The Sephardic Temple

Serving Long Island’s Five Towns, the Sephardic Temple at Cedarhurst was founded in 1963. According to scholar Aviva Ben-Ur in her book Sephardic Jews in America, the founding members of the Sephardic Temple were Sephardic Jews primarily from Monastir (Bitola, in today’s Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). During their service in the American military during World War II, some of them came into contact with other forms of Judaism and decided to create a synagogue outside of New York City that preserved Sephardic customs and practices while adapting to new preferences. Rabbi Arnold Marans, ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1953, has served as the rabbi of the Sephardic Temple since its founding, learned the Sephardic traditions, and has sought to instill them in the younger generations. The community is highly active with daily minyamin, weekly Shabbat and high holiday services, community events, Torah classes, and more.