In Memory of a good friend of the ASF, Richard Berenson Stone, A”H, a New Orleans born paragon of Jewish leadership, whose life exemplifies the Socratic principle that “virtue is knowledge” as well as the “three greatest Rs: Reverence, Righteousness, and Responsibility.” Much like Rabbi Dr. Henry Pereira Mendes, who coined the latter phrase, Professor Stone was a self-effacing consensus-builder who rendered varied, valuable, and enduring service to the Jewish community. A graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law (where he made the Law Review), Stone argued cases before the US Supreme Court as Deputy US Solicitor General and later served for over three decades on the faculty of Columbia University Law School. Professor Stone led the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs and the National Coalition for Soviet Jewry/National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry before being elected Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, where he continued to play a pivotal role until his passing. Professor Stone’s voice, guidance, and presence is sorely missed. We express our condolences to his family and friends.
Click here to dedicate a future issue in honor or memory of a loved one
The American Sephardi Federation’s Sephardi Ideas Monthly is a continuing series of essays and interviews from the rich, multi-dimensional world of Sephardi thought and culture that is delivered to your inbox every month.
This month, SIM continues its tour through the changing political-theological landscape of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by introducing the religious leader advancing a vision of Islamic tolerance, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa. Sheikh Al-Issa was in the headlines in early July, days before President Biden’s visit to the Middle East, when he was chosen by KSA’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to give the most important sermon of the hajj on Arafat Day. While pundits read geo-political considerations into the choice, they were looking in the wrong direction and, in so doing, missed the real salience of the Sheikh’s selection and sermon. The choice to give the stage to Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa told us nothing about KSA-Israel relations but did reveal much about the profound struggle taking place over the future shape of Islam.
Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, earned a master’s degree and a PhD in Comparative Judicial Studies (Constitutional Law) from the University of Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University. Dr. Al-Issa subsequently worked as a judge in Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice until February, 2009, when he was appointed Minister of Justice and an Advisor at the Royal Court. According to his online bio, as Minister of Justice, Dr. Al-Issa “was credited both in Saudi Arabia and abroad for ushering in several key reforms, including legislative reforms in family matters, humanitarian cases, and for the rights of women.” He also founded and heads the KSA Ministry of Defense-affiliated Intellectual Warfare Center, “which specializes in confronting the roots of extremism and terrorism and promoting concepts of true religion”
In August, 2016, Dr. Al-Issa’s broad vision for Islam propelled him into the role of Secretary General of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL), an international Islamic organization that:
aims to present the true Islam and its tolerant principles… extend bridges of dialogue and cooperation with all, engage in positive openness to all cultures and civilizations, follow the path of centrism and moderation to realize the message of Islam and ward off movements calling for extremism, violence and exclusion for a world full of peace, justice and coexistence.
The MWL’s inclusive message and the timing of Sheikh Al-Issa’s selection to lead the organization should be seen in their larger context. In 2016, Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah authored the Marrakesh Declaration, a pioneering document that champions Islamic tolerance and was supported by the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (see the March 2022 issue of SIM for an examination of the Marrakesh Declaration). Sheikh Al-Issa’s appointment was part of the same trend, a region-wide response to the excesses of Political Islam.
This larger context then coalesced in 2019 when the MWL brought together 4,500 dignitaries and Muslim scholars and 1,200 of the world’s most influential Muftis and thought leaders for a conference that culminated in the signing of the “Charter of Makkah.” The same Sheikh Bin Bayyah offered the keynote address and, together with Sheikh Al-Issa, presented the Charter to King Salman. The Charter of Makkah was endorsed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OIC Council of Ministers, Cairo-based League of Islamic Universities, and other Muslim organizations around the world.
The Charter of Makkah (CM), like the Marrakesh Declaration before it, articulates a pluralistic, tolerant vision of Islam:
Differences among people in their beliefs, cultures and natures are part of God’s will and wisdom.
The CM advocates for harmonious coexistence in both Islamic and Western states. It even explicitly notes the obligation of Muslims in Western societies to observe the law of the land. In so doing, the document implicitly took aim at the destabilizing, revolutionary impulse of Political Islam across the globe (see the May edition of SIM for an examination of Sayyid Qutb, arguably the most important Islamist thinker):
We must combat intellectual extremism along with militancy, violence or terrorism, by helping raise awareness among youth and guiding them according to the Islamic values of tolerance, peace and harmonious coexistence. These values teach comprehension of the other, preservation of the other’s dignity and rights, and observation of the national laws of which one resides.
