Situated in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, just three blocks from the Western Wall, is the Sephardic Educational Center (SEC)—a place where all Jews can turn to learn about authentic Sephardic Judaism.
While the inception of the SEC was officially in 1980, the seeds for this dynamic center were sewn many years prior. In the late 1960s, Dr. Jose A. Nessim, a prominent Los Angeles gynecological surgeon, began to focus on issues which affected the Diaspora Sephardic community, including those in Israel, who were facing discrimination and a dwindling sense of community. As chairman of the Sephardic Division of the United Jewish Appeal in Los Angeles, California, he raised money with the help of other Sephardic Jews, who demonstrated their commitment and support for the fledgling State of Israel. With these funds, he hoped to provide financial support to the new State and help Sephardim in Israel become better integrated in the life and culture of Israel.
Several years later, Dr. Nessim leased three historical Sephardic buildings which once served as headquarters for thousands of Sephardim who returned to Israel in 1517. With a beautiful, historical campus, the SEC was officially created.
The SEC strongly promotes the approach long held by Sephardic communities, which is to remain united, and not split into competing movements. The Sephardim in the Diaspora face unique challenges to their identity—the SEC’s mission is to respond to these obstacles by educating Sephardic Jews about their culture and heritage, to “bring [them] back to their vibrant and meaningful Sephardic identity.”
By encouraging Sephardim around the world to join together—combining their energies and resources—the SEC hopes to prevent assimilation and apathy in Sephardic communities around the world. This joining of communities is the essence of the SEC’s ambitious proposal of the World Sephardic Movement, in which Sephardic congregations around the world will unite to promote city-wide youth and young adult movements.
The center is certainly doing their part to achieve this goal. In the last few years, the center has undergone renovations to bring it up-to-date. It is now a bright and modern place where classes are taught, educating over 25,000 students around the world since its inception. The buildings also host conferences and lectures; and with a 250-seat dining room and renovated kitchen, it is a beautiful location for special celebrations, including bar mitzvahs and weddings.
In addition to providing a place for learning and celebration, the SEC has published several important books, including some in Hebrew and Spanish. They have also published a beautiful volume of Pirkei Avot and Majzorim of Rosh Hashana as well as Yom Kippur.
The SEC invested money and effort to help the Jews in Bombay, India. And after the SEC helped revitalize the Hebrew language and Torah education in Bombay, 1,000 Bene Yisrael from Bombay made aliyah. In Argentina during the terrible economic crisis in 2002-2003, the SEC helped pay the household bills of many Jews. The SEC purchased food for the community, and Jewish physicians treated over 1,000 patients who had no insurance.
In conjunction with Hebrew University, the SEC offers a fully accredited university program known as Makor. This program can be attended for one semester or a year. Students stay at the SEC facility and study at both the SEC and HU campuses. And recently, the SEC linked up with Taglit-birthright Israel, offering a free 10-day trip to Israel for young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 to learn about Sephardic heritage, Sephardic Jewish customs, communities and history.
SEC chapters have been established around the world, including Argentina, Bombay, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Montreal, New York and Toronto. SEC conventions are held yearly in North and South America attracting up to 300 young people at a time from different countries. The SEC has made large steps to promote a movement which is 100% Jewish, rather than a movement classified according to different degrees of religious observance. They encourage all Jews, Sephardic or Ashkenazi, to join this educational movement, whose simple yet ambitious goal is to instill a pride in one’s Jewish heritage.
