January 31, 2019

Join the Sephardic Brotherhood, Sephardic Heritage International DC (SHINDC), and Kehila Kedosha Janina for the first ever Commemoration of the Sephardic and Greek Jewish Experience in the Holocaust at our Nation's Capitol. The Event is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Raskin and will be held on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives. Request an invitation by emailing info@shindc.org by Dec. 21

October 04, 2018

Join us and the American Sephardi Federation as we celebrate the best of our common Sephardic cultural with incredible music from communities around the world. This year's Festival features several Ladino-Sephardic performances from Renan Koen, the New York Andalus Ensemble, and more! Featuring world-class artists who reflect the rich mosaic culture of Greater Sephardic communities, the ASMF is a proud partner of the renowned Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques in Essaouira, Morocco.

October 4th: 
8:00 PM - Renan Koen
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
280 Broome Street

October 7th:
4:00 PM - Renan Koen
6:00 PM - Adam Maalouf
8:00 PM - New York Andalus Ensemble 

October 8th:
4:00PM - Lara Bello
6:00PM - Renan Koen
8:00PM - Yemen Blues (duo)

at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street 
New York City

Each concert is $20 - $30 (VIP including gold seating).
FESTIVAL PASS is $75 (allows access to every concerts)
VIP FESTIVAL PASS is $100 (allows access to every concerts with VIP seating + Access to the VIP closing party of October 8th at 10pm at the Center for Jewish History).

Questions? 
Email: asfmerchant@gmail.com or call 646.724.3129

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October 01, 2018

Join our friends at Kehila Kedosha Janina for their Greek Simhat Torah Celebration & Dinner Monday October 1 at 5:30pm. Erev Simhat Torah Services begin at 5:30pm including Minha, Arvith, and Hakafot followed by a Traditional Greek Jewish Dinner. All are welcome and please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

September 06, 2018

Dear Friends,

L'Shana Tova! On behalf of the entire Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, I would like to wish you a happy, healthy, and sweet new year, filled with the love of our Sephardic families and beautiful traditions. As we approach the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah (Sunday Sept. 9 - Tuesday Sept. 11), and Yom Kippur (Tuesday Sept. 18 - Wednesday Sept. 19), we at the Brotherhood want to make sure you know the Sephardic resources that are available around the country. Below you will find information regarding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Service Schedules in our Greek, Turkish, and Balkan Sephardic Communities throughout the United States. We have also included a number of recordings and links to various articles on the traditions and customs of our Jewish communities from Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans. As always, the Brotherhood is here to help support you and the entire Sephardic Community around the globe. If you have any questions or thoughts about the upcoming Holidays, please reach out to us at info@sephardicbrotherhood.com 

Anyada Buena i Dulce - To A Good and Sweet New Year!

Rabbi Nissim Elnecave
Executive Director ​

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Click HERE for the Full Holiday Message, Including special Holiday Recordings and Services Information

September 06, 2018

Join the Greek Jewish & Sephardic Young Professionals Network as they learn how to cook delicious homemade Spanakopita Cigars, Baklava, and Greek Salad. Professional Chef Evan Zagha will lead this interactive and delicious event on Thursday, September 6 at 6:30pm at Kehila Kedosha Janina. Open to young adults in their 20s and 30s. RSVP to GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com

August 17, 2018

Join the Sephardic Jewish Center of Forest Hills for a special Sephardic Shabbat Dinner with Rabbi Dr Asher Murciano, Rabbi of the Sephardic Jewish Center, and Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Executive Director of the Sephardic Brotherhood. The Shabbat will begin at 6:45pm with Kabbalat Shabbat Services followed by a Community Dinner. Price for Non-Members - $25, Members - $23, and        Students - $20. RSVP to sjcdinner@gmail.com or 718-268-2100

September 02, 2018

Join Congregation Sephardic Bikur Holim in Seattle for their annual Dezayuno Food Festival, Sunday Sept. 2! Enjoy authentic Sephardic kosher treats like Brekas, Bulemas, Biskochosm and Huevos Haminados for breakfast, followed by a meat lunch and kids activities including a Henna Artist, Magician, and more. Admission is free and everyone is invited!

March 01, 2018

Applications for this year's Sephardic Scholars Program are now out! To support the next generation and recognize their educational achievements, the Brotherhood established its Sephardic Scholarship Program to help them excel academically and ensure money will never be a obstacle to advancing an education. Each year, the Brotherhood's Scholarship Committee awards financial scholarships to High School, College, and Graduate Students around the country.

