Filling the critical need for professional Sephardic rabbis and helping struggling Sephardic communities worldwide, the Shehebar Sephardic Center’s accredited rabbinical training program addresses the everyday issues faced by Diaspora Jews.
Because of the awakening of Judaism in the Far East and Australia, the need is great and SSC rabbis have provided for those needs both spiritual and physical. They have provided kosher food for travelers, built mikveh and kehilas with active minyanim.
They’ve also been shochets and teachers. These rabbis and students of the Shehebar Sephardic Center are trained at the Abe and Geri Cohen Rabbinical school in the Old City in Jerusalem. Founded by Rabbi Sam Kassin and Rabbi Eliayahu Shamoula in 1982, the SSC has been sending Sephardic rabbis around the world to be spiritual leaders and teachers.
Each year, Rabbi Sam Kassin, travels to visit his students. His most recent trip was to the Far East where he visited his students in Pattaya and Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; Kobe, Japan; Shanghai, China; Manila, the Philippines; and Perth and Sydney, Australia. During his visits, he meets with community leaders and his students, to discuss strategies and ideas on how to help the communities grow.
Pattaya, Thailand
The SSC presence in Pattaya began in 2008, when Rabbi Itzhak Abrahami arrived and for two years was building a community. Rabbi Eli Shaefer came to Pattaya in 2010. He was formerly principal of the SSC school in Bukhara. Today the community has minyan three times a day for 25 or more people followed by breakfast. More than 100 people attend weekly Shabbat services. The community hosts many travelers each week, including businessmen and Jewish backpackers in need of kosher food. Local builder, David Marcianois is working with Rabbi Shaeffer to build a new Jewish center with a mikveh, Bet Midrash, kosher restaurant, and hotel. The future in Pattaya is very exciting.
Bangkok, Thailand
Chief Rabbi Chaim Yosef Cantor, the grandson of our own Rabbi Abraham Hecht A”H, is now the rabbi of the Jewish community in Bangkok. SSC-trained Rabbi Joshua Marcelo is a shochet and bodek (Jewish butcher and examiner of meat) in the community and along with Rabbi Azaria, they are the only shochets in the Far East. He works with the Jewish backpackers, providing them with kosher food. He also leads daily minyans.
Kobe, Japan
Synagogue Ohel Shelomoh was built in Kobe before WW II by the Sasson, Shweky, and Hamui families. After the war, the Syrians left and the Sephardic Israelis took it over. Three years ago, the SSC sent Rabbi David Gingold to Kobe. A dynamic personality, he pulled the community back from extinction. Rabbi Gingold is the only rabbi in southern Japan, serving over 2,000 Jews spread out in the country. Today, the community has minyan every day and more than 100 people on Shabbat. There are already 15 Jewish children registered for the school Gingold is opening.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Gingold, the Jews in Kobe, Japan, helped victims of the crippling March 2011 earthquake that devastated Japan. In the aftermath of the earthquake, Rabbi Gingold led a heroic 24-hour a day relief effort, providing food, housing, water, clothing and other critical relief to earthquake victims who were given a haven in the synagogue. As the community rabbi, Rabbi Gingold is also the sofer, Hazan, teacher, mashgiach and Torah reader.
During his visit to Kobe, Rabbi Kassin gave a class and there was a dinner with community leaders. Rabbi Kassin said, “The community welcomed me with open arms and it is clear that Rabbi Gingold has done an amazing job bringing the kehila together. It was so interesting. The yahrzeit plaques on the wall of the synagogues were the names of Syrian families, just like in Brooklyn.”
Shanghai, China
The SSC sent Rabbi Ephraim Besalel to Shanghai in 2007. At the time, the synagogue had minimal attendance during Sabbath services. Today, attendance at the Shehebar Sephardic Midrash on Shabbat ranges from 40 to 100 people.
While Shanghai had two Ashkenazic synagogues, there was a void for Sephardim. Rabbi Besalel and his wife have literally changed the local Jewish community. Rabbi Besalel has built a thriving Sephardic synagogue where he teaches the children, prepares boys for their bar mitzvah, teaches Torah classes and recently performed the first religious wedding since World War II. A school is planned for next year.
Rabbi Besalel is a ninth generation Sephardi rabbi and he has made significant inroads at increasing religious observance, including kashrut. He has created a home for Jewish travelers to Shanghai, a center of international trade that has attracted an increasing number of Jews from throughout the world. With the escalating number of Jewish visitors passing through the city on a regular basis, there was a need for a synagogue and center that they could call home. Jewish travelers can find kosher food at the SSC Shanghai shul 24 hours a day, as well as minyans three times a day.
“Visitors can come at 11:00 pm and Rabbi Besalel will have a full table of people studying,” said Rabbi Kassin. “He is always prepared to provide food and lodging for people.”
The community has grown and in 2011, SSC-trained Rabbi David Bitton, son of Rabbi Yosef Bitton of Manhattan Beach, joined Rabbi Besalel in Shanghai. Rabbi Bitton has made his name as a young and upcoming Talmid Hacham. People come from all over China to hear Rabbi Besalel and Rabbi Bitton speak on Shabbat. Rabbi Bitton is willing to teach, study and learn with people. His knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, English and Hebrew allows him to connect easily with visitors from the US, Panama, Europe and South America.
Rabbi Kassin also visited SSC rabbis in the Philippines, Australia and Hong Kong, which we will tell you about soon.
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Sarina Roffe is a community member and award-winning writer with hundreds of articles to her credit. She holds a BA in Journalism and an MA in Jewish studies.
