Something wonderful happened in Jerusalem. The Sephardic Study Center (Shehebar Sephardic Center or SSC) had a double celebration with the semicha of 10 rabbinical students and the dedication of its new building on March 27, 2025. Over 200 people came to show honor to the 10 rabbis who received their semichot and most of them will be leaving to small communities around the world that are in dire need of rabbis.
Amar, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Mualem.
The Chanukat Chabayit of its new building by the Carr Family of Sydney, Australia and the naming of the Midrsah Mishkah Meir after Rabbi Meir Sion Cohen. Special blessings went to the Carr Family in Sydney, Australia for the building. The evening was blessed by three of the Chief Rabbis and former Chief Rabbis of Israel.
a. Rabbi David Yosef – Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel/Rishon LeZion
b. Rabbi Shlomo Amar – Former Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and Chief Rabbi of Israel
c. Rabbi Yona Metzger – Former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.
d. Rabbi Zvadia Cohen – Head of the Chief Justice/ Religious Courts of Tel Aviv, Israel.
e. Rabbi Moshe Abutbul – Minister of Agriculture, Israel.
f. Rabbi Erez Malul – Assistant Speaker of the Israel Knesset.
The semicha ordinations were presented by the rabbis who spoke and also blessed the occasion. Ten SSC rabbinical students came in from France, Bulgaria, the United States, South America and the Far East and were present at this momentous occasion.
Some of the exotic places that the rabbis will be going to are
- Zambia
- Mombasa, Kenya
- Coimbra, Portugal
- Los Angeles, California
- Tucuman, Argentina
- Santiago, Chile
Ever since the tragedy of October 7, 2023, the SSC has been inundated with requests from small communities around the world that want to know how they can strengthen their small communities in the aftermath of the attack.
The Chief Sephardic Rabbi/Rishon Lezion, Rabbi David Yosef, spoke about his personal relationship with Rabbi Sammy Kassin (SSC Dean) and how the SSC blossomed over the years to become the global source for Sephardic rabbis. Rabbi Yosef spoke of how the SSC helps the Chief Rabbinate when they need information on the different needs of small communities around the globe.
Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Jerusalem and Chief Rabbi of Israel, spoke about how the rabbis who go to these communities give an unbelievable sacrifice and how they prevent intermarriage and assimilation.
Rabbi Yona Metzger, the former Chief Ashkenazy Rabbi of Israel, blessed all of the sponsors with good health and happiness in all of their endeavors. He said that people really don’t know what Rabbi Kassin and his staff have done around the world. From this modest place, comes one of the biggest blessings for the Jewish People.
Rabbi Zvadia Cohen, the Head of all the Beta Din of all the religious courts in the Tel Aviv area, noted that Rabbi Kassin, in his humble way, has done more for Sephardic Jewry worldwide than any other person. Whenever there is a problem of agunot (divorce) outside of Israel, the first person we go to is Rabbi Kassin for help in finding the husband or wife to solve the problems.
Rabbi Zion Cohen dedicated the building in the name of the Midrash Mishkan Meir gave a shiur on the spirit of the Neviim in the study of Torah and bringing justice and love from Israel to all the nations of the world.
After the speeches, there was a festive meal with music, singing and dancing in honor of our new building and in appreciation for the rabbis who are going out to work and inspire the Jewish People.
Rabbi Refael Cohen said that 20 years ago when he was sent to his first rabbinical assignment, he asked Rabbi Sammy Kassin what should he do to help Jews follow mitzvot and return to more observant Judaism. At the time, Rabbi Kassin said that he should hug and kiss the Jewish People and then you win them over. He gave this message to all of the rabbis that are going out to new communities because when you sincerely love people, your love for them becomes inspiring and ignites a spark so they blossom in a Jewish atmosphere.
Since its inception in 1980, the SSC has grown into a world-renowned institution with an outstanding reputation for high quality programs, as well as a resource for Sephardic communities worldwide to identify rabbis, teachers, mohels, shochets and spiritual leadership.
The SSC also operates synagogues in the Far East and helps struggling Jewish communities around the globe. Each project is designed to help Sephardic communities combat assimilation and intermarriage with spiritual leadership.
Vital in its approach and vibrant in its tradition, the SSC is the leading Sephardic Torah Center for learning and training of Sephardic rabbis. SSC rabbis are trained in Sephardic tradition and Jewish law. Embodying Sephardic tradition and our rich heritage, the three-to-four-year accredited rabbinical training program is responsive to community needs and provides a preeminent source of rabbinic leadership for the next generation and beyond. With their rich grounding of Jewish law and Halakha, SSC rabbis assume a broad range of leadership roles in the community while ensuring the perpetuation of Jewish scholarship.
