Frame.
Zoe Levine, a Chatham University senior, also participated in the cooking demonstration.
“I am Ashkenazi, not Sephardi, and it was really interesting to learn about another aspect of Judaism,” said Levine. “This is a part of my people’s culture.”
Having students appreciate that Judaism encompasses more than the Ashkenazi experience is part of a larger goal, explained Levy.
“My takeaway is to keep going — this was only one event,” said Levy. “I’d like to see Sephardic Judaism integrated into other events as well.”
Whether that means creating a Sephardic heritage group, including more Sephardic music at Hillel JUC events or encouraging the organization to offer a broader menu when it comes to its Shabbat to-go meals, Levy has several ideas moving forward.
“Of course it’s great to have an event that’s centered around Sephardic culture,” she said, “but there won’t be major changes until we have it incorporated into the events we already have.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Announcing the Sephardi House Fellowship
Wisdom, Creativity, & Community on Campus.
The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is announcing today the launch of a new program—the Sephardi House Fellowship—designed to immerse Jewish college students in the intellectual and cultural legacy of the Sephardic tradition.
Henceforth, the ASF will appoint Sephardi House Fellows annually at colleges and universities nationwide, with the mission of creating a warm and welcoming environment in which to discover the vast diversity, depth, and vitality of the Jewish people. Through a dynamic yearlong learning experience, the Fellows will deepen their knowledge of the multifaceted Greater Sephardic world and explore the “seriously Jewish, yet worldly and cosmopolitan” classic Sephardic tradition, while also developing leadership skills and their passion for community building.
The program is led by educator, social entrepreneur, and artist Ruben Shimonov, with the full ongoing support of the ASF.
The ASF is also proudly announcing this year’s appointment of 13 Sephardi House Fellows on campuses across the United States, ranging from UCLA to CCNY’s Macaulay Honors College. Chosen via a competitive application process, the Fellows have very varied Greater Sephardic backgrounds (Balkan, Bukharian, Egyptian, Greek, Lebanese, Moroccan, Persian, Syrian, Yerushalmi) and academic majors, including architecture, finance, neuroscience, mathematics, studio art, and physics. What unites them is a commitment to advance Jewish unity through our shared Sephardi roots.
“This is an incredibly accomplished and eclectic group of young leaders. I am excited for the journey that we will be taking together,” said Shimonov, who also serves as VP of the ASF Young Leaders and lectures at the ASF’s Institute of Jewish Experience.
The wisdom and warmth of the Sephardic tradition has much to offer to humanity. In these challenging times, we need that resilient spirit that has been passed down through the ages in the form of Sephardic poetry, philosophy, music, food, and spirituality. In a moment where being Jewish on campus is not always easy, I feel Sephardi House can make a difference,” said Joshua Benaim, the visionary creator of the Sephardi House Fellowship. Benaim, a Harvard University and Harvard Business School alum, is the Founder & CEO of Aria Development Group.
“The idea for the Sephardi House Fellowship arose out of Josh’s love for the classic Sephardic tradition, appreciation for the challenges facing young Jews on campus, and a desire to honor his father, Carlos, one of the world’s premier perfumers,” said Jason Guberman, ASF’s Executive Director, who added: “With great enthusiasm, we welcome our inaugural cohort of Sephardi House Fellows for the 2020-2021 academic year.”
Growing up in Tangier in a Sephardic Jewish family left an indelible imprint on my life and values. I want to ensure that the next generation will have the opportunity to experience this culture at an important moment in their lives,” said Carlos Benaim, a distinguished ASF Board Member.
Sephardi House Fellows receive individualized mentorship, full access to all ASF programs, a $1,000 stipend and additional support to further activities on campus, as well as participate in exclusive monthly sessions illuminating aspects of Greater Sephardi history, philosophy, and culture.
Esther Bentolila, a Sephardi House Fellow and junior at Cornell University, said: “I am beyond excited for this opportunity to bring Jewish students together from all walks of life to discuss different aspects of the culture, such as art, music, and literature. The contributions of great Sephardic Rabbis and thinkers is an area I particularly cherish, and I have a passion for Judaism and a hunger for knowledge.
Finding a Sephardic Jewish Community Changed My World
I now know that I’m not alone.
By Rachel Pakan, Published in HeyAlma, February 24, 2025
Sephardic Jews are loud, spirited and filled with Jewish joy. Ironically, we also tend to keep to ourselves.
In America, at least, Sephardic communities often live in tight-knit enclaves: Syrian Jews in Brooklyn and Deal, New Jersey; Persian Jews in Great Neck and Beverly Hills; Bukharian Jews in Queens. I proudly belong to the last group.