Sheikh Al-Issa explicitly criticized the revolutionary character of Political Islam in a March 4, 2020, interview on France24 TV’s Arabic-language channel:
There is no place for political Islam in France or anywhere else, because it does not abide by the values of our religion or by the national values of any country. [Political Islam] does not respect the laws and constitutions of countries. It has a political background and it strives to accomplish a certain political agenda… it does not represent Islam.
At its most basic, the Charter of Makkah clarifies that if your Islam generates hatred and violence against Jews, Christians and fellow Muslims, and also denigrates the laws of the country in which you live, then you are practicing a false form of Islam.
In line with the Charter of Makkah and as head of the MWL, Dr. Alissa has initiated contacts with non-Muslim organizations. In fact, only one month before submitting the Charter, Dr. Alissa and the Muslim World League joined forces with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the American Sephardi Federation to sign the It Stops Now Agreement against “Hate, Fanaticism and Bigotry” on Yom HaShoah and during Holocaust Remembrance Week.
Dr. Alissa justified these contacts in a June, 2020, interview with the Saudi Al-Arabiya network on deeply religious grounds:
Humanity stems from the same source, which makes it a brotherhood, even if it has split to different faiths. Allah says: “‘Oh mankind, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.’ This is the source of the term ‘brothers in humanity.’”
A little less than a week later, on June 23, 2020, Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa publicly led the first delegation of senior Islamic scholars to Auschwitz and Srebrenica.
In recognition of his efforts to root out Jew-hatred, Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa was granted the first-ever “Combat Antisemitism Award” in 2020 by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and American Sephardi Federation (ASF). In accepting the award, he declared:
Whereas Jews and Muslims lived centuries together, in these last decades we have sadly grown apart… Now, we must rebuild the bridges of dialogue and the bonds of partnership between our communities.
This past October, in celebration of “World Philosophy Day,” the ASF in partnership with UNESCO, Columbia University’s Department of Religion, and Columbia’s Alliance Program hosted the Sheikh at the Center for Jewish History for “What Muslim & Jewish Philosophers Can Teach the World? Challenges & Opportunities Rooted in History.”
And, together with Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the ASF also organized a private meeting for the Sheikh with Shoah survivors and Yeshiva University’s inaugural Presidential Forum, “Jews and Muslims: A Look Toward the Future.”
All of the above serves as context for evaluating the decision to ask Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa to offer this year’s Arafat sermon. Translated into fourteen languages, the sermon was an opportunity for Saudi Arabia, in the words of Arab News, “to convey a message of moderation and tolerance to the widest possible audience.”
Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa’s sermon lived up to expectations, as he urged Muslims to participate with the rest of humanity in fostering righteous behavior and to aim to benefit humanity as a whole. Al-Issa concluded with the hope that, “through knowledge and goodness,” peace can encompass the Muslim world, as well:
[G]ood conduct comprises values that are shared by all people in general, and they are respected by Muslims and others as well. That conduct entails traversing a sound course in words and deeds. Allah said: “You must speak the best of words to people.” He also said: “Righteous deeds are not equal to misdeeds. Do good to people in exchange for them having done wrong to you. When you do so, you will find that if there was animosity between you and someone else, he will become like a beloved friend.”
Islam has an encompassing spirit whose goodness extends to all of humanity, and its esteemed Prophet (PBUH) is the one who said: “The best of people are those who benefit others most.” Thus, the teachings of Islam have an inherent humanitarian nature whose standards do not become compromised, and whose foundations do not become altered. In light of that, each individual among you should love what is good for all people, and strive to bring their hearts together.
O God, set matters right for the people of Islam, rectify matters between them, spread knowledge and goodness throughout them, make their children righteous individuals, bless them in their provisions, and admit them to Paradise.
As a final point, it should be noted that Sheikh Al-Issa called the recent attack on Salman Rushdie “a crime that Islam does not accept.” He then used the attack as an opportunity to re-emphasize the reason why tolerance is a religious obligation:
Even if each may be different from the other, there is no reason to be afraid or worried about the other person: We all share life on this earth and we must talk and understand each other. Differences between human beings go back to the creation of humanity. If God had wanted, he could have created only a single ethnic group or a single religion. But he didn’t, and we have to believe in his wisdom.
