On Tuesday evening April 30, Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, had the rare privilege of hosting Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. The sanctuary was filled to near capacity as Rabbi Amar joined the Sephardic Congregation for the Mincha (afternoon) prayer service. After Mincha, Rabbi Amar addressed the congregation and urged them to enhance their commitment to Torah study in preparation for the upcoming holiday of Shavuot.

Rabbi Howard Jachter of Shaarei Orah added, “The evening was truly magical as the rabbi ended his address by conferring his heartfelt Berachot (blessings) and prayers to the entire congregation. We were privileged to have him join us at our new Beit Knesset.”

Rabbi Amar has been the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel since his appointment in 2003. He was born in Casablanca, Morocco and immigrated to Israel in 1962, at the age of 14. He is a leading student of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the leading Sephardic rabbinic authority. Before his appointment as co-Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Amar served as the head of the Petah Tikva Rabbinical Court. He was elected chief rabbi of Tel Aviv in 2002, the first sole Chief Rabbi of the city.

Shaarei Orah, The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, was founded in 1994 to provide a warm, comfortable and welcoming place of worship for Sephardim of all nationalities and to promote the spiritual and moral values of Tefilla, Halacha and customs of Sephardic culture. Congregants are delighted to welcome new members and guests into their community. For more information, visit the synagogue website at www.sephardicteaneck.org.

By Amy Elfman