Partner Organizations
The Sephardic Brotherhood is proud to work with a number of Sephardic and Jewish organizations around the country with the purpose of preserving our collective and unique heritage. Many of the founding members of the Brotherhood were also founders of these partner organizations.
The American Sephardi Federation (ASF)
The American Sephardi Federation was founded in 1973 as an organization to advanced Sephardic scholarship and preserve our common heritage. In 2002 it affiliated with Sephardic House to create one larger, stronger organization. With its main office in New York City, the ASF with Sephardic House is a national Jewish organization dedicated to ensuring that the history, legacies, and traditions of the great Sephardi communities throughout the world be recorded, remembered, and celebrated as an integral part of the Jewish heritage. The the ASF/SH seeks to educate the broader American Jewish and non-Jewish communities about the unique history and values it perpetuates, while revitalizing a sense of affiliation and commitment among the younger Sephardi generations. ASF/SH endeavors to foster understanding and cooperation with significant members of the non-Jewish community of the countries where Sephardim lived in peace and harmony for so many generations.
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The activities of ASF include a Sephardi library, publications, and cultural and educational programming dealing with the Sephardi experience, including the International Sephardi Film Festival, the only permanent Sephardi exhibition gallery in New York, and the Sephardi Report. Since its arrival at the Center for Jewish History, New York, which is the joint home of the Yivo Institute, The Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the American Jewish Historical Society, the archival holdings and library of ASF have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history.
The American Friends of Turkish Jewry
American Friends of Turkish Jewry, Inc. is a non-profit organization which aims to raise needed funds for the Jewish Community in Turkey to improve the quality and security of the schools, synagogues, youth organizations, hospitals, retirement homes and other community organizations.
The Jewish Community of Turkey is unique in world history for building a strong foundation for Jewish life in a predominantly Muslim country. It's a living example of how Jews and Muslims can prosper and worship in harmony and with mutual respect. The leadership role the Jewish Community plays in Turkish business and civic affairs is key to strengthening and sustaining Turkish-American-Israeli relations.
Sadly the very existence of the Jewish Community in Turkey is at risk, threatened not only by physical terrorist attacks on the synagogues, but by low birth rates, an aging population and a weakened sense of Jewish identity among its youth. As all communities of the Diaspora face these challenges, the more information is exchanged, the more all Jews can learn from each others experiences and the stronger communities become. The significance of helping one another in times of need is undeniable.
AFTJ's role in helping achieve these goals is of utmost importance. Through fundraising efforts in the United States from within the Turkish-Jewish community itself and from various Jewish organizations, we not only will strengthen the ties that bind us all together, but will be able to help the Jewish Community in Turkey to survive and prosper.
The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry
The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry continues to be one of the only organizations in the United States dedicated exclusively to Greek Jewry and we take this responsibility seriously. Its primary goal is to continue to support the history and heritage of the Jewish communities of Greece through education, restoration, and preservation initiatives both in the United States and around the globe. It has continued to serve as a resource for both Jews and non-Jews alike to learn about the unique Romaniote Jewish tradition and ensure that those who perished in the Holocaust in Greece will never be forgotten.
When the United States Holocaust Museum was searching for a means to increase their photo archives on Greek Jews, they contacted the Association. When the Consul General of Greece in New York needed names for the annual January 27th commemoration of Greek-Jewish Holocaust losses, they contacted the Association. When the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki wanted help in distributing their English-language newsletter [El Avenir], they contacted the Association. When the Jewish Community of Ioannina needed help in restoring their synagogue and cemetery, they contacted the Association. When Corfiote Jews in the Diaspora wished to raise funds for a memorial plaque in the synagogue in Corfu, they contacted the Association. When the synagogue in Rhodes was in jeopardy of collapsing, the Jewish Community of Rhodes contacted the Association.
The American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece
The American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece (AFJMG) was founded in 1982 by Dimitri Molfetas in order to promote and provide much-needed financial support to the Jewish Museum of Greece that was founded in 1977.
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​The idea of building a Jewish Museum of Greece was first conceived in the 1970’s by members of the Jewish Community of Athens, who offered every kind of assistance towards the realization of this dream. The Museum was first established in 1977 and housed in a small room next to the city’s synagogue. It housed objects salvaged from WWII, whether artifacts, documents and manuscripts of the 19th and 20th centuries, or the jewelry of the Jews of Thrace that had been seized by the Bulgarians in 1943. The latter had been returned to the Greek government after the abdication of the Bulgarian king and the establishment of a communist regime in the country. Over the next few decades, the museum would continue to grow and gain support from organizations like the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry and the American Friends of the Jewish Museum.
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On March 10th, 1998, the new building of the JMG was inaugurated and a new area begun for the Museum. In the following years it developed significantly and extended all its activities, and especially the educational ones. It improved its visitors services and conducted thorough research efforts, the results of which were communicated through several temporary exhibitions and special publications. Today, the museum is a thriving center of education and a testament to the history of the Jews of Greece.
