The American Sephardi Federation was officially
organized in 1973. The founders envisioned
an organization that would strengthen and organize the religious
and cultural activities of Sephardic Jews, and preserve the
Sephardic heritage, tradition and culture in the United States
and throughout the world. These founders were also determined
to assist Sephardic charitable, cultural, religious and educational
institutions; assist in the publication of books and literature
dealing with the Sephardic culture and tradition; disseminate
information and strengthen the ties with the State of Israel.
In 2002, the ASF and Sephardic House, then
sharing space at the Center for
Jewish History in New York City, became affiliated in order
to create one stronger organization. Today, the American Sephardi
Federation with Sephardic House
now operates as one national Jewish organization with local
chapters. It is dedicated to ensuring that the history, legacies
and traditions of the great Sephardic communities throughout
the world be recorded, remembered and celebrated as an integral
part of Jewish heritage.
The Beginnings
The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) was
originally formed in 1952 as a branch of
the World Sephardi Federation (WSF), which was formed that
year in Vienna to unify Sephardic communities around the world
under one umbrella. The first ASF president was Simon Nessim,
who passed on in 1968.
The organization remained inactive until 1972
when at the Second American Zionist Federation Convention in
Chicago, the American and Israeli branches of the WSF decided
to revitalize Sephardic communal organization in America. A
committee formed under the leadership of Professor Daniel J.
Elazar, then Professor of Political Science at Temple University
and Founding Director of its Center for the Study of Federalism.
Elazar subsequently became the Senator N.M. Paterson Professor
in Intergovernmental Relations at Bar-Ilan University in Israel
and head of its Institute for Local Government, as well as the
Founder and President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Elazar proposed five goals for what was to be the new
American Sephardi Federation:
- To strengthen the unity of Jewry and Judaism by organizing
and coordinating the diffusion of Jewish culture among the
Sephardim;
- To defend and foster the religious and cultural activities
of all the Sephardi communities and to preserve their spiritual
heritage by every means possible;
- To contribute to the general well being of Sephardi communities
and representative organizations by moral and material assistance
when necessary;
- To take an active part in the Jewish renaissance and
to cooperate with other organizations with similar objectives;
- To assist Sephardim desirous of immigrating to Israel
and establishing themselves there.
From 1973-1975, Daniel Elazar served as
the first president of the ASF. During his tenure, the ASF
became the leading representative of American Sephardim. The
ASF’s appeal to the American Sephardic community was
fostered by its strong emphasis on Sephardic education and
Sephardic cultural and religious issues. The organization’s
continued ties with the World Sephardi Federation
and the American Zionist Federation, and
the adoption of the objectives of these organizations, showed
American Sephardim that the ASF would continue to cooperate
on issues that were of importance to both Sephardim and the
Jewish community as a whole. By the time the 1978
World Jewish Congress was convened, the ASF had become the
representative voice of the American Sephardi community.
One of the most important functions of the ASF was the role
it came to play in the lives of Sephardic youth. The first
National ASF Youth Convention was convened in Atlanta in November
1973 with the participation of 450 young
Sephardim. Subsequent conferences were held in Los Angeles,
Jerusalem, Philadelphia, and Miami. Youth activities organized
by the ASF were generally in the field of education, with
summer study programs in Israel and summer camps in the U.S.,
as well as affiliation with Sephardic synagogue youth groups.
The ASF also helped Sephardic communities to organize communal
celebrations, and helped to provide religious education to
Sephardic youth.
The ASF became extremely active in expressing the Sephardic
community’s support of Israel and the plight of the
Jews remaining in Arab Lands. During the 1973
Yom Kippur War and its immediate aftermath, the ASF mobilized
the American Sephardim to contribute significantly to the
fundraising in support of Israel. The ASF also took part in
one of the largest public shows of support for Jews remaining
in Syria and Iraq. In April 1974 more than
5,000 people gathered at the Syrian Mission to the United
Nations to protest the mistreatment of the Syrian and Iraqi
Jewish communities and to demand their right to emigrate.
This rally and the public outreach that followed helped to
bring the plight of Jews in Arab lands to the world’s
attention. The ASF had made significant inroads toward raising
Sephardic issues such as cultural preservation and the plight
of Jews in Arab lands into the consciousness of American Jews
and society.
