During the past decade, The Shehebar Sephardic Center has placed rabbis in eight Italian cities. Each is helping the Sephardic community in his city preserve the past, and stay enlightened so community members can share their Jewish heritage with future generations.
Rabbi Sam Kassin, Dean of the Shehebar Sephardic Center, recently visited each of these rabbis to provide support and advice. Rabbi Kassin landed in Milano, during Lag BOmer, where he met with Rabbi Eliyahu Berenbaum, who has been the SSC rabbi in Torino for two years.
Milano
Rabbi Kassin met with Rabbi David Shunak, the assistant to the Chief Rabbi of Milano, who oversees the spiritual needs of 12,000 Jews. Rabbi Shunak will be the next Chief Rabbi of Milano. Today he officiates at weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs and helps the community handle problems. One problem he solved recently was: due to the price of kosher meat, which is imported and very expensive, many Jews who wanted to keep kosher couldnt. Rabbi Shunak found kosher meat with an even higher kashrut standard for half the price. He convinced the community to subsidize the cost and as a result there was a 40% increase in the purchase of kosher meat.
He and Rabbi Kassin discussed the Milanese Jewish community, which includes Syrian, Lebanese and Persian Jews, each with its own strong connection to traditional Judaism.
Venice
The 500 member Jewish community in historic Venice is served by SSC graduate Rabbi Gil Benyamin who spent three years as a rabbi in Madrid, was assistant rabbi in Milano, and became Chief Rabbi of Venice two years ago. He supervises kashrut at three kosher restaurants and at a small hotel.
Approximately 75,000 Jews visit the Venice ghetto each year. Many come to have bar mitzvahs and weddings in one of the five magnificent synagogues in the ghetto.
Rabbi Kassin spent Shabbat in a magnificent 500 year old synagogue, where he gave a speech to people from all over the world. He spent Sunday speaking to members of the community, visiting Jewish sites and discussing ways to help the Venice community grow. He also visited with Rabbi Vito Faruga, the mashgiach at a large hotel and restaurant.
Florence
In Florence, Rabbi Kassin met with SSC graduate Rabbi Eli Rabani and toured Jewish sites with Rivka Sharon, a popular tour guide in Jewish Florence.
Livorno
Rabbi Yair Didi leads the 1,000 member Sephardic community in Livorno. He gathered a minyan for Rabbi Kassin, who said kaddish for his mother. Many Sephardic rabbis had books published in Livorno during past centuries and Rabbi Kassin toured the treasure trove of old manuscripts from the original printers of the Talmud.
Rabbi Kassin and Rabbi Didi spoke about how they could get the community involved in the synagogue and activities, and bring them back to more observant Judaism.
Siena
There are only 50 Jews left in Siena. Three years ago, the president of one of the synagogues said to Rabbi Kassin, I know we are a dying community, but I want us to die standing on our feetwe need a rabbi. Rabbi Kassin arranged for Rabbi Eliyahu Rabani to serve the small community. Although he wants to return to Israel, the community will not let him. Rabbi Rabani has made the community vibrant and for the first time in many years, there is a minyan every Friday night. The 450 year old synagogue is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Italy. Rabbi Rabani arranged for Rabbi Kassin to meet with community members, walk around the Jewish ghetto and to see for himself the communitys rich Jewish heritage.
Rome
In Rome, Rabbi Kassin met with Chief Rabbi Di Segni, who said he was grateful to Rabbi Kassin and to the Shehebar Sephardic Center for sending rabbis to serve Italys Sephardic communities. Community members are more involved, more knowledgeable, and are becoming more traditional Jews.
During his time in Rome, Rabbi Kassin also met with Rabbi Roberto Diviroli and Rabbi Marcus Arbiv, who are both SSC graduates. They make sure that the Jewish citizens of Rome have access to kosher food. A few years ago, there were only three kosher restaurants in Romenow there are 12.
The SSC has sent rabbis to 60 cities that were in need of rabbinical leadership and renewal. SSC rabbis are trained in the rabbinical school and are sent to different countries where they build communities.
If you would like more information about these rabbis or other SSC rabbis, visit ssc.org.il.
______________________
Sarina Roffe holds a BA in Journalism and an MA is Jewish Studies. President of the Sarina Roffe Group, she is a management consultant with a passion for our communitys history.
