About the Series

This series traces the remarkable journey of the Western Sephardim — Jews of Iberian origin, many of them former conversos — who rebuilt vibrant Jewish communities after fleeing the Inquisitions of Spain and Portugal.

Beginning in the seventeenth century, they established thriving centers of Jewish life in Amsterdam, Brazil, the Caribbean, and North America, forming dynamic transatlantic networks of commerce, culture, and faith within the emerging Atlantic World.

Set against this interconnected world of migration and exchange, Western Sephardic communities became merchants, religious innovators, and advocates of tolerance — shaping global Jewish life and modern ideas of pluralism.

Their story is foundational to understanding Jewish resilience, global interconnectedness, and historical transformation.

Led by historian Professor Willem Klooster of Clark University, this series offers scholarly insight and accessible historical analysis into one of the most influential chapters of Jewish Atlantic history.

Part I The Sephardic Atlantic — From Amsterdam to the Americas

March 8, 2026 | 1:00 PM EST

The opening session provides a sweeping overview of the Sephardic Atlantic world, tracing the migration of Iberian Jews and former conversos after expulsion and Inquisition. It introduces the geographic and historical framework of the series — revealing how these communities rebuilt Jewish life across continents while forging influential transatlantic networks of trade, culture, and faith.

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Why This Series Matters

In furtherance of JHA’s mission to research and bring to light the profound impact of the Sephardic experience, this series deepens understanding of:

• The emergence of early modern Jewish global networks
• The rebuilding of Jewish communal life after exile
• The roots of modern Atlantic Jewish identity

This series advances JHA’s Converso Online Community Initiative—intended to transform hidden ancestry into renewed identity for over 200 million Converso descendants, Jews forcibly converted in the Inquisition. Using AI tools, interactive maps, and archives, we plan to foster global connections, genealogy, and storytelling—reviving Sephardic peoplehood while countering antisemitism and anti-Israel narratives for generations.

Part II: Jewish Privileges in the Atlantic World

April 19, 2026, at 1:00pm EST

A deep dive into how Sephardic Jews negotiated legal status and communal rights in Brazil, the Caribbean, and North America. This session explores the unique privileges Sephardic communities secured within colonial systems—and how these arrangements shaped Jewish life, economic participation, and early models of religious coexistence.

Part III: Messianism and Sephardic Hope in the New World

May 17, 2026, at 1:00pm EST

An exploration of the spiritual dimensions of Sephardic renewal, examining messianic expectations from Menasseh ben Israel’s initiatives to the global excitement surrounding Shabtai Zvi. Participants will learn how hope, trauma, and religious imagination intersected during a pivotal era of Jewish history.

Part IV: Curaçao and Caribbean Sephardic Communities: A Case Study

June 21, 2026, at 1:00pm EST 

A focused case study on Curaçao and neighboring Caribbean communities as models of Sephardic resilience. This session highlights religious life, commerce, cultural continuity, and the enduring legacy of Sephardic presence in the region.

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION:

Mr. Michael Steinberger, Founder & CEO of JHA. 

KEY SPEAKER / PRESENTER:

Professor Wim Klooster is one of the foremost scholars of the early modern Atlantic world, internationally recognized for his influential research on the Dutch Empire, global trade networks, comparative revolutions, and diasporic communities. His work has reshaped understanding of how Western Sephardic Jews—distinguished by their literacy, mercantile sophistication, and transatlantic networks—helped build interconnected Atlantic societies. Through landmark publications and decades of teaching and scholarship, Professor Klooster illuminates the historical pathways from persecution to renewal, revealing how Sephardic communities played a pivotal role in advancing commerce, religious pluralism, and cultural exchange across Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. 

EVENT PARTNERS:

CO-HOSTING PARNERS:

Jewish Virtual Library is a comprehensive online encyclopedia focused on Jewish history, culture, and current events, particularly related to Israel and the United States.

MAST—the Massachusetts Antisemitism Synagogue Task Force is a coalition designed to bring together synagogues and other groups to combat antisemitism, educate the public, and advocate for the Jewish community across Massachusetts. 

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Assisting in promoting this program are:

• Greater Miami Jewish Federation
• Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE)
• ANU Museum of the Jewish People
• European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC)
• Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO)
• Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies (SCJS)
• Jewish Unity Through Diversity
• Mattathias Project
• The Institute for the Critical Study of Antizionism (ICSA)
• RICI The Rhode Island Coalition for Israel
• Kulanu Canada
• Ahavat Torah Congregation