1975-1982
Under the leadership of its new president, Liliane Winn Shalom
(1975-1982), the ASF worked to bring the
status and persecution of Jews in Arab Lands to the attention
of the American public and government, calling for support
of their right to emigrate. A full-page advertisement was
placed in the New York Times in response to Saddam Hussein
and Muammer Qadafi’s “offer” of return.
Efforts were also made to aid Sephardim living in impoverished
development towns in Israel through the United Jewish Appeal’s
Project Renewal, which helped to educate Sephardic youth and
to build affordable housing for Sephardic families. At the
same time, the ASF joined hands with other Jewish organizations
to call on the U.S. government to bring about an end to the
Soviet mistreatment of Jews and to allow them the full right
to practice their religion or emigrate.
A New Era
In 1982 Leon Levy became president and served
until 2001, when he became Honorary Lifetime
President of the organization. Under his leadership, the ASF
concentrated on coordinating American Sephardi communities.
Leon Levy brought national attention and honor to ASF when
he became the first Sephardic Chairman of the Conference
of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, serving from
1997-1999. Through his vision and efforts,
in 1999 the ASF became a founding partner
at the Center for Jewish History
(CJH) in New York, joining in partnership with the American
Jewish Historical Society, the Yeshiva
University Museum, YIVO,
and the Leo Baeck Institute.
With the move to its quarters at the CJH, the ASF entered
a new era in its history. The availability of an excellent
auditorium made increased cultural programming possible, and
there was a significant growth in lectures, music, dance,
and other Sephardic cultural events. Vivienne Roumani-Denn,
originally from Benghazi, Libya, formerly the Judaica
Librarian at the University of California, Berkeley, came
to ASF in late 1999 to start a Sephardic
Library and Archives, With Randall C. Belinfante as the new librarian, the library and archives have grown dramatically until it now exceeds 6000 catalogued items, 2500 images, and 300 feet of archival documents.
The ASF opened the only dedicated Sephardic exhibition
space in North America under the leadership of Mimi Frank and Vivienne Roumani-Denn, who became executive director in 2000 and curated the opening exhibit of rare books and etchings from Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and England. Other Leon Levy Gallery exhibits have included spectacular photographs of Moroccan Jewish tombstones by Gary Beeber, Sephardic Haggadot, photographs of Jewish refugees from Morocco and Iraq, portraits of Jewish costumes from the Ottoman Empire and memories of Jewish life in Greece.
In 2001, Mike M. Nassimi assumed the leadership
of ASF as Chairman of the Board. Recent years have seen a
renewed emphasis on issues of concern to the Sephardic communities,
including Sephardi curriculum development, and a major effort
on behalf of the Jewish
refugees from Arab lands. On June 6, 2002,
the American Sephardi Federation and Sephardic House became
affiliated and Sephardic House, became the cultural division
of the ASF with responsibilities for programming and publishing.
Today
In April 2003, David E Dangoor took the helm
as the new and current President. Under his leadership, ASF
with Sephardic House has published a new magazine, The
Sephardi Report
was created and an outreach to other Sephardic communities
around the world has been emphasized. Working hand in hand
with the Director, Esme Emmanuel Berg, they have succeeded
in making the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic
House an increasingly important partner and representative
of the Sephardic history and heritage at the Center
for Jewish History.
The activities of the American Sephardi Federation with
Sephardic House include a Sephardic
library, publications,
cultural and educational programming
dealing with the Sephardic experience including the International
Sephardic Film Festival, the only permanent
Sephardic exhibition gallery
and a scholarship
program for Sephardic studies. Since its arrival at the
Center for Jewish History,
the archival holdings
and library of ASF have
been enriched with valuable records of personal and community
history.
The Sephardim were the first Jews to settle in the Western
hemisphere and the ASF with Sephardic House seeks
to educate the broader American Jewish and non-Jewish communities
about the unique history and values it perpetuates, while
revitalizing younger Sephardic generations. ASF with 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.
As time has passed and the organization has evolved, the
focus has shifted from time to time to emphasize some goals
more than on others, but the mission
to preserve and promote Sephardic culture and support American
Sephardic communities remains as strong as ever.
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