The exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the south.

Obadyah 1:20

Mission

To create an alliance that will speak in favor of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews around the world.

Vision

Train and educate leaders in the Western Sepharadi tradition and create centers of learning throughout the Sepharadi diaspora. Prepare the Spanish & Portuguese Jews to live in the Holy Land through instruction in agriculture, self-defense, and self-sustainable living.



Our Team

Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota

Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota

President

Dr. Hakham Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota ס״ט was born in Miami. He comes from a long line of Sephardic families from Spain, Portugal and North Africa, which established themselves in the Caribbean before migrating to the United States of America.
He began his rabbinic education under Hakham Yosef Benarroch ע״ה ,ס״ט, at the Sephardic Education Center of North Miami Beach (yore yore). After that, he studied the laws of shehitah with Hakham Abraham Bitton ס״ט, and was certified by Hakham Israel Levi Tytell. Thereafter, he continued his studies under Hakham Mordekhay Levi de Lopes ס״ט (yadin yadin). Moreover, H. Elazar-DeMota was certified in Israel as a mohel by Hakham Yoel Nissim Dayan.
Apart from rabbinic studies, H. Elazar-DeMota has a Master’s degree in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Florida International University and a PhD in International Law from the University of Amsterdam.
H. Elazar-DeMota is a the author of numerous books and articles on Western Sephardic Jewry. He established his beth midrash in 2009 in the Capital of the Dominican Republic, then in La Romana in order to strengthen the Sephardic Jewish identity therein.

Hananiah Cohen

Hananiah Cohen

 Of Moroccan descent, Hakham Hananiah comes from a family of rabbis and cantors. Hakham Hananiah, who spent the past six years in Los Angeles, has a master’s degree in Chinese medicine, and is  a certified clinical hypnotherapist and neurofeedback practioner. He studied formally at Yeshivat Porat Yoshef in Jerusalem, and additionally with learned rabbis.

Jacob De Oliveira

Jacob De Oliveira

Hakham Yaacob De Oliveira ס״ט is a descendant of Portuguese Jews that settled in Rio Grande do Sul, Minais Gerias, and Bahia, Brazil. He began his academic training in Brazil, until the age of 18, after which he made aliyah. While in Israel, he acquired various specializations in Jewish law at Yeshivat Makhon Ben David and Yeshivat Ateret Yerushalaim. In 2008 he founded the União Sefardita Hispano-Portuguesa to strengthen Brazilian Jewry in the practice of Torah.

Eliezer Tabor

Eliezer Tabor

Of Spanish and Portuguese descent. Was born in Argentina and made aliyah over 20 years ago. Hakham Eliezer studied under Hakham Jacob Levi de Oliveira and Mori Qapah for many years. In 2004, he was ordained by the nascent Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. He serves as one of the dayanim for the Israeli-based organization União Sefaradita Hispano-Portuguesa. He is also a hyper-glot and teaches online Hebrew courses and translates professionally for international and local clients.

Haim Ovadia

Haim Ovadia

Hakham Haim has served as a rabbi for nearly thirty years in Israel, South America, and both the West and East Coasts. He comes from a dynasty of multi-generational rabbinic families, with origins in Damascus and Baghdad. Hakham Haim has inspired MDSC and Jewish communities worldwide with his learning, and his personal devotion to the unique traditions and values of Sephardic Jewry. These are the values of inclusiveness, respect to all humans, social justice, honesty, and religious life infused with joy.

Hakham Haim received Semikha from Chief Rabbi Mordekhai Eliyahu through SSC Schehebar Sephardic Center in the Old City. Served in the Israeli Army. Holds a BA in Talmud from Bar Ilan University and MA in Near East languages and Cultures from UCLA. Faculty member of the Academy for Jewish Religion of California and Allegra Franco College for Women in Brooklyn, lecturing on Midrash, Jewish History and Sephardic Law. He has served as a rabbi in Bogota, Israel, Deal NJ and Brooklyn. He has worked with many organizations which promote zionism, Tikkun Olam, interfaith and inner-faith dialog, and has lectured at YCT, several American universities, and the World Congress of Judaic Studies.

