From the second half of the nineteenth century, Haskalah ideas filtered into the Sephardic communities in Muslim lands, especially through the efforts of the schools of the Alliance Israelite Universelle—bastions of French culture. The influence of European colonial powers in North Africa and the Middle East was also an important factor in Sephardic intellectual life. The impact of the Haskalah could not be altogether ignored.

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When you attend synagogue, do you usually sit in the same seat? Even in synagogues where there is no assigned seating, do you find that you and almost everyone else ends up in their usual places? Why?
Megillat Esther is among the most difficult biblical books to study anew, precisely because it is so familiar. Many assumptions accompany us through our study of the Megillah, occasionally clouding our perceptions of what is in the text and what is not.
Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Elton presents three pillars basic to the outlook of an Inclusive Orthodox
Rabbi. They are a route to combining openness with integrity.
Book Launch: The Grand Worldview of Rab Uziel will happen on Tuesday, February 17, 7pm at Shearith Israel, New York.
The spring learning semester with Rabbi Hayyim Angel is just getting started!