Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie is Senior Rabbi Emeritus of the Jewish Council of the
Emirates and the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities. Previously served as the founding rabbi of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue and the Moise Safra Center in Manhattan, and as Director of Sephardic Studies at Yeshiva University. Born in Lebanon and raised in Mexico, he was ordained at Yeshiva University and earned his MD from SUNY Downstate, later specializing in gastroenterology. He is the founder of the Sephardic Academy of Manhattan, serves as President of JJAC, and sits on the Governing Council of the WZO and is the chairman of the ASF’s Council of Sephardic Sages.

Rav Ilan Acoca was born and raised in Bat-Yam, Israel. Prior to moving to New Jersey in 2016, Rav Acoca served as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Hamidrash in Vancouver for seventeen years and taught regularly in the local Jewish schools. As well, he served as a member of the Beth Din of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of British Columbia and was a member of the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbinical Institution Beth Hamidrash L'Hora’ah of Montreal and a Master's Degree in Talmudic studies. Rav Acoca is an expert Mohel who was trained under world renowned Mohel Rabbi Shlomo Mahfud in Israel. Rav Acoca's passion and love for teaching Judaic studies at different levels is palpable and he often shares his enthusiasm of Torah and the Sephardic heritage through lectures, sermons and articles.

Hakham Ratzon Halevi Arussi was born in Sanaa and is the Chief Rabbi of the city of Kiryat Ono, member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, founder and chairman of the organization Halichot Am Yisrael, and President of Machon Mishnat Ha-Rambam. He has a PhD in law from Tel Aviv University, and was a lecturer in Mishpat Ivri at Bar Ilan University. He is the winner of the Katz Prize for 2019. He is considered the primary disciple of Rabbi Yosef Qafih (Kapach).

Rabbi Daniel Askenazi is the spiritual leader of Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation in Indianapolis. Born in Mexico City, he left to attend Yeshiva and served in the army for nearly 9 years. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning a BA in Political Science and later on a LLB at the North Colombian University. After receiving his Semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim, he and his wife served Jewish Communities in Colombia, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, before coming to Indianapolis.

Rabbi Yossi Azose was born and raised in Seattle and is the son of Hazzan Isaac Azose. Currently. he resides in West Hempstead, NY, where he serves as spiritual leader of the Congregation Anshei Shalom Sephardic minyan. Previously he has taught at the Yeshiva-Gedolah of West Hempstead, Torah Academy of Suffolk County, Northwest Yeshiva High School, Seattle Kollel and Rambam Mesivta High School in Lawr-ence, NY. He currently works as an HR director for Superior Healthcare Management. He received his semikha in 1995 from Rabbi Yisrael Chait of Far Rockaway. Rabbi Azose is married to Judy and together they have five children.

Rabbi Yitzhak Berdugo, born and raised in South Florida, studied at the Talmudic University in Miami Beach and received semikha from Rabbi Yochanan Moshe Zweig, followed by Yoreh Yoreh from Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim in New York. He also holds certifications in sheḥita and lung-checking. A descendant of the distinguished Berdugo rabbinic lineage, Rabbi Berdugo has authored responsa on a range of halakhic topics and is passionate about translating and disseminating the works of Sephardic sages. He previously served as Rosh Kollel of the Bal Harbour Kollel and is currently pursuing Dayanut through Eretz Hemdah and the Montefiore Endowment, while residing in South Florida.

Rabbi Joseph Beyda is the Head of School at the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School, where he has served as an educator for over twenty years. He is a Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Scholar and a member of Mayor Eric Adams's Jewish Advisory Council as well as AIPAC's Sephardic Division Advisory Council. Rabbi Beyda received Semikhah from the Sephardic Rabbinical College and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Yeshiva University as well as a Master of Educational Leadership from Brooklyn College. Along with his wife Yvette and their six children, Rabbi Beyda resides in Brooklyn, NY. Rabbi Beyda served a variety of roles, including Head Rabbi, at Congregation Bnei Yitzhak in Brooklyn.

Born in Argentina, Rabbi Yosef Bitton is the former Chief Rabbi of Uruguay and currently serves as the rabbi of Shaare Rachamim in Great Neck. He received rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and was certified as a dayan by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. He pursued academic studies at Yeshiva University, Ben-Gurion University, Bar-Ilan, and Emory University. Rabbi Bitton has published numerous books in Spanish, English, and Portuguese on Torah, Jewish philosophy, and Sephardic history. He and is the founder of “Halakha of the Day,” followed by tens of thousands worldwide.

