The Sephardi Minyan at the Jewish Center of Teaneck will be hosting a unique and interesting event this coming Shabbat, Parashat Beha’alotcha. Dr. David Sclar, history professor and librarian at Yeshivat Frisch, will be speaking after tefillah at 11 a.m. on the topic “Discovering Sephardic History in Ritual Sources.” Sclar studies Jewish history and culture in the early modern period; he earned his doctorate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and has held fellowships at Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Oxford. He recently curated the acclaimed exhibition “The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries” at the Yeshiva University Museum, and is the author/editor of a book of the same name.

The Sephardi Minyan had its inception around 2014. Recognizing the need for an accessible Sepharadi minyan on the south side of Route 4, members of the community approached Rabbi Daniel Fridman of the Jewish Center of Teaneck, who very enthusiastically offered a place at the center where the minyan could meet. Since then, the minyan has been meeting on Shabbatot and chagim including Yamim Noraim. Recently, the group acquired a second Sephardi sefer Torah, which is expected to greatly enhance the quality of the tefillah and the kriat haTorah. The minyan has a nice mix of Sepharadim of all traditions, including from Morocco, Iraq, Persia (Iran) and India. In addition, some of our regulars are Ashkenazim who are partial to the Sephardi nusach.

The talk this Shabbat is expected to be the first of a series of talks on Sephardic ritual, halacha and other areas of interest by renowned scholars. Services begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Jewish Center, 70 Sterling Place. All are welcome. For more information, please contact the JCOT (office@jcot.org).