The True Meaning of Being Sephardic

Leaders from Bivas - the Ladino High School Club of America, at the 2023 International Sephardic Community Gala

From the time I was little, being Sephardic is something in which I’ve taken great pride in. It was exciting to be part of such a vibrant community with a rich culture, interesting stories, delicious cuisine, and vibrant traditions. As valuable as each of those elements is, being Sephardic is obviously far more than eating a boreka and singing “El Norah Alilah'' at Neilah on Yom Kippur. As a child, that might have fulfilled our Sephardic identities, but as we grow, our connections and understandings of identity grow with us and become more complex.

I am now a teenager in the Sephardic community and am asking myself what it means to be a member of this group. Being Sephardic is a philosophy of thinking and a way of living one's life. In a truly Sephardic sphere, we are both broad and inclusive. We follow Jewish law carefully, but we include everyone in our tent of acceptance. Sephardic is an incredible umbrella where we are all celebrate together in one tent, unlike in the Ashkenormative world, where there seems to be a need to break off into different groupings and denominational divides.

That is the true meaning of being Sephardic more than the language and the food and the traditions; it is a community where we connect through our shared experiences and celebrate our differences. We carry with us not only the legacy of our ancestors, but also a commitment to preserving and sharing the unique aspects of our heritage with mutual respect and understanding, something I am incredibly grateful for and excited to share with others in the future, Si Kere El Dio.