South Florida News
South Florida's vibrant Sephardic community has much to celebrate this season, with milestones spanning tradition, scholarship, and national recognition.
The Sephardi Federation of Palm Beach County will hold its 33rd Annual Luncheon on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 12 noon, continuing a beloved tradition that brings the community together to celebrate Sephardic heritage and support the Federation's ongoing work.
Meanwhile, Temple Moses, the Sephardic Congregation of Florida located in North Miami Beach has been hosting weekly Sunday Selihot services throughout August and September, drawing community members for prayer, borekas, biscochos, and the beautiful strains of traditional Ladino melodies—a warm and meaningful way to usher in the High Holy Day season.
On the academic front, the University of Miami has launched Sephardi Spaces, an innovative digital initiative dedicated to exploring and preserving the rich tapestry of Sephardic Jewish identity. The project traces the Sephardic experience from the Spanish Expulsion of 1492 to the present day, illuminating the struggles, triumphs, and evolving identity of Sephardic communities across a millennium. Spain's 2015 legislation allowing descendants of expelled Jews to reclaim citizenship sparked renewed global interest in this heritage, and Sephardi Spaces builds on that momentum. Through autobiographical testimonials and a nuanced, transdisciplinary approach, the project explores identity formation, historical trauma, and the preservation of Sephardic languages including Ladino, Haketia, and Judeoespañol—bridging gaps in scholarship from the Old World to the New. You can learn more at sepharad.miami.edu.
Adding to this season of recognition, a special exhibition produced by the University of Miami—"Sephardic Jews in the Making of American Independence"—is opening at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., honoring the often-overlooked role Sephardic Jews played in America's founding.
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