Join us in Building… Sephardi House!
Join the ASF in welcoming year 5786 not with fear or retreat, but with strength, resilience, and unity!
The ASF welcomes the 6th Cohort of Sephardi House Fellows, featuring 28 student leaders at colleges coast-to-coast!
From UCLA, USC, and the University of Arizona to Vanderbilt, Yale, and NYU, these Fellows are joining nearly 120 alumni in shaping Jewish campus life and beyond. Since its launch in 2020, Sephardi House has enlightened over 5,000 students on more than 50 campuses, including Columbia, Cornell, CUNY, George Washington University, Harvard, Stanford, and SUNY.
The Sephardi House Fellowship is the first national, innovative, year-long program that blends immersive learning with leadership development, grounding students in the vibrant history, cultural traditions, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardi world. Classic Sephardic teachings have been a source of strength and continuity throughout the ages, and inspire Jewish students of all backgrounds today.
Fellows benefit from mentorship, dynamic educational sessions, access to the ASF’s rich resources, two Shabbaton leadership summits, and the opportunity to design their own campus programs that enrich Jewish student life for thousands of their peers.
“The wisdom and warmth of the Sephardic tradition has much to offer to humanity,” explains Sephardi House’s visionary founder, Joshua Benaim, an award-winning real estate entrepreneur, Harvard Business School alumnus, author, and opera singer. “Students are thirsty for authentic Jewish connection. These are the superpowers that have kept our people strong for millennia. The demand for Sephardi House is overwhelming—we need support to grow this transformative movement,” Benaim adds.
Asked about her year with Sephardi House, Yasmine Abouzaglo (Columbia University, ’27) responded: “I felt immense pride in my Sephardi heritage and felt emboldened to make this pride visible on my campus.”
Another Sephardi House Fellow, Tal Israeli (UCLA, ’23), describes “being a part of the Sephardi House Fellowship” as “one of the most meaningful and empowering experiences of my life.”
Now is the time to renew our commitment! Please join us in supporting these exceptional Sephardic students:
Aaron Ohebshalom — Binghamton University (’26)
Abigail Nassimi — Binghamton University (’27)
Adam Horowitz — Binghamton University (’26)
Adi Beniluz — Brown University (’28)
Ariel Akbashev — Queens College (’27)
Ava Perloff — University of Miami (’27)
Avishai Aghelian — Queens College (’28)
Brooke Abselet — University of California San Diego (’27)
Claude Grazi — Cornell University (’29)
Cynthia Medina — Yale University (’28)
Darya Dayanim — Yale University (’28)
Elan Moussa Salmon — University of Arizona (’28)
Eliana Kerendian — University of California Los Angeles (’27)
Elizabeth Mirharoon — University of Pennsylvania (’29)
Emma Doner — University of California Los Angeles (’26)
Esther Cohen — Barnard College (’27)
Ethan Dayani — Cornell University/Columbia University (’28)
Giselle Makani — Cornell University (’27)
Hannah Hettena — George Washington University (’28)
Kayla Refoua — University of Southern California (’26)
Kian Ahmadi — Tufts University (’28)
Maya Menashe — Stern College for Women (’28)
Natalie Dweck Romero — Vanderbilt University (’29)
Sarine Dayan — Brown University (’28)
Shira Gozlan — University of California Los Angeles (’27)
Sophia Saed — City College of New York – Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education (’28)
Steven Nasar — Brandeis University (’26)
Yael Gabbaizadeh — New York University (’27)
Let’s not just fight antisemitism, but win… with Jewish joy, resilience, and pride!
Shabbat Shalom,
Jason Guberman
Executive Director, American Sephardi Federation
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The American Sephardi Federation invites all individuals, communities, and organizations who share our vision & principles to join us in signing the American Sephardi Leadership Statement!