Rabbi Isaac Choua is a scholar, educator, and community leader specializing in global Jewish relations, Sephardic heritage, and interfaith dialogue. He serves as a Board Member and Rabbinic Advisor for the Sephardic Brotherhood of America, and as Associate Museum Curator at Kehila Kedosha Janina in New York. Rabbi Choua previously worked with the World Jewish Congress, where he led interfaith efforts and served as liaison to Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities.

Rabbi Ariel Cohen studied at Yeshivat Hakotel and received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivat Ohr Hachaim. Rabbi Cohen made aliyah in 2006 and taught at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, before he and his family returned to the States. He began his career at Manhattan Day School in 2010. At MDS, Rabbi Cohen teaches Judaic Studies and serves as the Judaic Studies Principal and Rav Beit Sefer

Rabbi Yoni Cohen serves as Chief of Staff and Director of Special Projects at the Orthodox Union, where he oversees strategic initiatives and operations on behalf of the executive leadership. Rabbi Yoni previously held senior leadership roles at Yeshiva University, including Deputy to the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of its high schools. Yoni also served as Assistant Coach and Academic Liaison for YU’s celebrated men’s basketball team. He holds a degree in accounting with a focus on management and remains deeply involved in community and educational initiatives in Queens, New York.

Rabbi Joseph Dweck is the Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. Born in the U.S., he studied in Jerusalem under Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z”l at Yeshiva Hazon Ovadia and received semikha from him through the Sephardic Rabbinical College in Brooklyn. He previously served as Rabbi of Congregation Shaare Shalom and Headmaster of Barkai Yeshivah in Brooklyn. Rabbi Dweck holds a Master’s in Jewish Education and is the Deputy President of the LSJS; a President of The Council of Christians and Jews and Ecclesiastical Authority of The Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Rabbi Joey Faur studied at Or Veeshu’a Yeshiva in Haifa before serving in IDF Paratroopers Special Forces. He holds a B.A. in Business and Entrepreneurship from Reichman University and fought in both Lebanon and Gaza during the Swords of Steel campaign. He now serves as Rabbi of Congregation Magen David in SoHo, Manhattan. He is the founder of Yafe Be’ito, dedicated to editing and publishing the works of his grandfather, Hakham José Faur. He divides his time between professional endeavors and his rabbinic and Tora commitments.

Rabbi Albert Gabbai is the Rabbi Emeritus and Hazzan at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia. Born in Egypt, he came to the US in 1971, after being in an Egyptian prison for three years. His Jewish education includes learning at Yeshiva University and he received a Sephardic Semicha under Rabbi Sam Kassin from the
Shehebar Sephardic Center in 1989. Rabbi Gabbai is also a spiritual and musical student of Rabbi Abraham Lopes Cardozo, is fluent in more than six languages, and is a member of the Board of Governors of Gratz College.

Rabbi Dr. Gingold-Altchek is a scion of rabbinical families from Salonica and Istanbul. He has worked as a community rabbi, US Army chaplain, Jewish educator, and psychologist. His fields of research pertain to Jewish history, Sephardic studies, Philosophy, and the evolution of halakha. He has held several pulpit positions in the United States and Japan, and currently resides in Berlin, Germany. He is currently on literary revival projects.

Rabbi Daniel Hadar is the Rabbi of Temple Moses in Miami, Florida. He is a leading figure in the Ladino-Sephardic community and a practicing Intellectual Property Attorney. He received his BA from the University of Maryland and JD from the University of Michigan Law School. Rabbi Hadar studied at Porat Yeshiva in Jerusalem and was ordained by Rabbi Solomon Maimon a”h, Seattle, Washington.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer is the Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union. In this role he serves as the organization’s rabbinic leader, heading its communal-oriented efforts and serving as its professional religious/policy leader and primary spokesman. Prior to joining the OU, Rabbi Hauer served as the senior Rabbi of the Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation in Baltimore, MD for 26 years. He received his rabbinic ordination and doctor of Talmudic law from Ner Israel. He received his master’s of science from John Hopkins University.

Rabbi Dr. Richard Hidary is a professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University and a rabbi at Sephardic Synagogue. He is the author of Dispute for the Sake of Heaven: Legal Pluralism in the Talmud (Brown University Press, 2010) and Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (Cambridge University Press, 2018). Currently, he is writing a literary and philosophical commentary on Talmudic discussions of Jewish holidays. His Daf Yomi classes are accessible at YouTube.com/rhidary and he also runs the websites teachtorah.org, pizmonim.org, and rabbinics.org.