Like many in my community, my Jewish upbringing was purely Bukharian. We ate bakhsh on Shabbat, danced in the traditional joma during celebrations and held annual yushuvos — memorial dinners — for my late grandfathers. While I was exposed to Ashkenazi traditions in high school, I never quite had meaningful interactions with Sephardim outside of my community — that is, until I became a Sephardi House Fellow at the American Sephardi Federation (ASF).
I applied for the fellowship between high school and college, after a Jewish content creator suggested it to me over Instagram. At the time, I longed to find a Jewish community that I could connect with, unable to relate to some of my community’s deep-set traditionalism or the alternatives offered by more progressive Ashkenazi circles. Luckily, all of my hopes were realized, and then some.
Throughout the year-long fellowship, I met virtually with about thirty Sephardi college students from across the country, discussing Sephardic cultural and liturgical history and hearing from the most prominent leaders in the Sephardic world. With each meeting, it became increasingly clear to me that, contrary to the Ashkenormative lens through which Jewish history is often presented, Sephardic Jews weren’t side characters in the Jewish narrative — we were integral to it.
But if I had to distill the fellowship down to a single, defining experience, it wouldn’t be any of our countless, enlightening Zoom discussions. It would be the Shabbaton — an in-person weekend spending Shabbat together — that we shared in New York City.
Our first “icebreaker” game at the Shabbaton: If the room were a map, with the left side being the Westernmost point of the U.S. and the right side being the Easternmost point of Asia, stand where you were born. Lots of us crowded around “New York” and “New Jersey,” with most others speckled across the “United States.”
Move to where your parents were born. We were more spread out now. Some people moved to Israel or Iran; I and a few others moved far eastward towards Uzbekistan.
Now, move to where your grandparents were born. We dispersed all over the map: Syria, Yemen, Turkey, Mexico, Greece, Morocco, Iraq and more. I felt honored to be in the presence of such astonishing Jewish diversity.
It soon became time for Shabbat. As we sang “Shalom Aleichem” before Friday-night kiddush, each of our arms slowly wrapped across an adjacent shoulder, until we were all linked together, swaying to the verses in a giant group hug. In that moment, we were no longer strangers; we melded into a unit, bound by reverence for our traditions and a deep sense of shared identity.
The singing didn’t stop there. Guided by our fellowship directors, throughout the Shabbaton, we learned songs in Hebrew and Ladino (Avraham Avinu, padre kerido, padre bendicho, lus de Israel!) and made them our own, clapping and thrumming on the tables to their rhythm as if we had known them all our lives.
But most beautifully, we broke out into song and dance on our own, without any prompting from our leaders. Our energy was electric; our connection was palpable. Given the tumultuous state of the Jewish world at that time, it was the therapy and healing we all needed.
Throughout the Shabbaton, I learned so much about the Greater Sephardic world, whether visiting a Greek Romaniote synagogue for morning services, stopping by a Syrian synagogue for havdalah or exchanging family histories with my new friends at the fellowship.
Despite all of the novelty, every aspect of the weekend carried a distinct warmth and familiarity, echoing the specific form of connection to Judaism that I had inherited and molded on my own over the years. I realized that despite feeling alienated in high school for my traditional, immigrant Jewish background, I was far from alone — there was a whole community of youth who understood me. Until then, I just hadn’t known where to look.
When we parted ways, I knew it wouldn’t be the last time I’d see my new friends. Our connection was instantaneous, too precious to lose. Over a year later, and over six months since the fellowship ended, I remain friends with so many. As the youngest person in my cohort, which ranged in age from 18 to 24, I still have so much to learn from them.
After that weekend, I felt deeply compelled to bring that indescribable sense of community to my own campus. As a fellow last year and now as an advisor to this year’s ASF fellow from my campus, I’ve worked to organize accessible events celebrating Sephardic heritage. Slowly, we are helping weave the vibrant magic of Sephardic culture into the fabric of our broader Jewish community — ensuring it reaches far beyond our fellowship.
As a Jewish college student, I feel fortunate to have access to countless resources designed to support my involvement in a Jewish community. But this fellowship, and everything that came from it, was more than finding a community. It was coming home.
How Sephardi House Became My Sephardi Home
By Stella Moussa Salmon, Published in Jewish Women’s Archive, April 29, 2025
My sophomore year of university was a turbulent one. Following October 7 and the normalization of blatant antisemitism on campus, I no longer felt welcome in many of the spaces I had frequented and in the friendships I had cultivated my freshman year. I felt adrift and isolated.