Sephardi Ideas Monthly is happy to introduce our readers to Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, an international religious leader in the generational battle for a humane and tolerant Islam.
For further reading and viewing:
The Charter of Makkah – Read the historic document in the original Arabic or in English, Swedish, French, German, or other translations.
Tolerance for Judaism and Christianity at the heart of Islam, MWL chief says – In an exclusive interview with a Jewish American writer published in Arab News, Saudi Arabia’s leading English-language newspaper, Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa addresses the most challenging and controversial questions facing Islam’s relationship with its fellow Abrahamic faiths.
“Saudi Islamic Scholar: There Is No Place for Political Islam in France or Anywhere Else” France24 interview translated by MEMRI: Dr. Al-Issa explains why Political Islam is a danger, why Muslims must respect the law of the country in which they live, and why he visited Auschwitz.
“Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa’s Vision For How Jews & Muslims Can Combat Anti-Semitism Together” On 9 June 2020, The Combat Antisemitism Movement and the American Sephardi Federation hosted a global online event honoring Sheikh Dr. Al-Issa for his courage and creativity in combating antisemitism. In his keynote address, the Sheikh articulated a brave and pioneering vision, noting how the Jewish “community has tragically been the target of several terrorist attacks. In Pittsburgh; San Diego; Monsey; Halle, Germany. I condemned each one of these horrible assaults upon humanity, as if they were attacks on Muslims.”
“Sheikh Al-Issa at Arafat sermon: Values of Islam foster harmony; eschew hatred and division” Saudi Gazette: An English-language translation of Dr. Al-Issa’s recent address.
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The Monthly Sage החכם החודשי
The sage for the month of August is Hakham Yitzhak Ben Sheshet Perfet (Ribash) (1336-1408).
Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1336, young Yitzhak learned Torah with three sages: Hakham Hasdai Karashkesh the First, Hakham Peretz Ben Yitzhak Hacohen, and Hakham Nissim Ben Reuben Girondi, his principal teacher. As the result of antisemitic libels, Yitzhak and his teachers were arrested and imprisoned for five months.
Once freed, Hakham Yitzhak moved to Saragossa, where he served as a rabbi for four years. But tragedy soon struck, and Hakham Yitzhak lost his son, younger brother, and mother in short order. He lived as an itinerant scholar-teacher through the 1391 pogroms, when, together with Hakham Shimon Ben Tzemach Duran, he left for Algiers. Hakham Yitzhak became the de facto communal leader and rabbinic judge in Algiers and was even accorded the appointment by the Muslim sovereign, but out of deference to Hakham Shimon Ben Tzemach, Hakham Yitzhak refused to accept the honor. In fact, so long as Hakham Shimon Ben Tzemach was alive, Hakham Yitzhak assumed no official position.
Hakham Yitzhak Ben Sheshet passed away on the 2nd of Elul 5178, 1408. Because of the city’s development, Hakham Yitzhak’s grave and Hakham Shimon Ben Tzemach graves were relocated. The result? Today, the two scholar-leaders whose relationship was marked by deep love and respect are buried in a single tomb.
Hakham Yitzhak’s 517 responsa were saved in a single book, while his original commentary on part of the Talmud’s tractates, some poetry, piyuttim, and dirges have also been preserved. In the following responsa, Hakham Yitzhak teaches that it is permissible to embark on a caravan and, for the sake of self-preservation, to desecrate the Sabbath:
Jews who travel on camels in caravans with Sons of Ishmael in the great and terrible desert do not, as everyone knows, ride on horseback and must publicly desecrate the Sabbath to remain with the caravan because of the dangers of tarrying alone in the desert over the Sabbath. The question arises whether it is right to object that they travel by caravan in the desert, so that they are not led to desecrating the Sabbath, despite the fact that they have no way of surviving other than traveling with a caravan… It is permitted to leave the settlement in a caravan on Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays, for these three weekdays relate to the previous Sabbath and are considered as after the Sabbath. One need not refrain from leaving because of the upcoming Sabbath, and if because of impending life-threatening danger one must desecrate the Sabbath, it is permissible and involves no prohibition.
