Sephardi Association of Ottawa

06/12/2026

Hi everyone,
As we prepare for our Sephardic Shabbat, here are a few details:
1. This Shabbat is for both men and women.
2. The entire community will be using the Sephardic liturgy throughout Shabbat—not just a small Sephardic minyan. We are, G-d willing, printing 200 Sephardic siddurim especially for this occasion (see photo).
3. Schedule:
Friday evening: 6:30 PM – Shir HaShirim, with arak and baklava brought from Montreal, followed by a fully Sephardic Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv.
Shabbat morning: 9:30 AM – Shacharit, Torah reading, and the entire service in the Sephardic tradition.
Around 12:00 PM – Kiddush and Shabbat lunch, catered by a Sephardic caterer from Montreal.
4. Later in the day, we will have Mincha and Havdalah in the Sephardic tradition as well.

If you haven't done it yet, you can register for the Kiddush and Shabbat lunch this Saturday here: https://cmh.shulcloud.com/form/sephardic-shabbat-lunch.html

06/07/2026

Dear friends of SAO,
📺 🇮🇱 Join us for an engaging evening exploring the life and legacy of Elihu Katz, one of the most influential scholars of mass communication and a key figure in shaping modern Israeli society.
We are pleased to welcome Professor Isaac Nahon-Serfaty (University of Ottawa) and vice-President of the Sephardi Association of Ottawa, who will discuss his research on Katz and the fascinating idea of Israel as a “media lab”—a place where communication, technology, and nation-building intersected in profound ways.
🍽️ Enjoy dinner and discussion with fellow community members while learning about the role media played in creating a shared national consciousness in Israel.
📅 June 14, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 15 Chartwell Avenue
🎟️ $18 (includes dinner)
Register today: cbto.ca/events
We look forward to seeing you there!
Shavua Tov,

SAO

06/04/2026

*Join us for a special Sephardic Shabbat:*

🔹 Traditional Sephardic services & Torah reading
🔹 Authentic Sephardic food

Experience the beauty, flavor, and spirit of Sephardic Shabbat

To register: ⬇️

03/01/2026

In Memory of Neil Sedaka Z"L. He sent this message when Istanbul celebrated 500 years, a city that opened its gates to Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Sedaka was a descendant of those Sephardim from Turkey:

History of Sephardi Jews DOCUMENTS History of Sepharad by Maurice Hatchwell Toleado History of Turkish Jews by Naim Guleryuz Official Registration - Jews Spain historical official registration of the first religious Jewish organization in Spain in 1968 READ INTRO "...the Edict of Expulsion (of the J...

03/01/2026

In Memory of Neil Sedaka Z"L. He sent this message when Istanbul celebrated 500 years, a city that opened its gates to Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Sedaka was a descendant of those Sephardim from Turkey: https://sephardiottawa.ca/sephardi-history/ [gallery_image_2]/4

01/30/2026

Watch the conversation that the Vice President of the Sephardi Association of Ottawa, Isaac Nahon-Serfaty, had with Prof. Aviad Moreno about the Hispanic Jewish Moroccan experience and his book Entwined Homelands, Empowered Diasporas: Hispanic Moroccan Jews and Their Globalizing Community (Indiana University Press, 2024). Prof. Moreno is Senior Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel). He is currently on sabbatical at the University of Florida, and leading the “Diversifying the Israeli Diaspora” research group at Brandeis University:

Watch the conversation that the Vice President of the Sephardi Association of Ottawa, Isaac Nahon-Serfaty, had with Prof. Aviad Moreno about the Hispanic Jew...

01/30/2026

Please find attached the information of a very interesting event with the treasurer of the Sephardi Association of Ottawa, Joelle Assaraf about Smart Money for Smart Women. The event will take place on February 17th at 7 p.m. More details in the poster. Shabbat Shalom,

SAO