M’mizrah L’Ma’arav: Supporting Sephardic Students in Yeshiva Day Schools

Over 17 Yeshiva Day Schools came together at SAR High School for M’mizrah L’Ma’arav, a conference focused on supporting Sephardic students in our schools, held in partnership with Machon Siach, JIMENA, and UJA. The program featured a historical overview by Dr. Ronnie Perelis, a presentation by Dr. Elana Riback Rand on school culture and student belonging, a panel of principals from Ramaz, Flatbush, North Shore, and BPY reflecting on institutional practices, and a session by Ms. Denise Samstein exploring Sephardic halakha, minhag, and cultural norms. Together, we examined what meaningful Sephardic representation looks like and shared ideas for practical implementation across curricula, tefillah, and school culture. The day sparked important conversations that we look forward to continuing.