Michel Benharbon was elected president of the Sephardic Community of Arizona on July 10, replacing one of the organization's founders who announced last week that he didn't plan on running for a sixth term.
Jacky Sebag, founding president of the Sephardic Community of Arizona, announced to members in a July 5 e-mail that he did not plan to accept another term as head of the organization he helped found in 2001, stating that he wanted to devote more time to family and friends.
Sebag served as the organization's president for five years, a volunteer position he said had been a fulltime job, in addition to his "day job" as owner of a Xerox dealership.
The establishment of the Sephardic Community of Arizona "took a lot of sacrifice from my work, my family and friends," he told Jewish News. The five years as president "has been more than I ever anticipated," he said.
Sebag wanted to help establish a Sephardic community from the time he arrived in the Valley 26 years ago. "In looking back, I brought something that was not in existence, and hopefully years from now, I left something behind me," he said, adding that he's very proud of the growth of the organization, which now boasts a membership of about 80 families.
Benharbon, who has been part of the Sephardic Community of Arizona since its inception, called Sebag "the first pioneer to take this chance."
"Jacky has been very dedicated to our Sephardic cause and did a really good job," he added.
Benharbon, who owns So-Oh Fashions, a women's apparel store, was born in Morocco and moved to the Valley eight years ago from Paris. He and his wife Joelle have been married for 18 years and have three children: Kevin, 17; Juliana, 13; and Alyson, 2. He celebrates his 42nd birthday July 15 and says the presidency is "like a gift from God."
The Sephardic Community of Arizona's first program was High Holiday services in fall 2001, and the group has held Sephardic-style High Holiday services every year since, with about 250 people attending each year, Sebag said. The group also sponsored community concerts featuring Sephardic music and, in 2003, formed Ohr Chaim Synagogue, which introduced additional programs, such as weekly Shabbat services, classes and daily minyans.
A second synagogue, the Scottsdale Sepharadic Synagogue, also formed in 2003. While, for the most part, the two congregations have worked separately, they held their first joint event after Passover this year, observing the Moroccan tradition of Mimouna, which celebrates friendship, togetherness and hospitality.
Sebag, who will serve as an immediate past president on the board for the upcoming year, encourages the two synagogues to continue to work together. The Mimouna celebration was "a sample of what it was like to be together and people loved it." Benharbon agrees that the two synagogues should unite. "We want people to come to shul and have a family-oriented community," he said. "Now is the time" for us to be in one place.
The term "Sephardic" refers to Jews whose ancestors lived in Spain and Portugal, most of whom were expelled in the 1490s during the Spanish Inquisition. They were scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, including the north coast of Africa, the Turkish Empire and the Balkans, where they established unique customs and rituals.
Call Sephardic Community of Arizona, 480-443-5288.
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