I'm reaching out again today with a very important request and to tell you what makes Sephardic Heritage International in DC (SHIN-DC) an organization like no other. 

First, the request.

As a nonprofit, SHIN-DC depends on your support to keep our critical work going. Please consider donating to SHIN-DC at the following link: https://shindc.org/donate/
Over the past year, we doubled our membership to about 10,000. Over 20,000 of you participated in programs over various media. Won't you please consider becoming a member and supporting this mission that so many of you already love?
Now, all about us.

SEPHARDIC HERITAGE INTERNATIONAL (SHIN) / SHIN-DC: SHIN is a pluralistic 501(c)(3) organization that builds intercultural understanding, while raising awareness of Sephardic and other under-represented Jewish heritages, and the cultures, arts and history of the Middle East, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, the Balkans, Turkey and Asia.

Through a focus on celebrating Sephardic and other under-represented Jewish heritages, we engage in cultural diplomacy by bringing together members of the diplomatic community, members of Congress, and diverse communities. 

From day one, SHIN-DC has been a trend-setter, as we have focused on our mission rooted in the classic Sephardic concern for humanity and the world in which we live. Our mission was conceived to build bridges, eradicate hate, and serve humanity through the celebration and understanding of all of our invaluable narratives as the tools with which we have been blessed to build peace and forge a solid future.

This is why a donation to Sephardic Heritage International or SHIN-DC membership is an investment in both classical Sephardic values and humanity.
More of Our Story and Highlights From 2021:
HOLOCAUST EDUCATION - CONGRESSIONAL HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION
PFIZER CEO DR. ALBERT BOURLA shared for the first time ever publicly his Greek Sephardic Jewish family’s history of tragedy and survival during SHIN-DC’s annual Congressional Holocaust Commemoration 2021. 

Dr. Bourla's words and history inspired an audience comprised of members of Congress, incl. Rep. Gregory Meeks, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. House of Reps., Rep. Jamie Raskin, representatives of the diplomatic community and the U.S. Dept. of State, as well as many listeners in the U.S. and all over the world.
 
A link to the recording for this program is found on the U.S. Department of State website, in acknowledgement of the crucial Holocaust education work that SHIN-DC is doing: https://www.state.gov/congressional-holocaust-commemoration/
Our Annual Congressional Holocaust Commemoration began in 2019 and education programs in 2015 when several local Sephardic and Romaniote Holocaust survivors attended Mimouna. We endeavor to convey that their often-omitted narratives are important, so we bring them to Congress each year.
EMBASSIES, 2014-2021
BULGARIA, 2014
Ladino Concert at the Embassy of Bulgaria in 2014, featuring Judith Cohen with legendary guest musician Flory Jagoda, of blessed memory. We highlighted the important narratives of Ladino-speaking Jews and bridge building by presenting the Bulgarian Embassy with an 1873 photo that depicts the costumes of Muslim, Jewish and Bulgarian women of Salonika and North Macedonia.
MOROCCO AND ISRAEL, 2021
As an organization that has worked closely with both the Moroccan and Israeli embassies and also worked energetically towards normalization and the development of Israeli-Moroccan ties, SHIN-DC was proud to have that work recognized by celebrating a joyous year of good relationship between the two countries with friends H.E. Michael Herzog Ambassador of Israel and H.H. Princess Lalla Joumala Ambassador of Morocco. Click for the Ambassadors' speeches.
The Embassies of Israel and Morocco in Washington hosted their first-ever joint Mimouna celebration in partnership with SHIN-DC and the Smithsonian Institution. Press: Jerusalem Post.
SHIN-DC has done Mimouna programs with the Embassy of Morocco in Washington since 2015. We have built peace and understanding by engaging the diversity of Morocco and the District through our Festival of Good Neighbors.
ISRAEL, THE UAE AND BAHRAIN
Jerusalem Post: SHIN-DC hosted a special Hanukkah program highlighting cooperation between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE on each night of the holiday with the theme "collaboration for the good brings more light into the world".
Night 8 summarizes previous nights and highlights SHIN-DC's collaborations with partners in Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco. The program featured Ministers of Culture of Israel and the UAE; Ambassadors of Bahrain, Israel, UAE and Morocco; and other public figures. Performances included Dudu Tassa who carries on the Gulf Jewish musical legacy of his grandfather.
GREECE AND ISRAEL - GREECE AND IRAQ
SHIN-DC, the EMBASSY OF GREECE and the EMBASSY OF ISRAEL partnered to explore the story of the Jews of Greece in a 3-part lecture series given by Rachel Velelli Glaser.
GREEK FAMILY ZOOM (GFZ) is an ongoing project based on your feedback from this lecture series and is aimed at giving us an opportunity to continue the conversation. Our group has grown to about 700 members during the pandemic. Children and grandchildren of Greek Jews and all who are interested are welcome! www.shindc.org/GreekFamily
At our last GFZ, the Jewish Community of Athens shared about their community with participation from H.E. Y. Amrani, Ambassador, Israel to Greece and H.E. A. Papadopoulou, Ambassador, Greece to the U.S.

Cosmopolitan Journeys Through Greek Music – Pt I: Greek, Iraqi and Sephardic/Ladino musicians discussed melodies that are shared in their respective traditions. Press: National Herald, Tornos News.
Each year SHIN-DC raises awareness of the tragedy of the Farhud by sharing the rich history and narratives born out of over 2,600 years of Jewish life in Iraq.
SHIN-DC's Violet and Afraim lit a candle in memory of the victims of the Farhud in the U.S. Congress, where SHIN board member Maurice Shohet, whose family survived that tragedy in Baghdad, spoke in 2016.
In 2021, Dr. Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah spoke to a large audience worldwide that included about 10 participants in Iraq, mostly from universities, who joined our annual meeting for the first time.
In 2021, our Farhud Remembrance Program generated discussions within Iraq, as it did in 2020:
"We expelled them and confiscated their property...because of racism and delusion...Of course those who are expelled from their homeland need a place to preserve their dignity," said one Iraqi comment on the social media post for the event in Arabic. 
PORTUGAL AND ISRAEL
Jerusalem Post: October 22, Portugal's Embassy to the U.S. partnered with SHIN-DC to bring together Portuguese-Jewish communities worldwide.
The Embassies of Portugal and Israel partnered with SHIN-DC to bring you Ladino music in a fado style.
ISRAEL
As we have continued to raise the profile of Sephardic and other underrepresented Jewish heritages in the U.S., Israel and worldwide, SHIN-DC was one of 34 national and international Jewish organizations in the United States selected to partner with the Embassy of Israel for Yom Ha'Atzmaut 2021.
ENGAGEMENT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY - WOMEN'S ISSUES
March 2021, the NAACP, SHIN-DC, and a historic coalition of partners and allies for justice and equality honored FOUR WISE DAUGHTERS for Women’s History Month, just before Passover, as we launched an initiative aimed at working together on issues that relate to our diverse communities.
The Embassy of Israel has worked with SHIN-DC to highlight African American Jewish and Sephardic narratives, including a special program with celebrity chef Michael Twitty, 2021.