I found my mooring in the American Sephardi Federation community, where I had the privilege of participating in the ASF’s Sephardi House Fellowship.
Growing up in Tucson, Arizona to a family of Syrian, Spanish, and Russian Jewish descent, I had never heard of the ASF and didn’t have access to a robust Sephardic community. I found out about Sephardi House through an Instagram story urging students to apply to the fellowship. I remember turning to my parents and telling them that I had just stumbled across the most incredible opportunity and that I had to get in; I wanted more than anything to be a part of the passionate cohort of young Jewish leaders I saw represented among the ranks of Sephardi House.
As October 7 and its aftermath unfolded, Sephardi House filled a critical role in centering me in my identity and community. The fellowship took on an entirely new meaning for me. Originally I had applied seeking connection to other Sephardim my age; what I found exceeded my expectations. Although we were strangers, immediately there was a shared sense of solidarity and support among the fellows and program leaders, and there was a united feeling of motivation to hold strong to our Judaism and to honor the cultural, philosophical, and educational traditions of our Sephardic heritage in response to the darkness around us. Sitting around the Shabbat table during my cohort’s fall Shabbaton, talking and singing late into the night, it felt like I was back at home; I felt a deep sense of belonging and contentment. With support from my peers and guidance from my mentors in the ASF—Ruben Shimonov, Joshua Benaim, and Jason Guberman—I found my own voice on campus and grew into my role as a campus community leader.
Tapping into the ASF’s longstanding tradition of empowering young leaders, Sephardi House works to fortify Jewish college students with the wisdom, values, and traditions of the Sephardi world. Sephardi House has become a home for me; it has grounded me in my culture and heritage, welcomed me into a community of dedicated people, and helped me take ownership of my identity as a young Sephardic Jewish woman living in tumultuous times.
Sephardi House Fellows have been key leaders in enriching and rejuvenating their college communities by infusing Sephardic warmth and vitality into Jewish campus life and programming. They lead Sephardic clubs on campus, contribute pieces to school newspapers that highlight Sephardic, Israeli, and Jewish student perspectives, and host events that range from Sephardic Shabbatot to music and trivia nights to history lectures to calligraphy workshops.
With the rise of antisemitism on college campuses after October 7, they have also spoken up on the national stage about the importance of Jewish student safety, via congressional testimonies and opinion pieces in major newspapers. Being a part of this special group of driven students and mentors has not only given me the sense of belonging that I had yearned for, but also the motivation to further develop my own leadership.
Sephardi House is built around the concept of bringing all Jews together, of celebrating the many unique cultures, traditions, and communities that make up Am Yisrael—the Jewish People. My time as a fellow filled me with a renewed excitement and drive to be more vocal about the richness and value of Sephardic Judaism, both within the Jewish community and the world as a whole. Throughout the year, I gained critical skills and knowledge that have allowed me to bring Sephardi culture, education, and joy to my campus. The mentorship and training I received and the joy I experienced when I was surrounded by my peers at our Shabbaton leadership summit inspired me to establish the University of Arizona’s first Sephardi and Mizrahi Jewish Culture Club at my campus Hillel. As its founder, I have been able to broaden the horizons of my peers and deepen their understanding of global Jewish diversity by hosting events that bring together students of all backgrounds to celebrate Sephardic history, holiday traditions, music, languages, and the arts.
Creating meaningful opportunities that deepen Jewish pride, resilience, and community belonging on college campuses is more important now than ever before. As an alumna of Sephardi House, I feel prepared and eager to continue this work. Although my time as a fellow ended in May 2024, my journey with the ASF family is far from over. The ASF and Sephardi House alumni network has been an indispensable support system to me over the past year. I have continued to use ASF resources and turn to my peers and mentors in Sephardi House for guidance in planning events on my campus, and I have had the opportunity to attend one-of-a-kind ASF events, such as the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. I now work with the ASF as the inaugural Sephardi House intern, where I have been honored to watch yet another cohort of dedicated, inquisitive, and bright students grow into leaders and educators in their own right.
Over the last year and a half, Sephardi House has truly become my home. It is my hope that many other young Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews have the same opportunity to be a part of a community that celebrates Sephardic traditions, encourages curiosity, and empowers each student to find their own voice.
Finding Home in Heritage: My Experience at ASF’s Sephardi House Young Leaders Shabbaton in Miami
By Elizabeth Katanov, Published in The Bukharian Times, July 2025
On the morning of April 4 2025, Sephardic and Mizrahi college students and alumni from across the country boarded flights to spend an enriching weekend together in the heart of Miami. We’re all part of Sephardi House–a national fellowship launched by the American Sephardi Federation six years ago to cultivate leadership and immerse students in the vibrant history, traditions, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardic world. This dynamic program is composed of discussion sessions, mentorship, access to ASF’s robust resources and community programming, student-led campus events, and Shabbaton leadership summits.