February 14, 2018

Purim Alegre! On behalf of the entire Sephardic Brotherhood and its leadership, I want to wish you all a happy Purim, filled with joy, laughter, and love of our Sephardic traditions. Find out more about our Sephardic Purim traditions, including Ladino songs, delicious foods, and traditional celebration customs. The Brotherhoodd has also gathered info about all the Sephardic Purim events happening around the country. Check it out!

February 16, 2018

Dear Friends,

As many of you already know, this past Wednesday saw the horrific attack on a public school in South Florida,  taking the lives of 17 young students. This shooting, horrible as it already is, also hits close to home for our Jewish Community, as five of the victims, four students and one teacher, were Jewish. We are also sorry to say that one of those victims, Alyssa Miriam Alhadeff, was a member of our Sephardic Community. We are heartbroken by this and pray that Hashem will help comfort the Alhadeff family and all the families of all of the victims of Majority Stoneman Douglas High School.

Rabbi Daniel Hadar and our friends at Temple Moses in Florida are working to raise funds to help supplement the burial and financial expenses at this extraordinarily difficult time. If you would like to help or send a message of condolences to the Alhadeff family, or any family affected by this terrible event, please contact the Temple Moses Bikur Holim Fund at 1200 Normandy Drive, Miami Beach 33131, 305-861-6308, or contact@templemoses.com.

Min hashamayyim tenuchamu – Mas Por Ningunos No. May G-d comfort the families from Heaven Above.

Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé
Executive Director

January 18, 2018

Dear Friends, 

It is my pleasure to inform you of the newly elected Officers and Central Council Members of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America. I would like to thank all our members for participating in this year's elections and for your continuous contribution to the wider Sephardic Community. I would also like to give a personal acknowledgement to the outgoing Officers of the Brotherhood for their years of committed service to the organization.  Their work has been critical to the health and wellbeing of our Sephardic Community and we thank them for their dedication to the Sephardic Brotherhood. Congratulations and Mazal Bueno to all the newly elected Officers and Central Council Members and I wish them all the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Joseph J. Toledo
President

June 24, 2018

The Brotherhood is thrilled to announce tentative dates for the annual Sephardic Birthright Trip! For 10 days, you'll be able to travel around the country with amazing people with Sephardic, Greek, and Turkish backgrounds, all while exploring everything Israel has to offer. You'll be able to ride camels in the desert, raft down the Jordan River, explore the Old City in Jerusalem, and a whole lot more. 

The trip is tentatively set for June 24 - July 4 and is totally free. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 26 who hasn't been on a Birthright Israel trip before is eligible. What's more, we are working on creating an extended portion of the Trip to Salonica, Greece! Even if you've been to Israel before on a non-birthright trip, you may still be eligible. Click on the above image to watch a video of las year's trip created by one of our very own participants. If you or someone you know are interested, be sure to email us at info@sephardicbrotherhood.com! Applications go live at the end of January.

January 28, 2018

Join the American Sephardi Federation for a festival of stories and songs celebrating Ladino, the remarkable language also known as Judeo-Spanish.

Dr. Jane Mushabac will perform excerpts from her highly acclaimed 2016 novel, rich with Ladino expressions: His Hundred Years, A Tale. Also hear wonderful singer/accordionist Jane Carver; renowned Sephardic thought leaders, Rabbi Marc Angel and Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé; and a musical finale by the illustrious Trio Sefardi, with Howard Bass, Tina Chancey, and Susan Gaeta, who has toured with the legendary Flory Jagoda.

November 14, 2017

This week marks 14 years since the terror attacks at the Neve Shalom and Bet Israel Synagogues in Istanbul, killing 23 people and injuring hundreds in 2003. In New York, the Sephardic Community held a special memorial ceremony commemorating their meldado - the anniversary of their passing. May their memories be for a blessing.

June 11, 2017

Congratulations to this year's Brotherhood Sephardic Scholars! To support the next generation and recognize the educational achievements of our youngest members, the Brotherhood established its Sephardic Scholarship Program to help them excel academically and ensure money will never be an obstacle to advancing an education. Each year, the Brotherhood's Scholarship Committee awards financial scholarships to High School, College, and Graduate Students around the country. These funds provide for students' tuition support and help ensure their academic success. Generations of members have been supported through these scholarships, many of whom have come back to endow specific awards within the Sephardic Scholars Program. This year's awards also featured a special performance of Adio Kerida, a traditional Ladino song, sung by Scholarship Recipient Carly Baron. To all those recipients, we wish them a mazal bueno ke tengash and cannot wait to see their future success!