Rabbi Daniel Kahana was born in Jerusalem, Israel. He has studied in various institutions including Yeshivah University, Yeshivat Kisse Rahamim, the Sephardic Rabbinical College and Bar Ilan University. He teaches at the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School and gives classes in Beth Torah Congregation. Rabbi Kahana resides in Brooklyn NY and in Givat Shemuel, Israel along with his wife Susan and their 5 children.

Rabbi Sam Kassin, is a beloved figure in Jewish education and a founding force behind the Shehebar Sephardic Center (SSC) in Jerusalem. Born in New York and raised in Miami Beach, he went to Ner Israel Yeshiva and later studied at Porat Yosef Yeshiva, where he was ordained by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. In 1972, he founded and led the Sephardic High School in Brooklyn before returning to Israel to direct Aish HaTorah’s one-year program and, later, to co-found SSC in the Old City. Under his charismatic leadership, SSC has become a global hub for Sephardic education, earning the Jerusalem Prize in 1998.

Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla received his Rabbinic ordination from RIETS at Yeshiva University. He was privileged to study in the Sephardic Studies Program under the direction of Hakham Solomon Gaon and Rabbi M. Mitchell Serels. He also earned the Master of Social Work degree from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. He went on to serve Sephardic congregations in California, Maryland, and Georgia. He is currently the rabbi of the Sephardic Jewish Center of Forest Hills.

Rabbi Yosef Kassorla teaches at Katz Hillel Day School of Boca Raton and Hadar High School in Boca Raton, Florida. Possessing a passion for Torah and history, Rabbi Kassorla has just recently been appointed as Rabbinic Scholar at the Boca Raton Synagogue.

Baruch-Lev Kelman is the Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Shearith Israel - the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York - and a Doctoral Fellow at Revel Graduate School, Yeshiva University. Raised in a mixed Yemenite, Ponentine-Turkish, and Ashkenazic family, Baruch-Lev grew up with customs and melodies of Western & Eastern Sephardic Jewry. He is the grandson of noted Ladino writer Matilda Koen-Sarano. Educated at Yeshivat Maale Adumim, Yeshiva College, and the University of Urbino, Baruch-Lev is passionate about Jewish history and culture.

Rabbi Meyer Laniado serves as Associate Rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (KJ) in New York, where he has led the development of its Sephardic community since 2018 as its first dedicated, full-time Sephardic rabbi. He also teaches at the Ramaz Lower School. Rabbi Laniado received semikha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS and the Sephardic Bet Din of Queens, and holds a B.S. in Management and a Master’s in Talmudic Studies from Yeshiva University.

Senior Rabbi of the Iranian Jewish Center in Great Neck, Founder and Director of the Maimonides Heritage Center, author of 8 books, numerous articles, including the nationally acclaimed The Mysticism of Andalusia: Exploring HaRambam's Mystical Tradition.

Dayan Ofer Livnat teaches at the Eretz Hemdah Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and serves as a Dayan on the Sephardi Beth of London. A graduate of the Hesder Yeshiva in Maale Adumim and Eretz Hemdah, Dayan Livnat teaches in a number of programs for training rabbis and Dayanim, including the Semicha and Dayanut Programs run jointly by Eretz Hemdah and the Montefiore Endowment of London. A lecturer on Tanach at the Jerusalem College as well, Dayan Livnat is currently studying for a PhD in Jewish studies at University College London.

Maor Na'im is a proud descent of the Egyptian & Moroccan tradition, rooted through Israeli culture. Born in Montreal and raised in Los Angeles, he attended various institutions such as Valley Torah High School in Los Angeles & Lander College for Men in Queens. His learning allowed him to spearhead various projects aimed at restoring the Sepharadic legacy, including Zemaneh Yosef, an application for Halachic Times according to the Geonic interpretation (as read by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef). All of his writings can be read on the website (royzmanim.com) or per-request. Currently, his positions involve a Rabbinic internship at the Young Israel of Hillcrest's Sepharadic Minyan and the head of the Sepharadic division at Lander College for Men.