View Our Team Members on the Map

Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota

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Jacob Levi de Oliveira

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Hananiah Cohen

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Eliezer Tabor I

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Ariel Abel

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Haim Ovadia

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Beth Din

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Certification of Jewish status

Letter of endorsement (pdf)

We are now serving the UK, Canada, USA, and the EU for the certification of Jewish status.

Marriage Counseling

Arbitration

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Divorce

Contact

Please contact us at .

Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern regarding any aspect of the management or practice of the Obadyah Alliance or its Rabbinical members, please contact us at . We will endeavour to reply to you within ten working days.

Testimonials

My mother underwent an Orthodox conversion before I was born, overseen by the late Chief Rabbi Cadik Danon z’’l of (back-then) Yugoslavia. Simply because his community was not as numerous as ones in Israel or the UK, I was told my Jewish status could not be ascertained. Rabbis from countries such as the UK would not issue me a certificate of Judaism. Rather, they would cast doubt – at least – and straight rejection – at worst – upon all of his conversions. When asked whether they had any reason to doubt these conversions, their answer was simply that their Beit Dins did not “recognise” his Beit Din.

The Obadyah Rabbis were aware that Rabbi Danon was an Orthodox Rabbi and there was no reason to tarnish his name. They made it a mission to investigate the conversions he performed, to exclude any wrongdoing from his part. They spoke to other Sephardi Rabbis from Balkan countries, and eventually, his name was cleared.

We are lucky to have people like the Rabbis of Obadyah, ready to take their time and use their resources to investigate other Rabbi’s reputations. In clearing Rabbi Danon z’’l and other Orthodox Rabbi’s names when this is due, they accomplish great mitzvot. They solved this matter with professionalism and confidentiality, and have been there for me each step of the way in the process.

I want to thank Obadyah for their great work for Am Israel and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

I would encourage anyone else who is facing a similar problem to the one I had to face, to approach the Obadyah Beit Din in confidence.

Palavras mais não poderiam descrever o quão belíssimo é receber orientações santas – extraídas das melhores fontes sefaraditas – as quais nos servem como um genuíno deleite para nossas almas tão castigadas pela triste memória das famigeradas perseguições religiosas de um passado sombrio. Que o Criador, Bendito seja ELE, fortaleça e faça crescer, ainda mais, a Obadyah! Desejamos, também, que outras comunidades anussim possam gozar melhor de todo material e orientação vindos dessa entidade que carrega dentre alguns de seus objetivos “restaurar” e “reconectar” o anussim dentro das raízes judaicas sefaraditas hispano-portuguesa.

Por fim, agradecemos aos hakhanim Yehonatan Eleazar-DeMota, Jacob de Oliveira e a tantos outros que espalham o doce sabor da tradição h&p até os locais mais longínquos da saudadosa Ibéria.

Diego Avelino de Macêdo (Obadyah ben Yochanan Metzadah)

Presidente da ARIC, Judeu retornado pela esnoga Braz Palatnik (Natal-RN)

Affiliated Organizations

Beth Midrash Eleazar

A Sephardic educational center in the Caribbean
bmeleazar.org

União Sefaradita Hispano-Portuguesa

Associação Religiosa Israelita de Caicó - ARIC

Associação Religiosa Israelita de Caicó – ARIC
Diego Avelino (Ovadiah ben Yochanan) – presidente da ARIC
55 84 999885833

Judaísmo Ibérico

Shearith Israel

Sephardic Temple of Cedarhurst

Shuvah Israel Torah Center

Torath Moshe

Como ensinar às crianças

O caminho da fé

Sermão Heroico

Casamentos Mistos

A Imutável Lei

Bar Miswa

Darkê Haguemará

Algumas Palavras Sobre o Livro de Ester

A Mulher na Tradição Judaica

Sidur KiMessorat Moxé

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