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SSC Communities Around the World In the following locations are some of the Russia: Currently, the SSC is sponsoring an emergency program for
the nearly 10,000 Sephardim left in the Former Soviet Union. We have opened
three full time schools in Buchara, Pytagorsk and Tashkent. With a growing
enrollment of over 1,000 students, our first step is to strengthen our
Sephardic brethren towards traditional observance. Many of our FSU graduates
are now studying in religious schools here in Israel. Your continued support
of this vital project will ensure the future of these and strengthen these
traditional Sephardic Community. When the Iron Curtain fell, many Jews remained in Russia.
While Moscow and the north appeared to enjoy self-sufficient Jewish communities,
their sister communities in the south, were withering away, deprived of
any nurturing to the Jewish soul. Caucus and Uzbekistan, two southern
regions, stood heavily populated by Sephardic Jews. For the past 70 years,
with a dormant synagogue, they could barely acknowledge their heritage. Alerted to the danger that the Jews could and would be lost
without their intervention, the SSC began its involvement and sent a rabbi
to Caucus and Uzbekistan to open a synagogue. In addition, rabbis were
dispatched to the cities of Bukhara and Pyategorsk to revive the synagogues
there and jumpstart informal education programs. Russian-speaking teachers
were trained so they could impart basic Jewish values, the Hebrew alphabet
and Jewish holiday information to the children. Under the aegis of Rabbis
Samuel Kassin, Eliyahu Shamoula and Tuvia Kiel, the schools were extremely
successful and grew into full-time Jewish day schools teaching secular
studies as well. The schools now educate more than 1,000 students in grades
kindergarten through high school and all are recognized by the Board of
Education. One thousand students now begin their day with tefillah (morning
prayer), receive warm kosher meals for breakfast and lunch and graduate
with high school diplomas. As a result of the strengthened Jewish identity of these
communities, the rate of assimilation and intermarriage has declined dramatically. As an outgrowth of these schools the SSC has brought 250
children from Russia to Israel. This was also a catalyst for many of their
families to make aliyah. Munich, Germany - Rabbi Haim Soussan Over the past fifteen years many Russian Jews have settled
in Munich, including Sephardim from Uzbekistan and Bukhara. Because of
their secular upbringing in Soviet Russia they have had little or no exposure
to Judaism and religious training. A spiritual leader was urgently needed
to fill this vacuum. The SSC sent a graduate, Rabbi Haim Soussan, to educate
the Jewish masses to enhance their Jewish knowledge. Rabbi Soussan, a
native German, has succeeded in strengthening Jewish life by making kosher
meat available and by organizing Jewish educational classes for all ages. Turkey - Rabbi Isaac Perez & Rabbi Izak Alalouf The Jewish population in Turkey is founded mainly in the
cities of Istanbul and Izmir. Considered nice-sized communities by any
standard, they enjoy a population of 23,000 Sephardim and 2000 Ashkenazim.
Described as strong and close-knit, there was in need for additional Jewish
communal resources, especially in Izmir. With an existing presence of
a Chief Rabbinate, the communities were in need of additional mohelim
and support in their Jewish educational systems. The SSC trained and dispatched both Rabbi Perez and Rabbi
Alalouf to serve the communities. Rabbi Perez is a member of the Rabbinate,
heads a synagogue, teaches at the Jewish School, is a sofer, and a shochet.
The result is an increased level of learning and greater observance of
kashrut. Due to the greater availability of kosher items more of the Jewish
Community now observe kashrut. There is a tremendous need for more educators and educational
programs. This is a large community with many students and a vast potential
for Jewish growth. Cordoba, Argentina - Rabbi Rafael Zerajia More than 10,000 Jews reside in Cordoba, Argentina, but
in recent years the Sephardic community was losing its hold on Orthodoxy.
The fear that it would fall prey to assimilation and die out completely
was heeded by the SSC and Rabbi Rafael Zerajia was dispatched to remedy
the dire situation. Rabbi Zerajia established many educational programs within
the community including three-day seminars about Judaism and lessons on
kashrut. He was so successful in heightening the community's awareness
of Judaism and Sephardic rituals that several homes have been made kosher
and 35 students from Cordoba opted to partake in a six-week program in
Israel. Bogota, Colombia - Rabbi Shlomo Elharar, Rabbi Moshe
Yerushalmi There are several hundred Sephardic families in Bogota.