Rabbi Benjy Owen serves as Head of Seattle Hebrew Academy (SHA), an Early Childhood through 8th Grade Modern Orthodox Jewish Day School. One of the unique elements of SHA is its mission-commitment to the Ashkenazic and Sephardic heritage of the community. Rabbi Owen is fourth-generation member of Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle) and is a descendant of Sephardic Jews from Rhodes and Turkey who immigrated to Seattle and Montgomery, AL. One of his strong learning passions is studying and teaching the works of the Rabbis of Rhodes.

Rabbi David Pardo is a proud descendant of a renowned Turkish rabbinic family, with ancestral roots in Istanbul and Edirne. A graduate of UCLA, he earned his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University and holds an MBA from Brandeis. David served for over a decade as a practicing rabbi and spent five years as an executive at the Orthodox Union, helping shape national initiatives in Jewish life and leadership.

Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin is Director of the Jewish Classical Education Concentration track at the University of Dallas and the academic director and dean of the Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education. He received his Ph.D. in history from the CUNY Graduate Center, held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University and Yeshiva University, and taught at both CUNY and Princeton. He is also a chaplain in the Army National Guard with the rank of Major. Rabbi Rocklin is also the president of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, as well as a member of the Rabbinical Council of America’s Executive Committee and Military Chaplaincy Committee.

An alumnus of the Yeshivah of Flatbush and the Sephardic Rabbinical College, Rabbi Albert Setton heads THE MIDRASH Women's Division. He also serves as the Rav Yeshivah of Yeshivat Barkai and the assistant Rabbi in Congregation Magen David of West Deal. He currently resides in Oakhurst, NJ with his wife, Yaffa, and five children.

Rabbi Sion Setton is a community educator and school administrator. He is the Principal of Yeshivah Prep High School in Brooklyn and a Based-in Rabbi in Lower Manhattan. Rabbi Setton is pursuing his Doctorate in Education at Yeshiva University, exploring the relationship between ADHD and spirituality in adolescent students. In the past, Rabbi Setton served as Rabbi of Magen David Synagogue in NYC, Director of Technology at Barkai Yeshivah, and an affiliate Chaplain at New York University. He has Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University and was named by New York's Jewish Week as a "36 under 36" Jewish leader and change-maker. He lives in New York with his wife, Mijal Bitton, and their two children.

Rabbi Sharbat received Rabbinic ordination from RIETS and Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Chaim. He earned a Bachelor's in Jewish Studies from Yeshiva College where he was also the recipient of The Rabbi Judah Feinerman Memorial Award for Excellence in Talmud and the Maybaum Sephardic Fellowship. He holds a Master's Degree in Secondary Jewish Education from the Azrielli Graduate School. Rabbi Sharbat is the Rabbi of the Sephardic community of West Orange and is a member of the Vaad Harabanim of MetroWest. Rabbi Sharbat is the co-director of Judaic Studies at the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and also teaches Tanach and Halacha.

Rabbi Daniel Sherman serves as the rabbi of West Side Sephardic Synagogue and West Side Institutional Synagogue. Following learning at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem he then earned a BA from Yeshiva College, where he received an award for Talmudic Excellence. He earned his rabbinic ordination at the RIETS, where he was awarded the Maybaum Fellowship for Sephardic Studies. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Modern Jewish History at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University. He also serves on the Rabbinical Council of America's Executive Committee and Mayor Eric Adams’ Jewish Advisory Council.

Rabbi Joey Soffer is a Rabbi at Congregation Beth Torah in Brooklyn, NY, The Rosh Bet Midrash of Barkai Yeshiva H.S., as well as a summer Rabbi at Congregation Ohel Yishak of Allenhurst, NJ. Previously, he served as associate Rabbi of Congregation Bnei Yitzhak. He received his bachelors degree from NYU Stern School of Business and went on to receive his Semikha from Rabbi Shimon Alouf and Rabbi Harold Sutton through the Sephardic Rabbinical College.

Rabbi Soussan serves in Magen David Sephardic Congregation, Rockville, MD. He holds an MA from the College of Jewish Studies in Heidelberg with a minor in Constitutional Law from the University of Heidelberg. Rabbi Soussan completed a Ph.D. in History from the University of Sussex in England, and received his Rabbinic ordination from the Midrash Sefaradi. He is endorsed by the Aleph Institute in Bal Harbour, Florida. He has authored and co-authored several academic books and articles and is fluent in German, French and Hebrew. Rabbi Soussan currently serves in the US Army as a Chaplain with the rank of Colonel. His current posting is Assistant Professor and Military Ethics Fellow at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

Rabbi Ruben Suiza studied in Midrash Sefardi in Jerusalem. He spent 5 years in Montefiore College in London under the patronship of Hakham Solomon Gaon Z”L. Rabbi Suiza then served as Rav in Zimbabwe for 7 years and later the Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town, South Africa for 40 years. Presently, Rabbi Suiza serves as the Rabbi of Lisbon, Portugal.