As a fellow during my time at Hunter College, Sephardi House allowed me to infuse the vibrancy and richness of my Bukharian heritage into Jewish life on campus. After completing the fellowship, I have remained deeply connected to the Sephardi House, and broader ASF, community, serving on the Alumni Advisory Board while I pursue a degree in medicine.
Growing up as a Bukharian Jew in Queens, New York, I could not help but notice how my culture, family histories, language, and food differed vastly from those of my peers. I had multiple moments when this identity crisis would erupt.
A Polish teacher was once surprised that I did not speak Yiddish. “Are you even Jewish?!” she asked, questioning my largest personal identifier. In another elementary school assignment, we were asked to create a medieval-style coat of arms. I struggled to pick a flag that represented my family. As I sat around the dinner table with my parents, we crossed each option off the list–Russia, Uzbekistan, Persia (modern-day Iran)–until ultimately settling on Israel. The dissatisfaction with a discrete answer about our roots as Bukharian Jews led me to the Sephardi House Fellowship.
The fellowship is led by educator Ruben Shimonov (coincidentally, also a Bukharian Jew!) whose contagious passion for Sephardic and Mizrahi history and wisdom is eloquently articulated in his teaching. In monthly learning sessions, both in person and virtually, fellows are taught about Sephardi sages and leaders who have deeply influenced Jewish thought. Students also explore together the music, religious traditions, and histories of various North African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Central Asian Jewish communities. A recurring theme in the sessions that really intrigued me was how interconnected the Greater Sephardi world remained throughout the centuries. Finding out about my own ancestral connection to Rabbi Yosef Maimon HaMa’ravi, and consequently Maimonides himself, was quite a testament to the movement of ideas and people across the Greater Sephardi world.
One of the most beautiful parts about engaging with Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage is connecting to the rich music, and this year’s Shabbaton was certainly no different. Throughout the weekend, prayers, hymns and melodies from Jewish traditions such as Greek, Turkish, and Moroccan filled the room wherever we were–whether it was our hotel, the synagogues we attended (Temple Moses Sephardic Congregation of Florida and Chabad Downtown Jewish Center), or even when we were walking outside. On Shabbat morning, many of the male fellows took turns leading prayers and reading from the Torah, following their own community’s unique traditions–including Persian and Syrian. It was an incredibly enriching experience to fuse different liturgical styles into the same service.
Every student present had a unique family lineage, and the weekend retreat became a powerful opportunity to learn about one another through sharing our stories–whether it was a Libyan Israeli student from University of Pittsburgh, a Kavkazi-Iraqi fellow from Georgetown University, or a graduating senior of Egyptian Jewish heritage from Hamilton College. Fellows recounted stories, photographs, and mementos that gave the group a glimpse into their families and communities.
Despite the diversity within the group, the central theme of resilience was clear. After a lifetime of trying to find my place between rigid identity boxes, I felt a sense of belonging as we shared our stories, as well as a sense of passion that resonated throughout our group and our storytelling. Sharing anecdotes of family heroes and our rich traditions made me feel as though we were honoring our past and had brought all of our ancestors into the room with us–be they from Uzbekistan, Georgia, Yemen, or Sefarad (Spain) itself.
With so many dedicated and passionate young leaders in the same room, the potential to impact our communities was palpable. I am very grateful to Sephardi House for introducing me to this fantastic network, and giving me the opportunity to learn about our rich and intertwined histories while simultaneously building a brighter future.
Stop Fighting Antisemitism For Them And Start Building Jewish Joy For Us
GW student Benjamin Golsaz argues that investing in Jewish identity, culture, and community might do more than any PSA ever could.
By Benjamin Golsaz, Published in The OCU Chronicle, May 12, 2025
Jewish organizations need to stop spending their money outside the community on antisemitism. Now, it is one thing to spend money on allying with their other communities and promoting their causes as that is a mitzvah, but when it comes from antisemitism, how much does the Jewish community actually benefit from this battle? But before we get to the question of how much benefit the Jewish community gets from battling antisemitism, it is first important to understand where the battle against antisemitism occurs—and who is most affected by this battle?
