In January, 2020 JIMENA hosted a two day educator conference in San Francisco, California called “Journey to the Mizrah.” The purpose of the conference was to train educators on how to integrate Sephardic scholarship, spirituality, history, and contemporary heritage into classrooms and learning spaces.
The integration of Sephardic heritage into formal and informal Jewish learning spaces can broaden and strengthen students’ and educators’ knowledge, understanding and language around issues of Jewish diversity, inclusion, Jewish values, and contemporary Jewish identities and experiences. During the conference, educators learned how Sephardic studies can teach on the vibrant Jewish rituals and traditions of tolerance, inclusivity and spiritual flexibility, which are core components of Sephardic heritage.
This conference provided information and tools for educators and community leaders to create an inclusive platform to answer questions of how to navigate issues of personal and communal identity, inclusion Sephardic heritage and history, and increasingly diverse Jewish spaces. Together we explored Sephardic history and heritage, and the needs and opportunities of Sephardic studies.
Sessions included:
- The Story of Sephardic Jews in America, Dr. Devin Naar
- Sephardic Spiritual Responses to Contemporary Issues Facing our Youth, Rabbi Daniel Bouskila of Sephardic Educational Center
- The Value of Sephardic Education, Rabbi Tsipora Gabai
- North African Holocaust Experience, Dr. Sophie Roberts
- The Devaluation of Minority Experiences at Jewish Day Schools, Ora Gittelson-David & Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
- Pedagogy and Practical Application of Sephardic Studies in the Classroom, Adam Eilath
- Piyut Demonstration, Dror Sinai
- Food and the Sephardic Story, Isaac Yosef of Frena Bakery and Café
Please find a selection of video clips from the two-day conference.
If you are interested in hosting this workshop, or any component of it in your community, please contact us.