Rabbi Harold Sutton is the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Moreshet Yerushalayim. He received semicha from Hakham Ovadia Yosef, Hakham Meir Mazuz and Hakham Shimon Alouf. He served as the Rabbi of Congregation Bnei Yitzhak in Brooklyn, NY and served as the Rosh Yeshiva of Magen David Yeshiva, Rosh Yeshiva of the Sephardic Rabbinical College, Rabbi of Congregation Hochma U’Mussar.

Rabbi Gil Student is the Publisher and Editor-inChief of TorahMusings.com. He writes frequently in Jewish newspapers and magazines, serving as a regular contributor to Jewish papers. He is the Director of Jewish Media, Publications and Editorial Communications at the OU the Director of the Halacha Commission of the Rabbinical Alliance of America.

Rabbi Eliyahu Tal has served as Rabbi of Etz Ahaim since 2020, following his tenure as Rabbi of the Sephardic Community of West Hartford, Connecticut. Born in London and raised in Israel, he holds an LL.B. from Ono Academic College and received semicha with honors from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Rabbi Tal publishes an annual book of responsa based on questions from his community. He is also a Chazzan, Ba’al Koreh, Ba’al Tokeah, and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Mital HaShamayim.

Rabbi Abraham Tobal is the Chief Rabbi of the Sociedad de Beneficencia Alianza Monte Sinaí, the first Jewish community in Mexico, and has served in rabbinic leadership for over 36 years. Ordained and later appointed Dayan by the Chief Rabbinate and Supreme Rabbinical Court of Israel. Rabbi Tobal oversees Monte Sinaí School in Mexico City which has around 1,300 students. He has participated in international rabbinic conferences across the Americas and collaborates with universities, media, and interfaith forums to promote religious understanding, ethical values, and social tolerance. He is a prominent voice in Jewish education and public discourse throughout Latin America.

Rabbi Richard Tobias is the Head of School at Barkai Yeshivah High School, which he helped launch over the last few years, after being in education for nearly two decades. He also serves as an Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Bet Torah in Brooklyn, NY, where he has been since the beginning of his rabbinical career. Rabbi Tobias received his semikha from the Sephardic Rabbinical College and his Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia University Teacher’s College.

Rabbi Etan Tokayer is the fourth Rabbi of Kingsway Jewish Center in its almost 100 year history. A graduate of Yeshiva College, he holds a Master’s degree in Jewish History from YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. He is a musmakh of YU/RIETS, and he also received semicha from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg in Yerushalayim. Rabbi Tokayer served as the Executive Vice President of Just One Life, an Israeli social service agency. Previously, he was the Assistant Rabbi of Congregation Ramath Orah in Manhattan and also devoted his time to Jewish Education, having taught at the YU High School for Boys and at the Torah Academy of Bergen County in New Jersey. Rabbi Tokayer teaches at Yeshiva of Flatbush, and currently serves as President of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA).

Rabbi Frank Varon, a native of the Seattle Sephardic community, serves as Hazzan and an educator in the synagogue of his youth, Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation. The synagogue is home to the one of the largest Sephardic Turkish communities in America, where Rabbi Varon has been a key contributor to the preservation of its unique liturgical music, including the rich Ladino romanzas, together with his penchant for studying and imparting a classical Sephardic understanding of biblical and rabbinic literature.

Rabbi Jack Varon is the eldest grandson of Hakham Faur. Most recently served as assistant Rabbi of Ohab Zedek in the Upper West Side, alongside Rabbi Allen Schwartz. He was also the curriculum coordinator of Judaic studies at Manhattan Day School. This year he will be taking up a leadership position as Associate Director of Judaic Studies for the Upper School of the Posnack School in South Florida.

Rabbi Nathan Zaboulani is the Director of Judaic Studies in Barkai Yeshivah High School and a Rabbi at Congregation Bnei Yitzhak in Brooklyn. Rabbi Zaboulani studied in Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maale Adumim, Yeshiva University and the Sephardic Rabbinical College in Brooklyn.

Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian is the Rabbi at Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia—the nations oldest continuous synagogue. He is also a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, serving at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst.