American Sephardi Federation

THE AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION PRESERVES, PROMOTES, & PERPETUATES THE HISTORY, TRADITIONS AND RICH MOSAIC CULTURE OF GREATER SEPHARDI COMMUNITIES AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE.

"REBUILDING OUR HOMES" - THIS PROGRAM IS A MULTI-YEAR USAID-SUPPORTED NEW PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE PROJECT TO BRING NEW LIFE TO THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO'S HISTORIC JEWISH NEIGHBORHOODS (MELLAHS) THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS, ENGLISH AND HEBREW TRAINING, ORAL HISTORY RECORDINGS AND DIGITALLY DOCUMENTING HISTORIC SITES, ARTISINAL SKILLS WORKSHOPS, AND MORE. THE ASF, AS THE PRIMARY PARTNER, TOGETHER WITH MIMOUNA ASSOCIATION, MAINTAINS STAFF AND OFFICES AT ESSAOUIRA, FEZ AND RABAT.

"THE INSTITUTE OF JEWISH EXPERIENCE" - THE ASF'S INSTITUTE OF JEWISH EXPERIENCE IS DEDICATED TO ENSURING THAT TODAY'S JEWS KNOW THEIR HISTORY, APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY, DEPTH, DIVERSITY, AND VITALITY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, AND HAVE A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR THE JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION. THE ASF IJE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 24 GLOBAL PARTNERS, HAS CREATED OVER 150 ACADEMIC LESSONS, 100 ONLINE EVENTS, AND 25+ EDUCATIONAL CLIPS.

"THE NATIONAL SEPHARDIC LIBRARY & ARCHIVES" - THE ASF MAINTAINS ONE OF THE LARGEST PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES OF GREATER SEPHARDIC INTEREST IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, CONTAINING BOOKS, DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, FILMS, JUDAICA, AND EPHEMERA, AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY. THE COLLECTION HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN 15,000 CATALOGUED VOLUMES, APPROXIMATELY 1 MILION ORGANIZED ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, AND ABOUT 350 CUBIC FEET, WITH MORE THAN 36 FINDING AIDES. THE ASF IS HOME TO THE ARCHIVES OF THE SEPHARDIC JEWISH BROTHERHOOD OF AMERICA AND THE SEPHARDIC HOME FOR THE AGED. PROFESSOR AVIVA BEN-UR HAS DESCRIBED THE JUDEO-SPANISH COLLECTION OF LOUIS N. LEVY AT THE ASF AS "ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LADINO COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD".

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE CONFERENCES, THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, LECTURES, OTHER CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND THE FOLLOWING: "THE SEPHARDI HOUSE FELLOWSHIP" - THE SEPHARDI HOUSE FELLOWSHIP IS THE ONLY NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS DEDICATED TO DEEPENING THEIR SENSE OF JEWISH BELONGING THROUGH AN IMMERSION IN CLASSIC SEPHARDIC JEWISH HISTORY, VALUES, AND VISION. THERE ARE 31 SEPHARDI HOUSE FELLOWS (1ST AND 2ND COHORTS) ON COMPUSES COAST-TO COAST FROM YALE TO STANFORD. "HUDNA PROJECT" - A JOINT INITIATIVE OF THE MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE AND AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION TO CREATE EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS, EXHIBITIONS, AND EVENTS THAT BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION BETWEEN MUSLIMS AND JEWS BUILDING ON CENTURIES OF SEPHARDIC HISTORY, CULTURE AND IDEAS, AS WELL AS TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM AND ALL FORMS OF HATE, BIGOTRY AND FANATICISM.