About us
The Hispanic Jewish Adventure
The first Jews began to settle in the Iberian Peninsula, Sepharad, almost 3000 years ago. They settled in several cities to which they
contributed their culture and knowledge, while they impregnated with the existing ones.
Its impact was massive in all areas of life… from medicine to commerce, to literature and philosophy. This enriching blend today forms the essence of Spain.
The Jews expelled in the 15th and 16th centuries were the ancestors of the Sephardim of today. They began a vital diaspora to Portugal, the Netherlands, Turkey, the Balkans, and the Maghreb from where a new Hispanic Jewish adventure began to
other destinations in Latin America, the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, and even China. They brought with them their prayers, songs, traditions, knowledge, and above all, their values.
We want to establish a new relationship
between the Jewish community and the
Spanish speaking world by exposing their
common history and their shared values.
Mission and Objectives
The Hispanic Jewish Foundation (HJF) was founded in 2016, after the approval of a law which enabled descendants of Sephardim to obtain Spanish nationality.
On June 11 2015, the Spanish Congress of Deputies approved the Spanish nationality law of Sephardim. This law allowed the acquisition of Spanish nationality to the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, without having to renounce their previous nationality or require residence in Spain. It is estimate that some 36,182 nationalities have been processed.
The HJF has also established in Miami the Hispanic Jewish Endowment Inc, a charity that promotes the participation of people from the
United States in the conception and creation of the HJM.
The founding objective of the HJF is to give light to the history of 2000 years of Jewish presence in Spain and to value the legacy of Hispanic Jewish culture worldwide.
The main project of the HJF is to build the HispanoJudío Museum in Madrid where it will show the deep Jewish roots in Hispanic culture
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The foundation has proposed to recover, through the Museum, the historical Jewish heritage in Spain and Latin America (Iberoamerica), which at large has remained unknown to the general public throughout many centuries.
The HJF promotes educational and cultural programs that create empathy and show shared values between Hispanics and Jews.
It favors the recovery of the historical memory of the role played throughout many centuries of our history by Jews in Spain and in the world.
The HJF in numbers
80
Members of the International Board of Trustees characterized by diverse backgrounds and religions.
22
International Advisory Board members from different fields of culture, politics and business.
5+5
Associations of Friends (active and future) HJF speakers in the world.
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8
Benefactors, companies and entrepreneurs renowned internationally.
+1000
Friends distributed worldwide.
+352
Activities developed by the HJF since it's creation in 2016.
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Governance
Members of the Board of Trustees
Mauricio Botton Carasso (Honorary President)
Charlotte Staticelli-Revel de Botton (Honorary President)
David Hatchwell Altaras (President)
Francisco Javier Cremades García (First Vice President)
Pablo Kleinman (Second Vice President)
Santiago Fierro de Orueta (General Secretary)
Mariola Ruiz (Deputy Secretary)Miguel Abadi
Nini Achinoam (Noa)
Alicia Alcocer Koplowitz
Monique Altaras Amram
Felix Arroyo Pujol
Samuel Bengio
Isaac Benzaquen Chocrón
Astrid Benzaquen Misrahi
Jennie Cababie de Serur
Ignacio Calderón Lanczyner
Nacho Cano
Juan Luis Cebrían Echarri
David Chocrón Bendayan
Bibiña Chocrón Bentata
Jaime Chocrón Israel
Moisés Chocrón Macías
Sergio Ciklik Sneider
Claudia Cisneros Fontanals
Solita Cohen Bendayan
Pedro Cortina Koplowitz
Juan Ignacio Entrecanales Franco
Luis y Heidi Epelstein
Nily Falic
Aaron Feldman
Joseph Fidanque Tercero
Michael Friedman
Rocío Gil Oset
Lucía Goy Mastromiechele
Eric Gross
Susan Guenun Serfaty
Alberto y Karen Guindi
Sarah Halioua Bencheton
Kareen Hatchwell
Blas Herrero
Nicolas Kogan
Alicia Koplowitz Romero de Juseu
Marcos Metta Cohen
Edward Misrahi
Andrés Orchansky
Natalia Ordenes
Alberto Palatchi Ribera
Dick y Yael Rubinstein
Diana Rubinstein
David Peñaloza Sandoval
Jimmy Pinto Toledano
Alejandro Pitashny
Alberto Isaac Saba Ades
Silvia Sacal
Mauricio Sacal Atri
Linda Scaperotto de Matutes
Familia Serur de Shrem
Adrián Sucari
David y Berta Sutton Dabbah
Ezequiel Szafir Holcman
Cindy Teperman
Luis Vidal
Núria Vilanova Giralt
Jannet y Mauricio Wapinski
Saúl Weisleder Weisleder
Donna Weiss Lam
Stuart Weitzman
Darío Werthein Lam
Elissa Wuliger
Dinah y Mayer Zaga
Yusef Zaher
IN MEMORIAM
Sadia Cohen Zrihen Z’L
Daniel Rubinstein Lach Z’L
David Serur Edid Z’L
Benefactors
Jean David Benichou
Jorge Cosmen
Mónica y Pepe Daniel
Josi y Carla Eshkenazi
Fundación Ramón Areces
Inditex
Jorge Navea
Leandro Sigman Gold
Advisory Board
Composed by 21 outstanding personalities from different fields in business, culture, institutional, economic, scientific, and artistic; Each one of them provides their know-how and advice in the most relevant actions to be developed by the HJF and the HJM.
All friends on the Advisory Board have a common denominator: Their great human and professional values, which together with their diverse and multidisciplinary vision, constitutes a great source of knowledge.
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Executive Committee
David Hatchwell, Spain
Javier Cremades, Spain
Pablo Kleinman, USA
Santos Benbunan Benchimol, Spain
Joseph Fidanque III, Panama
Rocio Gil Oset, Spain
Edward Misrahi, Israel
Elissa Wuliger, USA
Alejandro Pitashny, Argentina
Shulamith Serur de Shrem, Mexico
Ezequiel Szafir Holcman, Spain
International Associations of Friends of the HJF
ARGENTINA
Alejandro Pitashny, president
ISRAEL
Edward Misrahi, president
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MEXICO
Shula Serur de Shrem, president
Jennie Shrem de Benabib, director
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MEXICO (MONTERREY)
Mauricio Wapinsky, president
Ingrid Fiehn, director
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PANAMA
Joseph Fidanque III, president
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USA
Elissa Wuliger, president