A few years ago, under the leadership of Rabbi Noa Kushner and Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy, the Kitchen started offering a beautiful shabbat with tefillot that not only drew from Ashkenazi and American sources, increasingly, we began to rely on the vast traditions of the Sepharadi world – melodies and liturgy originating from places like Syria, Morocco, Turkey and Uzbekistan. After creating a combined Sepharadi and Ashkenazi nusah, one of the only services in the United States to do so, and seeing how our custom took such a strong hold in our community and beyond, we soon created our own siddur, one recognized in the Israel and the US, so that our many melodies were supported by the lasting words of the tradition.

At the same time, we knew we were not the only ones who wanted Sepharadi traditions to live in the hearts of all who wanted to cherish them. And so, we started actively looking for our peers, the leaders and communities who were doing the same. 

Two years ago, we started building a map of skilled leaders – academics, rabbis, hazzanim, artists and others – anyone anywhere around the world who was teaching Sepharadi tradition, or Sepharadi / Ashkenazi tradition with distinction, and offering it to communities where women Jews and LGBTQ Jews are honored as teachers, leaders and participants. With dedicated research and God’s help, we now hold a list of 150 such leaders from places such as: Buenos Aires, Paris, London, Sydney, Jerusalem, Istanbul, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, among many others. 

Attempting to bring these teachers, leaders and artists together in person was the inevitable next step. In piloting a shabbat and conference for 25 leaders in the spring of 5785 / 2025, we found we were just scratching the surface. The joy, strength and help these few participants were able to receive from their exchanges with one another was palpable. In the months that followed, new collaborations resulted: conversations, visits, scholarly exchanges, as well as the establishment of a fellowship, to name a few early outcomes. 

As soon as our shabbat and conference ended last year, it was clear there needed to be another. To that end, in 5786 we have increased our efforts – seeking out and speaking with all the dedicated leaders that we could find in this newly developing field, one that prizes Sepharadi tradition and approaches alongside our dedication to offering these precious jewels to those Jews who will continue to steward them, helping them to flourish. We have now made friends around the globe, connecting our work here in San Francisco, California with our many colleagues and teachers in Israel, Europe, Australia and South America. While ours is far from the only solution to this Jewish moment, we are clear that the connections that result from a gathering such as this will continue to have a demonstrable impact on our moment and current generations as well as on those generations that follow, connecting and elevating many Jews and many Jewish communities, representing tens of thousands of people around the world.