July 28, 2017

We are excited to announce a call for nominations of any of our members for upcoming elections for the Sephardic Brotherhood Central Council. The Central Council is the primary representative body of the Sephardic Brotherhood and speaks for our members all across the country. The Council is responsible for setting the Brotherhood's long term strategy and vision, as well as electing the Brotherhood Executive Committee and Officers that administer the day-to-day operations, such as the President or Secretary. Central Council members are required to attend two to three meetings a year (usually on Sunday mornings with a Sephardic Brunch) that typically last 2-3 hours. 

We need your voice and input to help us to better serve our Sephardic communities nationwide! Any member of the Brotherhood is eligible to run for Central Council and we strongly encourage youth members (ages 20-25) and junior members (18-20) to run (Subscribing to La Boz Sefaradi does not necessarily mean you are a registered member of the Brotherhood). If you wish to nominate yourself or anyone else to be on the ballot, please fill out the short online form linked below or email Office@Sephardicbrotherhood.com with your nominations. Please note the deadline to submit nominations has been extended until Friday, July 28.

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CLICK HERE to nominate a Member Now!

June 11, 2017

We are thrilled to announce the first Celebration of Judeo-Spanish in New York on Sunday, June 11, 2017! Judeo-Spanish, also know as Ladino, Judezmo, and Haketia, is the native language of Jewish communities from Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, and parts of North Africa. To help preserve this beautiful language for the next generation, the Sephardic Brotherhood is partnering with the Department of Judaic Studies at Binghamton University to create a day devoted to learning Judeo-Spanish and celebrating our common Sephardic culture. The Celebration is open to individuals of all ages and backgrounds and will include lectures from prominent Judeo-Spanish academics, Sephardic community leaders, a Sephardic Community Panel, and our special Ora de Alegria (social hour), featuring delicious Sephardic food, wine, and traditional music. If you have any questions, email us at info@sephardicbrotherhood.com or call 718-685-0080. We hope to see you there!

May 21, 2017

Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of our Jewish communities! Experience authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing and live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, and much more!

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The Brotherhood is thrilled to be sponsoring this year's festival, an initiative of Kehila Kedosha Janina, one of our synagogues in New York. Kehila Kedosha Janina (the Holy Community of Janina) is the only Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Romaniote Jews are a unique community of Jewish people whose history in Greece dates back over 2,300 years to the time of Alexander the Great. The Romaniotes are historically distinct from the Sephardim, who settled in Greece after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

Kehila Kedosha Janina is a NYC designated landmark, and continues to hold services every Saturday morning as well as for all Jewish holidays. In addition, it houses a museum about Greek Jewry that is open to the public every Sunday, as well as by appointment. The museum serves as a repository for both Romaniote and Sephardic history, especially on the Lower East Side, and hosts many educational events including lectures, book signings, movie screenings, and concerts.

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Check out more info on the Greek Jewish Festival, along with photos and highlights from last year's festival, at GreekJewishFestival.com

Led by Rabbi Nissim Elnecave every Tuesday night at 8pm, this weekly class discusses Romaniote and Sephardic traditions from Greece, Turkey, Spain, and beyond. Class topics include Hebrew liturgy and Ladino songs, Romaniote and Sephardic perspectives on the Torah, holiday celebrations, and much more. Open to young adults in their 20's and 30's. RSVP to GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com

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The mission of the Greek Jewish Young Professionals Network is to provide a venue where young professionals of Greek Jewish and Sephardic descent can come together in a fun, meaningful, and welcoming environment. By building off of our shared culture and heritage, it hosts professional and social programs that help us advance our careers, our community, and our Jewish education. Its aim to connect the next generation of Sephardic and Romaniote Jews in the NYC metropolitan area by offering a setting where individuals can share ideas, knowledge, traditions, and business opportunities. It welcome descendants from Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, and other traditionally Ladino-speaking Sephardic communities. If you are interested in getting involved and are in your 20s or 30s please reach out to our Director, Andrew Marcus, at GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com. 

