Sephardic / Mizrahi Directory

Below is a directory of organizations, individuals, and other resources that share our vision for egalitarian and inclusive Judaism.

Cantors

• Asher Shasho Levy (San Francisco) – ḥazzan/music director for The Kitchen, of Syrian heritage, with knowledge of multiple Sephardic traditions including Syrian, Turkish, Moroccan and Iraqi. Multi-instrumentalist, teacher of maqam/ḥazzanut/piyyutim, editor of the Kitchen Siddur for Shabbat, the first egalitarian siddur with combined Sephardi/Ashkenazi nusaḥ in the US

• Camilo Itzhak Zeitune (Israel) – cantor specializing in Syrian and Moroccan traditions

• Dave Yedid (New York) - Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern at CBST (Syrian heritage)

• Dr. Galeet Dardashti (New York) – anthropologist, vocalist/composer, and advocate/educator of Middle Eastern and North African Jewish culture

• Laura Elkeslassy (Brooklyn, New York) – singer, actor, and educator with a focus on North African liturgy and musical traditions from a feminist standpoint

• Loolwa Khazoom (Seattle) – musician, writer, educator, and ḥazanit in the Iraqi tradition

• Moriah Ferrús (Barcelona) – cantor in multiple traditions and head of la Nova Escola Catalana

• Osnat Bensoussan Farouz (Jerusalem) – cantor and leader at Degel Yehudah

• Renée Benmeleh (Bay Area, CA) – artist, musician, and cantorial soloist

• Sam Rosen (New York) – cantorial intern at CBST (Turkish heritage)

• Samuel Torjman Thomas, PhD (Brooklyn, New York) – cantor/performer in a variety of Jewish musical traditions, including Moroccan, Syrian, and Turkish. Ethnomusicologist, professor of Sephardic Studies and music, multi-instrumentalist (sax/clarinet, oud, ney), bandleader of Asefa and the New York Andalus Ensemble

• Tannoz Bahremand Foruzanfar (Los Angeles) – Persian cantor

Congregations

• B’nai Jeshurun (New York) – inclusive congregation under the leadership of Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon (Syrian-Argentinian) with occasional Sephardic/Mizrahi offerings

• Congregation Ahavath Achim (Portland, OR) – inclusive congregation in the classic Sephardic (Spanish-Portuguese) tradition

• Congregation Magen David of Manhattan (New York) – not fully egalitarian but inclusive Syrian congregation offering regular services, with a Moroccan minyan

• Kol Tuv Sefarad – inclusive Sephardic congregation with online prayers, educational resources, and classes in Spanish, under the direction or Rabbi Juan Mejia

• Kolot HaKahal (London, UK) - independent pan-Sephardi egalitarian minyan based in London with services, events and learning opportunities

• Minyan Etzli (New York) – independent, lay led traditional egalitarian Ashkefardic (both Ashkenazi and Sephardi/Mizrachi) minyan, meeting for spirited prayer and vegetarian potluck dinners once a month

• Nova Escola Catalana (Barcelona, Spain) - Sephardic egalitarian group whose mission is recovering and reviving the heritage and legacy of the old Catalan Jewish schools of study

• The Kitchen (San Francisco) – inclusive and egalitarian congregation with a mix of predominantly Sephardic nusaḥ and melodies, with classes in Sephardic ta’amim (cantillation), piyyutim, and maqam, as well as mission-based programming and a dining social club

• Torah VeAhava – inclusive online community with daily online prayers in the Iraqi tradition, headed by Rabbi Chaim Ovadia

Cultural / Social Organizations and Groups

• American Sephardi Federation - established organization aimed at preserving and promoting the history, traditions, and cultures of Greater Sephardic communities through events, exhibitions, publications, academic support and communal affairs

• Arevot - Jerusalem-based beit midrash and organization weaving together Sephardic/Mizrahi tradition and feminism

• Egal and Sephardi ספרדי ושוויוני – Facebook group for connecting, sharing resources, and posting Sephardi-Egal events

• Eshel - organization supporting Orthodox and traditional LGBTQ individuals and families, including those of Sephardic/Mizrahi background

• Jimena – advocacy organization focusing on visibility of the Sephardic/Mizrahi community and bridge-building throughout the Arab world

• JQ International – organization that supports LGBT youth, with a platform for the Persian community

• Piyut North America - project for lovers of all things piyut-related, with a host of resources including recordings, translations, and transliterations

• Sephardic Heritage International DC (ShinDC) – Sephardic and Mizrahi organization with a plethora of cultural and historical programming

• Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America (La Ermandad Sefaradi) - organization supporting and providing resources for the Ladino-speaking Jewish communities with lineage from Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans.

• Sephardic Mizrahi Queer Network (SMQN) – cultural and social organization for the Sephardic & Mizrahi LGBTQ+ community

• Sephardic U - educational organization with articles, podcasts, and daily virtual minyanim, among other resources for the international community, available in a variety of languages.

Food Purveyors & Catering

• Amal Catering - Long Island based Iraqi caterer specializing in Iraqi and Persian cuisine, with a retail storefront in Great Neck. Delivery available to New York City.

• Awafi Kitchen - Iraqi Jewish kitchen specializing in small-batch savory delicacies and Middle Eastern pastries. Catering available in Boston with seasonal availability in New York

• Colbeh - Persian mainstay for glatt kosher foods, with 3 restaurant locations and catering, servicing New York City and Long Island. Other Mediterranean foods are available through their affiliate Paprika Kosher Catering

• Ganey Orly - Bukharian restaurant in Queens offering catering of glatt kosher Uzbek cuisine

• Kosher Valet - delivery service catering to the New York metro area offering a wide range of Syrian and other Sephardic foods from local purveyors

• Mansoura - New York–based Middle Eastern confectionery specializing in pastries and sweets from Greece, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Lebanon

• Meska Sweets - Moroccan artisanal cookie shop with beautifully packaged assortments. All cookies are OU parve

• The Ma’lawah Bar - Yeminite-Israeli kitchen featuring artisan breads and other Yemini delicacies. Based in the Bay Area (Palo Alto, California)

Rabbis

• Rabbi Esther Azar (New York) – rabbi and social worker, with a focus on Trauma Informed Rabbinics and dismantling systems of oppression (Syrian)

• Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses (New York) - Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at Romemu (Syrian)

• Rabbi Michelle Dardashti (Rhode Island) – Associate Chaplain of the University for the Jewish Community at Brown University and Rabbi at Brown RISD Hillel (Persian)

• Rabbi Noa Kushner (San Francisco) – Founder of The Kitchen, co-editor of the Kitchen Siddur for Shabbat, the first egalitarian siddur with combined Sephardi/Ashkenazi nusaḥ in the US 

• Rabbi Tsipora Gabai (Bay Area, CA) – Israeli trailblazer in the egalitarian space (Moroccan)

• Rabbi Haim Ovadia (Washington DC) – head of Torah VeAhava (Iraqi)

• Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh (Los Angeles) – rabbi and teacher (Persian)

• Rabbi Devin Maimon Villareal (Portland, OR) – Rabbi at Ahavath Achim, Portland's historic Sephardic synagogue (Spanish-Portuguese)

• Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet (St. Albans, UK) – Rabbi at SAMS and co-author of Siddur Masorti

If you or your organization would like to be added to our directory of individuals, organizations, or resources that complement our mission, please email us with a short, one-line description and email or website.