In the News

Collage of images with map backgrounds and people participating in cultural activities. Includes a woman and a boy preparing food, and a group of three young men standing together in traditional attire, with a family gathered around a table with food.

An Act of Good Will Softens the Hurt of an Exodus in Uzbekistan

Our community’s ability to adapt, thrive and remain steadfast in our beliefs tells a powerful narrative of our survival and triumph.
My parents, Abrash Khaimov and Marina Borukhova, decided that we also would go to Jerusalem to celebrate my bar mitzvah in September 2000, when I turned 13. The tickets were booked, the restaurant was ready and people were invited.

- By Manashe Khaimov, on September 25th, 2024, in distinctionsjournal.org

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Two men wearing kippahs studying and reading from a large Hebrew text in a synagogue.

How to Make Jewish Student Organizations More Welcoming to Sephardic and Mizrahi Students

While Jewish organizations on campuses have done more in recent years to engage the Sephardi and Mizrahi students, they’re struggling to make it sustainable.
Join Manashe Khaimov as he discusses exploring the ways in which this prevalent, but often neglected, demographic can make its voice heard.

- By Manashe Khaimov, on April 5, 2023, in algemeiner.com

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Close-up of a United States Census 2020 form with a black pen placed on it.

Proposed US census categories on race and ethnicity leave some Jews in a confusing place

The leader of an advocacy group for Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews is worried that a major change to how the United States gathers and analyzes racial and ethnic data would likely do little to address the concerns of Jewish communities that don’t fit neatly into most categories. 

- By Adam Kovac, on January 31, 2023, in forward.com

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Group of tourists posing in front of an ornate historic building with large arches and turquoise domes, holding a flag with the logo 'SAMi' in front of the building.

Elul in Uzbekistan: Looking back at thousands of years to find inspiration for today

Traveling to Uzbekistan with SAMi provided the authentic connection to Judaism I was craving. We were provided with a taste of a more undisturbed and genuine sense of what Jewish life was like in Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries for generations prior. Our tour visited the synagogues and yeshivot where some of our greatest Sephardic rabbis studied and where countless Jews from lands near and far were welcomed with open arms.

- By Theodore Feldsher, on October 7, 2022, in ejewishphilanthropy.com

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Children dressed in traditional Jewish garments singing in a synagogue with an audience watching.

Atid Choir: A Bukharian Seder And Much More

On the weekend of Shabbos HaGadol, the largest Bukharian shul in the country, Beth Gavriel in Forest Hills, hosted a concert by the Atid Boys Choir, a unique ensemble led by Conductor Itzhak Haimov and Chazan Ezro Malakov, a veteran of radio and stage for many decades.

- By Sergey Kadinsky, on April 13, 2022, in queensjewishlink.com

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Screenshot of an online news article titled "Jewish students at UF learn about Bukharian Jews" published on January 26, 2022, at 7:22 PM. The webpage header shows the publication name "The Times of Israel" with a blue and yellow theme, a profile picture of a woman named Phoenix Berman, and navigation links for blog sections.

Jewish students at UF learn about Bukharian Jews

this past October, I had the privilege of hosting Manashe Khaimov, a representative of the Bukharian Jewish community, to speak at the University of Florida (UF) Hillel for Israel Week. The purpose of UF Hillel’s Israel Week was to showcase Jewish indigeneity, the diversity of the Zionist movement, and highlight communities within the Jewish diaspora.

- By Phoenix Berman, on Jan 26, 2022, in The Times of Israel

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Decorative ceramic tiles with intricate geometric patterns in black, white, blue, brown, yellow, and light blue colors.

I’m Tired of Feeling Tokenized as a Mizrahi Jew

Mizrahi food is delicious — but the Jewish community needs to engage with more of our experience than just that.

- By Tal Israeli, on December 27, 2021, in heyalma.com

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Left side: A group of young men gathered at night, forming a circle with their arms around each other's shoulders. Right side: A man standing on a front porch holding a white flag with red and black writing and a medical symbol, with a red wooden building in the background.

SAMi First National Sephardic Shabbaton For Leadership Program

At the end of each summer, the campgrounds in the upstate mountains fall silent as children prepare for school. But for one such site, there was a last hurrah when young adults spent a weekend in nature to build connections and strengthen ties.

- By Sergey Kadinsky, September 15, 2021, in queensjewishlink.com

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Man in a pink blazer and blue shirt giving a presentation about a Bukharian Jewish wedding, with a slide on a monitor and a laptop on a decorative table.

The Beauty Of Bukharian Jewish History

Why are we called Bukharian if we are from Central Asia? Are we Sephardic or not? Are our traditions ours or were they adopted from the local communities? How did we end up in Central Asia?

- By Shabise Saphirstein, January 20, 2021, in queensjewishlink.com

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Group of people dressed in traditional and colorful clothing, standing indoors with autumn-themed decorations and floral patterned wall in the background.

A Walk Through Bukharian Queens — Just Don’t Call It ‘Russian’

Some 70,000 Bukharian Jews live in Queens, NY today. A walking tour by Manashe Khaimov takes visitors to a bakery, synagogue, & Bukharian museum.

- By Simone Somekh, January 02, 2019, in forward.com

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