April 23, 2017

Join the Sephardic Brotherhood as we commemorate the lives and legacies of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, specifically the tens of thousands Ladino speaking Sephardic Jews from the Balkans. The candle lighting and traditional prayers will follow a special film screening of Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria, Directed by Lawrence Russo and Larry Confino.

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This moving documentary illuminates the lives of a Greek Sephardic community whose story speaks for people who have been decimated by war and discrimination. The story is set in the beautiful, idyllic city of Kastoria where Jews and Christians lived in harmony for over two millennia. In October of 1940 all would change after the invasion of Greece by Axis forces. Initially occupied by Italy, the Jewish community remained safe- but after Mussolini fell from power the Nazis took control of the town- dooming the community that had existed since the times of the Roman Empire.

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The film uses never before seen archival footage, vibrantly bringing to life just one of the many Jewish communities that had existed in Greece before the end of World War II. “Trezoros” (Ladino/Judeo-Spanish term of endearment meaning “Treasures”) is a highly emotional story told by it’s survivors, with interviews filmed on location in Kastoria, Thessaloniki, Athens, Tzur Moshe, Tel Aviv, Miami, Los Angeles and New York.

February 17, 2017

Join the Greek Jewish Young Professionals Network for a Sephardic Shabbaton on Friday, February 17 to Saturday February 18 with other young Sephardic professionals from the New York City Area. Enjoy amazing Sephardic food from the Balkans and meet other young Jews in their 20s and 30s.

January 14, 2017

Join the Greek Jewish and Sephardic Young Professionals Network at New York's largest festival of music and dance from the Balkans and beyond. Golden Festival is a once-in-a-lifetime experience with 60 bands and 3000 revelers. Called a Balkan Mardi Gras and 'grassroots fold rave," it features an enormous range of artists freely sharing their music. Anchored in Balkan traditions (roughly Romania to Greece, Croatia to Turkey), and venturing generously beyond, the programming spans the ancient and the experimental, the out and the synthesizer. 

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Saturday, January 14 6pm - 2am at Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave. Brooklyn 

Purchase Tickets at Goldenfest.org/tickets 

RSVP to GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com

December 11, 2016

Join the Sephardic Community of Atlanta for their 41st Annual Hanukkah Bazaar from 11am - 5pm this upcoming Sunday! Enjoy some delicious Mediterranean and Sephardic Kosher Cuisine, including handmade delicacies and pastries, children's games and activities, gift stalls, and much more. The event will also include an International Dinners Auction as well as a gently-used book sale, all held at Congregation Or Veshalom in Atlanta, Georgia.

July 16, 2017

The Greek Jewish & Sephardic Young Professionals Network is thrilled to announce a new Jewish Tour of Greece for young professionals in their 20s and 30s next summer! Discover your heritage and connect with other young Greek Jews from Greece while traveling to beautiful Sephardic cities like Thessaloniki, Verroia, Athens, and Mykonos. The trip will be from July 17 - July 27, 2017. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and if you are interested in joining and are in your 20's or 30's please reach out at GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com

November 07, 2016

For the next month, the Consulate General of Greece in New York is hosting a very special exhibit about the more than 600 Greek Jews who participated in the Greek Resistance during WWII. It is a powerful exhibit demonstrating the bravery of Greek Jews in fighting the Nazi forces. 

November 06, 2016

Join the Greek Jewish and Sephardic Young Professionals Network for a hike on Bear Mountain this Sunday, November 6. Come meet other young professionals in their 20s and 30s while enjoying the amazing elements of New York's state parks. Please RSVP at greekjewishypn@gmail.com. Event opened to those in their 20s and 30s. 

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September 24, 2016

Over 350 guests gathered at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst, Long Island, to enjoy live music and feast on traditional Jewish cuisine from Greece and Turkey in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Brotherhood. Members from around the country came in celebration and to enjoy live music and feast on traditional Jewish cuisine from Greece and Turkey—tarama (fish roe salad), fasolia (green beans in tomato), bamyas (stewed okra), and raki and lokum (Turkish delights) for dessert—and celebrate the centennial of a pillar of New York’s Sephardic community: the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America. While the celebration will be an opportunity to honor the organization’s past and present, there is also a sense of uncertainly about its future: engaging the next generation of the Brotherhood is integral to its success.

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Read More of the Summary and Future Plans of the Brotherhood on an Article Commemorating our 100th Anniversary linked here on Tablet Magazine.