Category Archives: Past Events

Past Events

Finding Judaism Across Africa and Central America, Intersections with Sephardi and Mizrahi Culture and Practice – March 12, 2023

Finding Judaism Across Africa and Central America, Intersections with Sephardi and Mizrahi Culture and Practice

IN PERSON and ONLINE!
Sunday, March 12 from 10 am – 4 pm EST
Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011

Communities across Africa and Central America are returning to their Jewish roots or finding Judaism. They are seeking out religion and a connection to the larger Jewish world, many with a view towards their own Sephardi ancestry and others through an affinity for the Sephardi rites. 

Representatives of these communities, documentarians, and activists will come together to share their experiences and the unique interactions of these communities and the greater Sephardi world traditions. 

Featuring 

  • Professor Tudor Parfitt, distinguished professor at Florida International University, world-renowned scholar and historian of Lost Tribes. Featured on the History channel, BBC, and PBS.
  • Professor Shalva Weil, senior researcher at Hebrew University, world-renowned scholar on Indian Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Lost Tribes, and femicide. 
  • Joseph F. Lovett, producer, director, and writer. Director of Children of the Inquisition, 2019.
  • Jator Abido (Yatov ben Yisrael), Jewish Nigerian Prince, representative to the Sub Sahara Africa Jewish alliance, and civil engineer 
  • Patricio Serno, filmmaker and co-founder of Casa Tova, Mexico
  • Bonita Sussman, President of Kulanu, world traveler, author, and photographer
  • Genie Milgrom, world-renowned genealogist, Crypto-Jewish advocate, and author
  • Dr. Drora Arussy, Senior Director, ASF Institute of Jewish Experience
  • and more!

Register today!

To attend in person in New York City with lunch, the cost is $36.

To attend virtually on zoom, the cost is $15.

Past Events, Videos

VIDEO: Kulanu Canada and Kulanu US present “The Past and Current Story of the Jews of Indonesia”

March 2 – 2023

On March 2, 2023, special guest Yaakov Baruch, Leader of the Indonesian Jewish Community presented as fascinting history of the Jews in Indonesia. Yaakov Baruch was born in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and grew up in Manado. He learned of his maternal Jewish mother’s background while a youth, and began to research his Dutch Jewish roots while in college. Yaakov visited Jewish communities in Singapore and Israel, Europe and America and then chose more in-depth study of Judaism.

In 2000, Yaakov established a synagogue community in Manado and inaugurated the synagogue in 2004, which was attended by Israel TV Channel 10. While there were Jews in Indonesia with Iraqi and Dutch roots, those communities which had existed in other parts of the country no longer exist. In 2019, the Tondano community decided to change its Synagogue “minhag” to that of the Western Sephardic or Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities. The Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue was consecrated in 2022.

Events, Past Events

UPCOMING WEBINAR: The Past and Current Story of the Jews of Indonesia – March 2, 2023

Yaakov Baruch was born in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and grew up in Manado. He learned of his maternal Jewish mother’s background while a youth, and began to research his Dutch Jewish roots while in college. Yaakov visited Jewish communities in Singapore and Israel, Europe and America and then chose more in-depth study of Judaism.

In 2000, Yaakov established a synagogue community in Manado and inaugurated the synagogue in 2004, which was attended by Israel TV Channel 10. While there were Jews in Indonesia with Iraqi and Dutch roots, those communities which had existed in other parts of the country no longer exist. In 2019, the Tondano community decided to change its Synagogue “minhag” to that of the Western Sephardic or Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities. The Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue was consecrated in 2022.

Learn more, with photos, historical facts, and personal histories of the Jews of Indonesia.