Youth
By Elizabeth Katanov
On the morning of April 4 2025, Sephardic and Mizrahi college students and alumni from across the country boarded flights to spend an enriching weekend together in the heart of Miami. We’re all part of Sephardi House–a national fellowship launched by the American Sephardi Federation six years ago to cultivate leadership and immerse students in the vibrant history, traditions, and intellectual legacy of the Greater Sephardic world. This dynamic program is composed of discussion sessions, mentorship, access to ASF’s robust resources and community programming, student-led campus events, and Shabbaton leadership summits.
As a fellow during my time at Hunter College, Sephardi House allowed me to infuse the vibrancy and richness of my Bukharian heritage into Jewish life on campus. After completing the fellowship, I have remained deeply connected to the Sephardi House, and broader ASF, community, serving on the Alumni Advisory Board while I pursue a degree in medicine.
Growing up as a Bukharian Jew in Queens, New York, I could not help but notice how my culture, family histories, language, and food differed vastly from those of my peers. I had multiple moments when this identity crisis would erupt.
A Polish teacher was once surprised that I did not speak Yiddish. “Are you even Jewish?!” she asked, questioning my largest personal identifier. In another elementary school assignment, we were asked to create a medieval-style coat of arms. I struggled to pick a flag that represented my family. As I sat around the dinner table with my parents, we crossed each option off the list–Russia, Uzbekistan, Persia (modern-day Iran)–until ultimately settling on Israel. The dissatisfaction with a discrete answer about our roots as Bukharian Jews led me to the Sephardi House Fellowship.
The fellowship is led by educator Ruben Shimonov (coincidentally, also a Bukharian Jew!) whose contagious passion for Sephardic and Mizrahi history and wisdom is eloquently articulated in his teaching. In monthly learning sessions, both in person and virtually, fellows are taught about Sephardi sages and leaders who have deeply influenced Jewish thought. Students also explore together the music, religious traditions, and histories of various North African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Central Asian Jewish communities. A recurring theme in the sessions that really intrigued me was how interconnected the Greater Sephardi world remained throughout the centuries. Finding out about my own ancestral connection to Rabbi Yosef Maimon HaMa’ravi, and consequently Maimonides himself, was quite a testament to the movement of ideas and people across the Greater Sephardi world.
One of the most beautiful parts about engaging with Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage is connecting to the rich music, and this year’s Shabbaton was certainly no different. Throughout the weekend, prayers, hymns and melodies from Jewish traditions such as Greek, Turkish, and Moroccan filled the room wherever we were–whether it was our hotel, the synagogues we attended (Temple Moses Sephardic Congregation of Florida and Chabad Downtown Jewish Center), or even when we were walking outside. On Shabbat morning, many of the male fellows took turns leading prayers and reading from the Torah, following their own community’s unique traditions–including Persian and Syrian. It was an incredibly enriching experience to fuse different liturgical styles into the same service.
Every student present had a unique family lineage, and the weekend retreat became a powerful opportunity to learn about one another through sharing our stories–whether it was a Libyan Israeli student from University of Pittsburgh, a Kavkazi-Iraqi fellow from Georgetown University, or a graduating senior of Egyptian Jewish heritage from Hamilton College. Fellows recounted stories, photographs, and mementos that gave the group a glimpse into their families and communities.
Despite the diversity within the group, the central theme of resilience was clear. After a lifetime of trying to find my place between rigid identity boxes, I felt a sense of belonging as we shared our stories, as well as a sense of passion that resonated throughout our group and our storytelling. Sharing anecdotes of family heroes and our rich traditions made me feel as though we were honoring our past and had brought all of our ancestors into the room with us–be they from Uzbekistan, Georgia, Yemen, or Sefarad (Spain) itself.
With so many dedicated and passionate young leaders in the same room, the potential to impact our communities was palpable. I am very grateful to Sephardi House for introducing me to this fantastic network, and giving me the opportunity to learn about our rich and intertwined histories while simultaneously building a brighter future.
Elizabeth Katanov is a rising second-year medical student at Downstate College of Medicine. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree at Hunter College in 2024. Elizabeth is an alumna of the Sephardi House Fellowship and currently serves on the Alumni Advisory Board.
Interested in applying to the 2025-26 cohort of the Sephardi House Fellowship? Visit: www.tinyurl.com/SephardiHouse2025