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Supporting Sephardic Students in our School

Rabbi Shmuel Hain and Ms. Denise Samstein
May 23, 2025

 

This episode of The Grand Conversation: “Supporting Sephardic Students in Our Schools” features an important conversation between Rabbi Shmuel Hain and Ms. Denise Samstein, Judaic Studies faculty member and Director of Sephardic Engagement at SAR High School. Questions discussed include: What is the experience of Sephardic families and students in schools where they are a minority? What more can we do to include Sephardic history, culture and halakha in our school life?

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Rabbi Shmuel Hain

Rabbi Hain is Rosh Beit Midrash at SAR HS and Rabbi of YIOZ of North Riverdale/Yonkers. He recently served as the Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Jewish Studies.

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Ms. Denise Samstein

Ms. Denise Zami Samstein received her BA in Jewish Education from Stern College, where she was a Legacy Heritage Scholar. She received her MA in Bible Studies from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Denise started at SAR as a Beit midrash fellow in 2015 and has been teaching Tanakh there ever since. She also serves as a JNTP Mentor for new teachers.

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