As Israeli civilians are once again under rocket attacks from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups, we the undersigned, Sephardic rabbis representing communities all over the world, stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel.
We support Israel’s right to defend her cities and civilians, and to assert her sovereignty over Jerusalem, the historic and eternal capital of Israel.
We offer our love and prayers to the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Police, Israel’s Home Front Command and Medical First Response units. May God strengthen and protect them as they protect Israel.
We condemn the violent ways of all terror groups attacking Israel, whose hypocrisy recalls the Biblical verse: “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalms 120:7).
In the words of our great Sephardic sage Rabbi Bension Meir Hai Uziel, “we desire peace, but we will not go as sheep to the slaughter, rather we will defend ourselves with strength and courage in our historic homeland.”
Today and every day, we are proud to stand with Israel.
Rabbi Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi, Jewish Council of the Emirates (United Arab Emirates)
Rabbi Ilan Acoca, Sephardic Congregation of Fort Lee (New Jersey)
Rabbi Marc Angel, Institute of Jewish Ideas and Ideals (New York)
Rabbi Haim Amsalem, Am Shalem/Zera Yisrael Foundation (Jerusalem, Israel)
Rabbi Yaakob Levy Aserraf, Communidad Israelita de Cueta (Spain)
Rabbi Eitan Bendavid, Kehillat Shivtei Yisrael (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen, West Coast Torah Center (Los Angeles)
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle, Washington)
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Sephardic Educational Center (Los Angeles/Jerusalem)
Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America (New York)
Rabbi Albert Gabbai, Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia)
Rabbi Baruj Garzon, Kehillat Yagdil Torah (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Yonatan Halevy, Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim (San Diego)
Rabbi Yaacov Betzalel Harrar, Kehillat Shuva (Ra’anana)
Rabbi Ben Hassan, Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation (Seattle, Washington)
Rabbi Daniel Kahana, (Brooklyn, New York)
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Levy, Spanish & Portuguese Community (London)
Rabbi Mordejai Maarabi, Kehillat Torah ve’Jaim (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Mimon Mamane, Congregation Magen David of Manhattan (New York)
Rabbi Raif Melhado, Americans4Israel (Los Angeles)
Rabbi Moshe Nahon, Kahal Kadosh Abudarham Synagogue (Gibraltar)
Rabbi Abraham Tobal, Monte Sinai Community (Mexico City)
Rabbi Devin Maimon Villareal, Kehillat Sha’ar Tsafon (Pocatello, Idaho)
Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun, Skylake Synagogue (Miami)
Sephardic Rabbis Stand in Solidarity with Israel
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila
As Israeli civilians are once again under rocket attacks from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups, we the undersigned, Sephardic rabbis representing communities all over the world, stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel.
We support Israel’s right to defend her cities and civilians, and to assert her sovereignty over Jerusalem, the historic and eternal capital of Israel.
We offer our love and prayers to the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Police, Israel’s Home Front Command and Medical First Response units. May God strengthen and protect them as they protect Israel.
We condemn the violent ways of all terror groups attacking Israel, whose hypocrisy recalls the Biblical verse: “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalms 120:7).
In the words of our great Sephardic sage Rabbi Bension Meir Hai Uziel, “we desire peace, but we will not go as sheep to the slaughter, rather we will defend ourselves with strength and courage in our historic homeland.”
Today and every day, we are proud to stand with Israel.
Rabbi Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi, Jewish Council of the Emirates (United Arab Emirates)
Rabbi Ilan Acoca, Sephardic Congregation of Fort Lee (New Jersey)
Rabbi Marc Angel, Institute of Jewish Ideas and Ideals (New York)
Rabbi Haim Amsalem, Am Shalem/Zera Yisrael Foundation (Jerusalem, Israel)
Rabbi Yaakob Levy Aserraf, Communidad Israelita de Cueta (Spain)
Rabbi Eitan Bendavid, Kehillat Shivtei Yisrael (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen, West Coast Torah Center (Los Angeles)
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle, Washington)
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Sephardic Educational Center (Los Angeles/Jerusalem)
Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America (New York)
Rabbi Albert Gabbai, Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia)
Rabbi Baruj Garzon, Kehillat Yagdil Torah (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Yonatan Halevy, Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim (San Diego)
Rabbi Yaacov Betzalel Harrar, Kehillat Shuva (Ra’anana)
Rabbi Ben Hassan, Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation (Seattle, Washington)
Rabbi Daniel Kahana, (Brooklyn, New York)
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Levy, Spanish & Portuguese Community (London)
Rabbi Mordejai Maarabi, Kehillat Torah ve’Jaim (Ra’anana, Israel)
Rabbi Mimon Mamane, Congregation Magen David of Manhattan (New York)
Rabbi Raif Melhado, Americans4Israel (Los Angeles)
Rabbi Moshe Nahon, Kahal Kadosh Abudarham Synagogue (Gibraltar)
Rabbi Abraham Tobal, Monte Sinai Community (Mexico City)
Rabbi Devin Maimon Villareal, Kehillat Sha’ar Tsafon (Pocatello, Idaho)
Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun, Skylake Synagogue (Miami)
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.
