Rabbi Dweck, Linda Dangoor & Dr Sopher discuss Sephardi/Mizrahi Jewish heritage

Join Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Linda Dangoor and Dr Efrat Sopher in conversation with Dr Bea Lewkowicz as they discuss Sephardi/Mizrahi Jewish heritage, and the ways in which both collective and individual memories can inform and shape the future of these communities.

Register now:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/our-heritage-preserving-the-past-for-the-future-registration-129278388139

Rabbi Joseph Dweck is the Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. Rabbi Dweck is American born, and has lived in Los Angeles, California and Brooklyn, New York. He studied in Jerusalem at Yeshiva Hazon Ovadia under the tutelage of former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z”l. Rabbi Dweck received his Semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef under the auspices of the Sephardic Rabbinical College of Brooklyn, New York.

He studied psychology and philosophy at Santa Monica College in California and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College. He received a Master of Arts Degree in Jewish Education from Middlesex University at The London School of Jewish Studies.

Rabbi Dweck served as Rabbi of Congregation Shaare Shalom, a Syrian Sephardi synagogue of over 700 members, in Brooklyn, New York from 1999 to 2014 and also served as Headmaster of Barkai Yeshivah, a large Jewish day school in Brooklyn from 2010 to 2014.

In his capacity as Senior Rabbi, Rabbi Dweck has the honour of being the Deputy President of the London School of Jewish Studies; a President of The Council of Christians and Jews and Ecclesiastical Authority of The Board of Deputies of British Jews. Rabbi Dweck also serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis.

Currently, Rabbi Dweck resides in London with his wife, Margalit, and five children.

Linda Dangoor was born in Baghdad where she attended the Frank Iny School until the age of ten. After living in Beirut for 2 years, her family came to London in the early 1960s, where she continued her schooling at the French Lycee. An MA graduate of the Central School of Art and Design, Linda has subsequently worked in the art field for 30 years as a graphic designer, painter and ceramicist. She lived in Paris for 14 years where she set up her own design company, “Les Editions BlaBla”, specialising in stationery, greeting cards and other products for the gift market. She returned to London in 1994 where she now lives and works.

Although she left Iraq when only ten years old, the link to her roots through food has always been very strong. She started cooking at a very young age with her mother and grandmother. She has demonstrated in London Selfridges, Books for Cooks and Gefiltefest.

Linda has always been interested in cooking. Her Middle Eastern background and travels enhanced the discovery of new dishes and inspired the creation of new ones. by. As an accomplished and experienced cook, recognising a need in the market, she resolved to put down her favourite recipes from her native Iraq in a modern book. Flavours of Babylon was a labour of love which she wrote, photographed and designed. She has done cooking demonstrations in London Selfridges, Books for Cooks, JW3 and Gefiltefest. She has also appeared on TV for two BBC programmes on Babylonian Jewish cooking. Her website is www.lindadangoor.com

Dr Efrat Sopher serves as Chair of the Board of Advisors at the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies, and serves on the Executive Committee of the HMS Maritime Policy and Strategy Research Centre at the University of Haifa. She is an advisor on foreign policy in the Middle East to governments and organisations. She formally practiced as a solicitor in London, is an active member of the World Jewish Congress Jewish Diplomatic Corps, and has represented the WJC worldwide, including at the United Nations Human Rights Council. She is also a Deputy at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and serves on the Board of Elders of the S&P Sephardi Community.

Dr. Sopher studied international relations, earning a Bachelors from the University of Southern California, and, from the London School of Economics and Political Science, her masters and her PhD, specialising in Israeli foreign policy towards Iran 1948-1979, she revealed and analysed documents that have previously been sealed from public view.

Please note there is a 100 person capacity on this event. A recording of the event will be circulated to everyone who has registered.