Before the SSC's involvement in the community most of these families had
very few religious experiences and practices. There wasn't any kosher
food available in Bogota, not even at The Jewish Center's Social Hall.
The SSC recognized the need improve the quality of Jewish life in the
community and sent Rabbi Moshe Yerushalmi (shohet, mohel and teacher)
and Rabbi Ari Azancot (Chief Rabbi of Bogota), and later Rabbi Haim Ovadia
(rabbi, teacher and hazan) to Bogota. With the help of these Rabbis, the
spiritual dynamics of the Sephardic Jewish Community in Bogota improved.
The once non-kosher kitchen in the Jewish Center has become kosher for
all affairs. A higher level of Jewish observance and awareness was adopted
throughout the community. The mikvah that had been used by three families
was refurbished and is busy nearly every evening of the week. Today Rabbi
Moshe Yerushalmi retains his post and actively continues to provide additional
kashrut services for the growing observant community. Rabbi Shlomo Elharar
(Chief Rabbi, dayan and spiritual leader), has filled the position of
Chief Rabbi of Bogota replacing Rabbi Azancot. Avraham Ben Guigui, a candidate
for graduation, has been serving the Bogota community as the High Holiday
hazan for several years. In 1994, Bogota hosted the annual conference of the International
Sephardic Rabbinical Assembly (ISRA, SSC's rabbinical graduates and honorary
graduates from around the world), with the Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi
Eliyahu Bakshi Doron in attendance. This great honor to the Bogota community
could not have been accomplished without the SSC graduates' presence.
There are 12,000 Jews in Bogota, of whom about 5,000
are Sephardic. There are presently two SSC rabbinic graduates serving
as spiritual leaders of the community. A generous individual from Bogota was so impressed with
the SSC's outreach efforts he gave $18,000 to Rabbi Kassin (Dean of
SSC) when he was visiting. Bombay, India - Yehoshua Kolet Jewish life in India can be traced back a thousand years
to the Benei Yisrael sect, a sect that has, for all intents and purposes,
been cut off from all things Jewish for nearly that long. There also exists
a population of Iraqi Jews who were able to maintain aspects of their
heritage for many years but have recently been faltering. In 1949, 100
Iraqis and 20,000 Benei Yisrael Jews immigrated to Israel. They left behind
a mere 7,000 Jews in Bombay with no spiritual leadership. Seven years ago, the SSC answered their plight and sent
Rabbi Zion Cohen (may God rest his soul) to lead them. In the six months
time, he strengthened the minyan and other Jewish activities. He diligently
worked with six young men, teaching them about shehita (ritual slaughtering)
and instructing them on the fundamentals of living a Jewish life. Most
of all, he imparted a love of Judaism, which held fast. Three of the students
went to Israel to study at the SSC. They were educated about many other
Jewish rituals including baking matzot, the art of the scribe and brit
milah, developing leadership qualities and religious know-how. One student,
Yehoshua Kolet, earned his teaching certificate and returned to Bombay
to teach Jewish studies. He has since been traveling back and forth to
Israel studying for his rabbinical certificate and upon completion will
return to Bombay to lead his community. Yet another student became a scribe
and still another, a mohel. As a result of the SSC's intervention, the level of religious
practice in Bombay has risen dramatically. As a direct result of the SSC's
training of the shohatim; kosher meat has now become readily available.