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Iraq’s Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon
Edited by Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, and Robert Shasha
Iraq’s Last Jews, a National Jewish Book Award Finalist, is a collection of first-person accounts about the once-vibrant, 2,500 year-old Babylonian Jewish community and its disappearance in the middle of the 20th century. This book tells the story of the last generation of Iraqi Jews, who both reminisce about their birth country and describe the persecution that drove them out, the result of Nazi influences, growing Arab nationalism, and anger over the re-birth of the State of Israel.
By Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, a 2018 ASF Broome & Allen Fellow
In this extraordinary, award-winning and best-selling cookbook now in its 4th imprint, chef and scholar Hélène Jawhara-Piñer combines rich culinary history and Jewish heritage to serve up over fifty culturally significant recipes. Steeped in the history of the Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spain) and their diaspora, these recipes are expertly collected from such diverse sources as medieval cookbooks, Inquisition trials, medical treatises, poems, and literature. Original sources ranging from the thirteenth century onwards and written in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Occitan, Italian, and Hebrew, are here presented in English translation, bearing witness to the culinary diversity of the Sephardim, who brought their cuisine with them and kept it alive wherever they went. Jawhara-Piñer provides enlightening commentary for each recipe, revealing underlying societal issues from anti-Semitism to social order. In addition, the author provides several of her own recipes inspired by her research and academic studies.
Each creation and bite of the dishes herein are guaranteed to transport the reader to the most deeply moving and intriguing aspects of Jewish history. Jawhara-Piñer reminds us that eating is a way to commemorate the past.
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Upcoming Events or Opportunities
Philos Latino, Yeshiva University’s Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs, & the American Sephardi Federation present:
Nosotros@YU: A Celebration of Judeo-Latino Art & Music
Weissberg Commons, 2495 Amsterdam Avenue, Ground Floor (at 184th Street), Manhattan
The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs at Yeshiva University is proud to partner with Philos Latino to host Nosotros@YU, an evening of Jewish Latino Art and Music. On Thursday September 8th at 7:30 at Yeshiva University’s Washington Heights campus we will present paintings from Nosotros’ 5-year retrospective exploring the rich synergy of Jewish and Latino culture and history.
This night of celebration will include, for the first time in New York City, the Jazzphardic Project with Yehonatan Elazar and Tal Cohen. The Jazzphardic Project explores Sephardic classics through the modes of Latin jazz, bringing together east and west and past and present. https://jazzphardic.com/
Brief remarks by special community and government leaders such as Representative Adriano Espaillat and others.
Light refreshments will be served. We hope that you can join us.
Co-Sponsored by Yeshiva College, Care Café at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Bernard Revel Graduate School, & Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program
Thursday, 8 September at 7:30PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
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In gratitude for the distinguished service of A.N. Suleiman on the ASF’s Board of Directors, we wish to share with our readers information about the forthcoming world première of his latest play:
The Arranged Matrimony
The challenges of a marriage in the midst of cultural clashes.
Director: Barbara Schofield
Playwright: A.N. Suleiman
Producer: Paolo Frassanito & Barbara Schofield
Sunday, 11 September 8:00PM
Thursday, 15 September 6:30PM
Friday, 16 September 9:00PM
Saturday, 17 September 5:00PM
Sunday, 18 September 5:00PM
Sign-up Now!
(Tickets: $15)
@Cabaret Theatre
Cast:
Gretchen Schneider, Robin Brenner, Anwar Suleiman, Juliya Grigory, Daniel Lugo, Gavin Vivek
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Rosh Hashana Foods with Sarina Roffé
While most Jews have apples and honey before their Rosh Hashanah meal, Syrian Jews have many more brachot.
Journalist, Sephardic historian, and cookbook author Sarina Roffé will share recipes and discuss the foods unique to Syrian Jews on Rosh Hashanah. The recipes are for the brachot said before eating the holiday meal on Rosh Hashanah.
Wednesday, 14 September at 12:00PM EST
(Tickets: $8)
Sign-up Now!
