Casa Sefarad

Before there were Jews anywhere else in what is now the United States, we were here in what is now New Mexico, dating back to the incursion of the Oñate expedition in 1598.

Casa Sefarad at Nahalat Shalom works to reclaim this culture, to sustain it and to build into the future.

We offer monthly Sefardic Shabbat Dinners, where we sing and pray together in Ladino and Hebrew and connect with each other through a bilingual reading of Sefardic poetry. Stephanie Sofie Shefia Cohen leads the ceremony with poetry curated and translated by Héctor Contreras López with Marciel Romero.

Four times a year we have Saturday morning Shabbat Ceremonies in Spanish, Ladino, Hebrew and English with live music by La flores del Valle and other musicians.

We host New Mexico’s only annual weekend long celebration of the Sefardic Jews of the Southwest (Festival Sefardí).

Additionally we are currently involved in a unique and exciting project translating the work of Sefardic poets.

El centro de estudios sefarditas, The Sefardic Learning Center, a project of Casa Sefarad, houses work by regional Sefardic artists and a diverse collection of books related to Sefardic history and culture.

We are deeply indebted to the groundbreaking work and vision of Nahalat Shalom’s founder Rabbi Emerita Lynn Gottlieb, Cantor Beth Cohen, Lorenzo Dominguez (z”l) and Dr. Maria Sanchez.