These selected Internet Resources are all informational sites to help further knowledge of and learning about Sephardic Jewry. Some sites provide valuable texts and academic sources, others are focused on particular communities. There are many other Sephardic sites on genealogy, family names and political issues, that we have not included here.
The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture www.sephardicstudies.org
For nearly 40 years the Foundation has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the complex and centuries-old culture of the Sephardic communities of Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Europe and the U.S. Emigration, and the devastation of the Holocaust, have combined to weaken historic communities which had resisted assimilation, where Ladino, the Sephardic language, was used continuously and unique cultural traditions were practiced.

The website offers various academic resources on Sephardic Studies. These resources include articles, journal entries, audio resources, PDF files, and maps. The foundation’s website also includes a search engine. To view the resources offered by the foundation click on the “text menu” link at the bottom of the home page. Some of these textual links include:

Exploring Our Heritage Judeo-Spanish (Ladino)
American Sephardi Federation: with Sephardic House www.americansephardifederation.org The goals of the federation are to promote and preserve the spiritual, historical, cultural and social traditions of all Sephardic communities as an integral part of Jewish heritage. They are working to accomplish this by:
  • Ensuring the continuation of the Sephardic legacy, heritage and traditions through educational programs and archival preservation
  • Advocating for Sephardic Communities around the world and foster strong lines of communication between them and the American Sephardic community.
  • Celebrating the contributions of Sephardic Jews
  • Strengthening Sephardic interaction with other American Jewish communal organizations
  • Educating about the legacy and traditions of the Sephardic people
  • Furthering the rights and claims of Jewish Refugees from Muslim Countries
The foundation website offers an online catalog, library and archives collection. They provide access to resources for the study of Jews tracing their ancestry back to the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Orient. The materials and the expertise of the librarian are available to individuals engaged in scholarly research as well as anyone wishing to explore Sephardic culture and traditions. The collection includes over 4,000 books, 150 periodicals, oral histories, videotapes, archival records and artifacts.

The website also includes:
  • A bookstore with real-time online ordering of books, music, movies.
  • The Sephardic Report where you can read fascinating information about Sephardic communities in America and beyond.
  • Sephardic House Publications where you can find books published by Sephardic House.
  • An online archive of articles of interest related to Sephardim.
  • A listing of Sephardic Synagogues.
  • Links and information on o ther Sephardic Organizations
  • A Speakers Bureau where you can find a list of people who speak on subjects of interest to Sephardim.
  • Resources on Sephardic History including various timelines and listings of noteworthy Sephardim.
  • Information about Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries (JRAC) where you can find out about JRAC, Jews for Justice and how to file a claim.
S.T.A.R. — Sephardic Tradition and Recognition http://www.lastar.org Sephardic Tradition And Recreation (S.T.A.R.) is a thriving Jewish youth organization serving the Sephardic Jewish Community in the Los Angeles and San Fernando area. The goal of S.T.A.R. is to provide meaningful after school programs to Sephardic youth to enhance their awareness of these six principles: COMMUNITY-- VALUES - TRADITION - PRESERVATION - ISRAEL - PRIDE.
Sephardic Education Center www.secworldwide.com The Sephardic Educational Center world movement is a worldwide community. Each chapter is organized by a local Board of young adults that determines its chapter’s own offerings of educational, cultural, and social programs. The Center’s website offers information about bar mitzvah programs in Jerusalem, summer and winter trip to Israel, annual young adult conventions and Makor a one year Israel study program at Hebrew University in Sephardic Studies.
The National Center for Jewish Film (Sephardic films and videos) http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/sephardic.htm The National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF) is a unique nonprofit motion picture archive, distributor and resource center housing the largest, most comprehensive collection of Jewish-theme film and video in the world. The ongoing mission of NCJF is to gather, preserve, catalogue, and exhibit films with artistic and educational value relevant to the Jewish experience, disseminating these materials to the widest possible audience. NCJF’s first priority continues to be the preservation and restoration of rare and endangered nitrate and acetate films. By producing and distributing pristine film and videocassette editions of such historic works with new English subtitles, NCJF effectively reintroduces modern audiences to a unique cultural and cinematic experience.

This link under the NCJF website lists numerous Sephardic films produced and made in countries from around the world in various languages ranging from Hebrew to English to French. The plot of each film is summarized, with the year of production, languagem country of origin and running time. Each video can be purchased from the archive and the prices are listed.
The International Sephardic Journal (ISJ) www.sephardicjournal.org The International Sephardic Journal (ISJ) is a multi-disciplinary publication featuring scholarly works related to Sephardim (the descendants of the Jews of historic Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the former Ottoman Empire who share common religious and cultural bonds). The ISJ is published by the International Society for Sephardic Progress (ISFSP). The website allows you to download the first page (in PDF format) of articles written in previous journal issues.
International Sephardic Leadership Council (ISLC) www.sephardiccouncil.org The International Sephardic Leadership Council realizes that the modern Sephardic communities are fragmented and becoming more and more assimilated. Sephardic traditional culture, a culture which goes back far over 1,500 years is at risk of being forgotten. Young Sephardim are having a difficult time learning about a culture which was alive in their families only two generations ago. In the spirit of Sephardic organizations of the past, the International Sephardic Leadership Council strives to keep the momentum of the Sephardic religious and cultural traditions alive.
  • To support and enhance the living Sephardic communities through a series of diverse and comprehensive educational and cultural programs, perpetuating communal knowledge and traditions, while aspiring to instill a strong and secure sense of Jewish identity for future generations.
  • To develop and implement unique and original Sephardic oriented projects which have the affect of perpetuating knowledge of similar, yet distinct, Sephardic historical and cultural traditions, to both the Sephardic and general Jewish community. To support Sephardic Jewish communities by distributing educational information to both the Sephardic rabbis and congregations across the globe.
  • To be a positive voice for the Sephardic Jewish community both in the United States and internationally.
The website contains a variety of resources on Sepahrdic communities including: weekly updates, links to sepahrdic genealogy center, “today in history”, and information on Sephardic Jerusalem, holiday Halakhot for the Sephardic community, program information endorsed by the organization and discussion groups.
Sephardic Holocaust Project http://www.holoseph.org Any program which teaches about the Holocaust, or any program on genocide studies would be incomplete without inclusion of the affects of the Holocaust on Sephardic Jewish communities both inside and outside of Europe. Yet, this the case today in schools around the world--the Holocaust needs to stop being taught to Jewish and non-Jewish students as a European-only event.