Guest speaker: Rabbi Gilberto Ventura 

The Brazilian Jewish community is one of the ten largest in the world. There are an increasing number of descendants of the Conversos (in Hebrew Bnei Anusim) – Jews forced to convert to Christianity during the inquisitions that took place on the Iberian Peninsula (today Spain and Portugal) that are returning to Judaism. While some were aware of their Jewish heritage and practiced in hiding, they were left to fend for themselves. For decades, Jewish officials were apathetic… until Rabbi Ventura created Synagogues Without Borders. Presented in partnership with Sephardi Voices.

Rabbi Gilberto Ventura is the founder and president of the national movement Synagogue Without Borders, whose main mission is to welcome the descendants of Jews forced by the Inquisition who wish to return to Judaism. A graduate of Kolel Or Nissim in Israel, Rabbi Ventura has worked for over 20 years with more than 20 communities as a Judaism teacher in numerous Jewish schools and synagogues in São Paulo, Brazil. Rabbi Ventura is also known for his humanitarian campaigns and for his participation in inter-religious dialogue. On social networks, he has 250,000 followers. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Synagogue-Without-Borders-2141211182772975/

Jews have lived in North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran for millennia. In the aftermath of World War Two and the founding of the State of Israel, Jews were displaced from their native lands and scattered throughout the world. Their experience is rarely documented, their plight ignored, and their heritage overlooked. Sephardi Voices is the first comprehensive digital archive that documents and preserves the life stories of Jews who lived in Islamic lands with videos, audio, and photographs. Sephardi Voices partnered with the Miles Nadal JCC in fall 2019 for the lecture and Gallery exhibition Sephardi Voices: The Forgotten Exodus. For more information, visit https://sephardivoices.com/