In terms of the non-Jewish world, they are most affected by the battle against antisemitism through better access—better access to resources on the lives of Jews and better education on topics such as the Holocaust, the Spanish Inquisition, and tragedies in the Middle East such as the Farhud. Battling antisemitism means fighting against misconceptions and stereotypes forced onto Jews from the outside world. It means understanding that Jews come from all walks of life and from a myriad of different countries across the world. On a day-to-day basis, it means understanding the way politicians—even ordinary people—use words to send antisemitic messaging or even unknowingly erase our history.
But in terms of the Jewish world, what does the battle against antisemitism really mean? Many Jewish organizations treat the answer to both as being very similar, or that Jews should be more observant. But the issue is that neither sufficiently personalize the experience of the wider Jewish community. When treating the battle against antisemitism as experienced by Jews the same as that of any group, it denies the true uniqueness of the battle itself, not just for the Jewish community as a whole but also our relation to others.
Jews aren’t just part of the Jewish community—ask Jews in France, in Iran, in Israel, or in America, and the battle against antisemitism will look quite different. And when looking at it from a religious perspective, you deny the millennia during which current religious denominations didn’t yet exist, when people of all different observances prayed together as Jews. This then feeds into the idea that the only way to better connect through Judaism is through its religious aspects. But the idea of Judaism as a religion is still fairly new, and treating Judaism as only a religion is inaccurate. It’s easy to forget that Judaism is a 3,000 year old culture, and applying newer concepts to it can diminish its truth.
To go back to the idea of the personalization of the fight against antisemitism, it is important to note that on a daily basis, millions of Jews hardly even think about antisemitism or simply dismiss minor forms or internalizations as being unimportant…or worse yet, not a problem. Slogans discussing how none of us are free until all of us are free are okay to say, but what does they actually mean? How am I not free right now? I’m seemingly free to write this article without any repercussions or consequences. On a daily basis, I’m not actively fighting against other people’s antisemitic beliefs. Even for those who are not public about their Judaism, it doesn’t mean that they are not constantly hiding or facing antisemitic threats daily. But that’s the issue, no? Antisemitism in the wider world isn’t fought unless it is right in front of people’s faces. But for us Jews, fighting antisemitism shouldn’t have to mean trying to get other people to understand it.
Within the Jewish community, the battle against antisemitism feels like more of a lack of understanding of ourselves, and a lack of understanding of each other. Unfortunately, many Jews don’t know their own personal family history nor where they came from. This is due to a myriad of sad and tragic regions, but it also exposes a big problem in this fight. If we can’t understand—and be able to enjoy—the rich complexities of the Jewish experience, how can we expect anyone else to? If we can’t enrich ourselves with the understanding and experience of different walks of the Jewish experience, how can antisemitism be adequately fought against anywhere?
That’s why I am using this article to personally advocate for an end to large advertising campaigns about antisemitism marketed to the outside world, and instead push for more experiences where Jews can come together—joined in similar interests with the space to simply enjoy our shared company and time together. I would push for less advertising like those that we saw during the Super Bowl and for more Pesach and fellowship programs involving trips. I would push for more resources that allow people to learn their own particular Jewish language and better understand their own personal family history and how it relates to the wider Jewish community. We need to be able to understand each other and the differences that make up the beautiful mosaic of the wider Jewish world.
Currently, I’m a fellow of Sephardi House, a fellowship program under the American Sephardi Federation. In this program, we have fellows from across America come together to discuss the intricacies of Sephardic Judaism and our own personal connection to it. Many of us feel a strong connection not just to Judaism in general but to our own specific culture. For Persian Jews for example, is that culture a type of a Jewish experience, or is it a kind of Persian experience? The truth is that for many, it’s neither since it’s too closely tied to both, so it often feels like a beautiful chaotic mishmash of two cultures blending to make their own unique traditions seen nowhere else.
Whether Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Asian, etc., this is true for all the cultures that the Jewish experience encompasses. Fortunately, all of our individual cultures are able to come together after over 3000 years under the banner of Judaism. As a community, we need to be able to recognize the varying ways we all come together and adequately support the unique ways Jews experience the world through their own cultures.
This is what the Sephardi House did for me through their two shabbatons, especially through the most recent one. Last Fall, we had a shabbaton for this year’s fellowship and more recently, we had a shabbaton for all current and past ASF members. To say the Spring shabbaton was beyond amazing would be an understatement. The shabbaton was one of the most healing experiences of my life because it allowed me to experience my own culture exactly as it is—unfiltered. The shabbaton allowed me to truly express my own identity, experience, and who I am. This kind of experience needs to be more widespread in the Jewish community, and the amount of pride within each individual community needs to be celebrated to encourage a better understanding of how they fit into the Jewish world, and the wider world as a whole.