Editor's Picks
Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review
The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC
What Ever Happened to the LA Times?
Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?
You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House
No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center
Latest Articles
Who is Going to Disarm Them?
How Zionism Strengthens My Judaism
Don’t Book Family Trips, Build Legacies Instead.
All My Journeys — A poem for Parsha Matot-Masei
A Bisl Torah — Confidence in Them, Trust in Yourself
The Young Investors Redefining What It Means to Support Israel
Print Issue: Remember Who You Are | July 10, 2026
An Open Letter to My Fellow Jews on Peoplehood, Memory, and Israel
A Moment in Time: Israel – Coming Home Again
Psalm 35:8 United the First Congress of the United States and the State of Israel
Rabbis of LA | Rabbi Geller Is Still Making History
First of three parts
Hebrew University-UCLA Exchange, New Staff at BJE, Repair the World Volunteer Day
Notable people and events in the Jewish LA community.
Arab Citizens of Israel: Between Integration and Separation
Arab citizens are an integral part of Israeli society. They serve as physicians, nurses, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, entrepreneurs, professors and judges.
‘Floaters’ Brings the Joy and Heart of Jewish Summer Camp to the Big Screen
“The Floaters” opens at Laemmle locations in West L.A. and Encino on July 17.
Alan Rothenberg Brought the World Cup to America in 1994. Now He’s Bringing Soccer’s Jewish History to L.A.
The man behind the 1994 FIFA World Cup is chairing The Beautiful Game: The Untold Story as the Holocaust Museum L.A.’s Goldrich Cultural Center prepares to open in mid-August.
More Than a Game: How the Equalizer Is Bridging Israel’s Divides One Child at a Time
Through The Equalizer (Sha’ar Shivion), children from Jewish, Arab, Druze, Bedouin, religious and secular communities meet through soccer – not only to compete, but also to build friendships and break down barriers that often keep their communities apart.
NYBD & Bakery in Mar Vista Features Hamantaschen?
It’s important to the owners, Lenny and Adaeze Rosenberg – and the neighborhood – to stay true to its longtime recipes.
A Ka’ak By Any Other Name
A symbol of hospitality, families bake batches for holidays, family celebrations and visits with friends and relatives.
Table for Five: Matot-Masei
Keeping Your Word
From Roadmap to Reality: UCLA Must Move Beyond Aspirational Commitments in Combating Antisemitism
UCLA has an opportunity to become a national model for confronting antisemitism through principled leadership, transparent accountability, and meaningful action.
Emanuel Gives Israel Some Love Tough Rather Than Tough Love
I can imagine many Israelis rolling their eyes: OK, where’s he going with this? When is he telling us what he really came here to say?
The Story That Never Goes Away
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, can’t stop speaking about her pain and the public love her body cannot always receive. She talks to the Journal about her son’s legacy and her new book.
Remembering Who You Are
An Open Letter to My Fellow Jews on Peoplehood, Memory and Israel
Rosner’s Domain | A Dime-Store Abe: The Karhi Crisis
This week’s “Constitutional Crisis” is typical of the way the government operates. It issues a statement, or a tweet and then walks it back. Oops, we did not mean it. Or rather, we did, but we also meant to deny that we did.
“Believe All Women” Should Not Be Political
Moral consistency is not a Republican value or a Democratic value. It is an American value.
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
If we want to see a less polarized society, both internally and beyond, we must emphatically reject the idea that political alignment is the predominant commonality for friendship.
Ruth-less, the Enigma of a Name
Jews spoke in two voices about Ruth, a kind of national schizophrenia, one with joyous chanting on Shavuos as the Book of Ruth was read; the other, removing her name from the chain-link of repeated names throughout the generations.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.