SSC has also helped to forge a spiritual link between Bombay and Israel
that did not previously exist. Zagreb, Croatia - Rabbi Kotel Dadon Rabbi Kotel Dadon, who is also an Israeli lawyer, was sent
by the SSC to revitalize and educate the Jewish community. He is the first
Orthodox Rabbi to serve Zagreb's Jewish community since World War II;
he is regarded as Chief Rabbi of the entire country. As the rabbinic, spiritual and educational leader of the
community Rabbi Dadon translated and transliterated prayer books and other
Jewish texts into the local language to encourage the community to read
and understand wirh more ease. He wrote a book on the Jewish Calendar
explaining the holidays and other Jewish practices. Rabbi Dadon develops
Jewish activities and invigorates Jewish life in Zagreb. Passover Seders
are conducted for more than one-hundred-and-fifty participants with him
at the helm.He organizes Torah seminars every Sunday. Additionally, he
is the shochet supplying kosher food previously not available to the community. There are about 3,000 Jews in the country, 1,500 in the
city of Zagreb alone. The Syrian community of West Deal donated the only kosher
sefer torah. The Rabbi's baby boy was the first kosher brit milah
ceremony in Zagreb since before the Second World War, and since then
some other beritot for babies and for adults took place. Fifteen families now keep kosher. In 2003/5764 a Jewish day school was opened in Zagreb,
the "LAUDER - LEA DEUTSCH". Hong Kong - Rabbi Netanel Meoded In 1996 the Shehebar Sephardic Center sent Rabbi Zion Cohen
(OBM) a graduate of the rabbinical program to Hong Kong. He was sent there
to help start a synagogue in Kowloon. Although a community already existed
in the residential area of Hong Kong, there was a need for an additional
synagogue in the business area of Kowloon. Kowloon is the hotel district.
Many businessmen from all over the world would stay there for Shabbat
and there was no place for them to pray and enjoy the Shabbat atmosphere. Through the efforts of the Shehebar Sephardic Center and
Rabbi Cohen, an office space was converted into a synagogue. We are grateful
to Eddie Sitt and Jack Mamiye for their providing the space. Although Rabbi Cohen passed away shortly after he began
the project, his work lives on through the efforts of Rabbi Netanel Meoded.
Rabbi Meoded, a warm and lively individual, is responsible for increasing
attendance to an average of more than sixty people every Shabbat. The
Rabbi and his wife host congregants for Shabbat meals. Their guests can
expect a traditional Syrian feast and lots of singing and dibrei Torah.
The Rabbi and his wife have made Kowloon, Hong Kong "a home away
from home" for these businessmen.. Paris, France - Rabbi Eliahu Ben Haim Though Paris has a very large and established Jewish community,
there were smaller neighborhood-communities that still were lacking in
leadership. This was all the drive that the SSC needed to send Rabbi Eliahu
Ben Haim. His work is exemplary in that his community has gone from
no prayers held on Shabbat to attendance of 200-300 people at Shabbat
services. He expanded the Jewish education program by offering classes
every evening. His work serves to remind us of the constant need for more
Jewish activities even where you think the need might not exist! No matter
how established a community may be, more scholars make for increased learning
which makes for a greater community. Phillipines - Rabbi Eliahu Azaria Thanks to the graciousness of Eddie Sitt, one of our Brooklyn
Community members the Jewish community in the Philippines maintains a
Jewish way of life. There are roughly 100 families living through-out
the country. Business opportunity has been the main attraction for many
of the Jewish residents. At the behest of Mr. Sitt, the SSC sent Rabbi
Haim Talmid and later Rabbi Eliahu Azaria to stir up greater interest
and increase the level of observance. Serving as mohel, shohet and educators
for the community the two served to enhance Jewish life. Because of the
efforts of the SSC and the Rabbis, there is now Talmud Torah on Sundays
as well as a daily and Shabbat minyan.
The population is one-half Ashkenazi and one-half Sephardic.
When Rabbi Talmid first arrived, there were few families
keeping kosher, today many families keep kosher. The rabbi runs an afternoon Talmud Torah. There is a beautiful mikvah. here are many business travelers and the Rabbi and his
wife hold an open house every Shabbat. Belmonte, Portugal The Jewish community of Belmonte, is virtually nonexistent
but for a small community of Marranos, Jews who were forced to convert
to Christianity at the time of the Spanish Inquisition or else face death.
The Marranos appeared to the world to be faithful Christians but maintained
their Jewish identity behind closed doors. Yet, despite the gallant and
secret upkeep of their heritage, the community weakened with each passing
generation. They maintain both a Synagogue and basic Jewish functions.
At first, for many years to help strengthen this community, the SSC sent
a Rabbi annually for the high holidays. There are about 150 families in this tiny town left over
from the Portuguese Inquisition. Many of them have come back to Judaism.
More than 50% keep kosher, and many have sought Orthodox
conversion under the guidance of Rabbi David Sebag (not from SSC). A few are Shomer Shabbat. This is the smallest Jewish community in Portugal, but
the only community with a minyan three times a day. There is no mikvah. |
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