Rabbi Daniel Bouskila (far left) and Neil Sheff (far right) at the LA Sephardic Film Festival There's been a meaningful and impactful season of programming for the Los Angeles Sephardic Community, highlighted by the continued success of the spectacular Los Angeles Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, presented by the Sephardic Educational Center (SEC). Established in 1997, the festival has become a cornerstone cultural event that showcases the beauty and diversity of Sephardic Jewry while...

Haham Bashi (Chief Rabbi) David Sevi in the formal jube (robe) of the Chief Rabbi of Turkey Turkey’s Jewish community has welcomed its new chief rabbi, David Sevi, installing him in the post yesterday in a ceremony at Istanbul’s Neve Shalom synagogue, nearly a year after the death of his predecessor, Isak Haleva. Sevi, 70, who had served as the acting chief rabbi since Haleva’s death on January 14, is the fourth hakham bashi (chief rabbi of Turkey) since the founding of the Republic of Turkey...

Lena Goren Casuto z”L It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Lena Goren (nee Casuto) at the age of 96, one of only a handful of Greek Jewish Holocaust survivors from the city of Larissa, Greece.  Lena was born in Salonika, Greece in 1930. Her family moved to Larissa when her father Haham Isaac Casuto became the Rabbi of the city. When she was nine years old, Italy and Greece entered World War II. Luftwaffe planes began dropping bombs on the city, and the mayor of Larissa...