About the speaker:
Sarina Roffé is a professional genealogist, editor of the journal DOROT, and founder of the Sephardic Heritage Project. She is the author of Branching Out From Sepharad (Sephardic Heritage Project, 2017), which outlines the history of Jews in Spain, the 1492 expulsion, their history in Syria, and their immigration to the Americas. She is Co-Chair of the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative, and Chair of the JewishGen Sephardic Research Division.
Sarina is also the author of Backyard Kitchen: Mediterranean Salads, and Backyard Kitchen: the Main Course and a cooking app called Sarina’s Sephardic Cuisine, available in the Apple Store, as well as hundreds of articles. Sarina presents often at IAJGS Conferences and has completed over a dozen genealogies, through her genealogy consulting business, Sephardic Genealogical Journeys.
For more about Sarina’s cookbooks:
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The ASF Institute of Jewish Experience presents:
Exclusive Authors Series with Regina M. Tessone
Join us for a new episode of the Exclusive Authors Series with Regine M. Tessone who discusses her book Monavar’s Journey.
Tuesday, 20 September at 12:00PM EST
(Complimentary RSVP)
Sign-up Now!
About the book:
On February 1, 1979, Regine Monavar Tessone recalls running through the Mehrabad airport with her parents and three brothers to board the last flight out of Tehran on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. The pilot announced as they entered the aircraft, “You are the lucky ones! The airport is now closed and the Ayatollah Khomeini has arrived.” In this intimate memoir, Monavar (a Farsi name meaning light) recreates the life of her Persian Jewish family before they fled Iran and her own adventures in their new home in America. Always buoyant (her maiden name Omid means hope), she describes reuniting with her mother’s family in Brooklyn, visiting Israel and serving as a volunteer, falling in love with a non-Persian Jew, and becoming a successful fashion designer. Her story, at once personal and paradigmatic, reflects her nostalgia for the homeland of her youth and her embrace of the opportunities of her adopted homeland in the United States as a successful Iranian-Jewish immigrant.
About the author:
Regine Monavar Tessone is an Iranian American fashion designer. As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she founded Aqua Modesta, a unique line of modest women’s swimwear and sportswear that attained worldwide success. Her initial professional goals achieved, she wrote this memoir to fulfill a lifelong dream: to share the story of her family’s incredible escape on the last flight out of Tehran. She resides with her husband and children in New York and Jerusalem.
For more about the book: https://www.amazon.com/Monavars-Journey-Bridge-Regine-Tessone/dp/163837306X
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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The American Sephardi Federation, the Seattle Jewish Theatre Company, and the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America present:
“ARRIVALS”
A Jewish Romeo & Juliet love story based on historical events.
A hit in Seattle, coming to New York.
(Written and Directed by Art Feinglass)
When the first Sephardic Jew arrived in Seattle in 1902, not everything went as planned. Marco Cordova, a young Sephardic Jew from Turkey, came to America to make his fortune. Bayla Keigelman, a fragile Ashkenazi girl from Russia, arrived fleeing a pogrom. Their meeting seemed written in the stars until tradition declared their love forbidden.
Sunday, 30 October at 3:00 PM EST
Monday, 31 October at 8:00 PM EST
Tuesday, 1 November at 8:00 PM EST
Thursday, 3 November at 8:00 PM EST
Sunday, 6 November at 3:00 PM EST
Sign-up Now!
$36 Early bird discount (if purchased before October 9th)
$50 Ticket price (if purchased after October 9th)
The Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York City
“Arrivals tells the Sephardic story with great drama, humor and warmth.”
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, Seattle, WA
“Everyone in the audience was engaged and enjoyed the show.”
Aaron Petersen, President , Temple Beth El, Tacoma, WA
“A tour de force!”
Rabbi Emeritus James Mirel, Temple B’nai Torah, Bellevue, WA
Sponsorship opportunities available:
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ASF Broome & Allen & ADL Collaborative for Change Fellow Isaac de Castro presents:
Entre Diasporas: Telling the Latin-American Jewish story. Contando la historia judía latinoamericana
Tell your story. Cuenta tu historia.
We’re looking for first-generation Latino Jews in the United States who immigrated because of political and social turmoil. Jews of Sephardic descent from Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela that now reside in the Miami area will be given priority, but others are welcome to apply as well.
Fill out this form to be considered as an interviewee for this project. After you’ve submitted, we will be in touch promptly to set up a preliminary phone call.
Click here for more information.