As we head into the new year, Sephardi Voices is on the move once again. In October 2023, the National Library of Israel will be inaugurating its new building situated between the Knesset and the Israel Museum in the heart of Jerusalem.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ISRAEL designed by world renowned Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron
We have been invited to the VIP opening, and to finalize our discussions regarding the deposit of the entire Sephardi Voices collection in 2024, as well as the opening of a special portrait exhibition of our interviewees. We are indebted to the many volunteers, interviewees, donors, and organizations that are making this possible. Many of those interviewed were highlighted in our recent publication, Sephardi Voices: The Untold Expulsion of Jews from Arab Lands.
Sephardi Voices has continued to evolve in dynamic new ways. In March, we introduced students at the American University of Rome to Libyan refugees and brought them to the Great Synagogue for Purim. The Great Synagogue also houses the Jewish Museum of Rome and is a location for a future Sephardi Voices portrait exhibit.
March 6, 2023
Purim, the sanctuary of the Great Synagogue, Rome.
In Canada, Sephardi Voices became the first organization that featured a Sephardi experience and shabbat in Israel as part of the March of the Living educational program, which brings students from around the world to encounter the remnants of the Holocaust, followed by a celebration of Israel by sharing the experience of Independence Day.
April 28, 2023
SV Israel Director Tamar Morad speaking at Kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar, PBL photography.
This autumn, several events have been planned in Canada and the United States for Yom Haplitim (Sephardi/Mizrahi Refugee Day). We will partner, for the first time, with national organizations to launch a significant new initiative to highlight Sephardi/Mizrahi heritage.
In Montreal, Sephardi Voices will present a special event with CIJA, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada.
In Miami, Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, and the American Jewish Committee will be joining us for the first time. Miami and Montreal have been at the center of collecting interviews for Sephardi Voices.
December 4th, 2022
Miami mayor, Danielle Levine-Cava speaking at SV Yom Halplitim event.
For many years, we have labored to construct a more inclusive Jewish story of Israel and the Diaspora by bringing the voices of Jews from Islamic lands to the table. The National Library of Israel will provide an open platform for everybody, and we invite more national organizations to join us in this effort. May 5784 bring more balance to the Jewish world and may you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a sweet year.
Henry Green
Executive Director, Sephardi Voices
To help Sephardi Voices continue the effort to collect the interviews of those displaced and preserve the Sephardi legacy, we urge you to donate now.