Bukharian Jews: At the Crossroads of

Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-Speaking Worlds

Thursday, March 3

USA (10:30 am PT / 1:30 pm ET)

UK 6:30 pm / France 7:30 pm / Israel 8:30 pm

All talks will last approximately 90 minutes

About this talk

The experience of the native Jews of Central Asia - Bukharian Jews - is situated at a unique, and lesser-known, intersection of Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-speaking Jewish identities. This interactive multimedia talk will explore the eclectic story of this millennia-old Jewish community, discovering the ways in which Bukharian Jews have developed their multifaceted and rich culture through a dynamic interaction with the dominant and changing societies surrounding them. Taking us on a journey through Central Asia, West Asia/the Middle East, North Africa, the United States and Europe, our discussion will also shed light on how the Bukharian Jewish journey fits into the broader historical saga of the Jewish people.

About Ruben

Ruben Shimonov is an educator, community builder, and social entrepreneur with a passion for Jewish diversity. He previously served as Director of Community Engagement and Education at Queens College Hillel. Ruben is currently the American Sephardi Federation's National Director of Sephardi House and Young Leadership. He is also the Founding Executive Director of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network and Director of Educational Experiences & Programming for the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. He is an alumnus of the COJECO Blueprint, Nahum Goldmann and ASF Broome & Allen Fellowships for his work in Jewish social innovation and Sephardic scholarship. He has been listed among The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" Jewish community leaders and changemakers. Presently, he is a Jewish Pedagogies Research Fellow at M² | The Institute of Experiential Jewish Education. Ruben has lectured extensively on the histories and cultures of various Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. He is also a visual artist specializing in multilingual calligraphy that interweaves Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian.