From Persecution to Renewal: The Sephardic Legacy & Foundations of Freedom

This three-part series explores how the Sephardic Jewish experience—from forced conversion and exile to commercial ingenuity and constitutional ideals—shaped Jewish law, identity, and modern legal thought. Through a journey spanning the Iberian Peninsula, Amsterdam, the Ottoman Empire, and the early American Republic, we uncover how trauma, resilience, and intellectual exchange forged both Jewish and Western legal imaginations.

PART III: FROM THE IBERIAN INQUISITIONS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

Jewish History, Religious Freedom, and the American Legal Tradition
This final session traces the legacy of Sephardic exile and resilience into the American context. We’ll explore how experiences of forced conversion, inquisitorial repression, and transatlantic migration influenced foundational ideas about religious liberty in the early United States. As we mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2025, this session highlights the relevance of Sephardic memory to enduring constitutional values.

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION:

Mr. Michael Steinberger, Founder & CEO of JHA.

OPENING REMARKS & MODERATOR:

PART III:

Keith W. Stokes is a native Newport, Rhode Island resident. Mr. Stokes has served as a Rhode Island Advisor for the National Trust for Historic Preservation along with serving on numerous regional and national historic preservation boards including Chairman of the Touro Synagogue Foundation, Vice President & Trustee of the Preservation Society for Newport County, advisory board of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society and board member of the Newport Historical Society. Mr. Stokes has a long and distinguished career in business, history and community development, with degrees from Cornell University and University of Chicago.

KEY SPEAKER / PRESENTER:

PART III:

Dr. Isaac Amon is the Director of Academic Research at the Jewish Heritage Alliance and an attorney. He is also a Lecturer at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and was recently named a Fellow at the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. A grandson of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi immigrants to the United States, Dr. Amon has served as a Legal Fellow at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague and as an ISIS war crimes investigator. He frequently speaks on law, antisemitism, and Jewish memory, with particular focus on the Inquisition and the Holocaust

EVENT PARTNERS:

PROGRAM CO-SPONSOR:

Assisting in underwriting the cost of the event are:

• University of Miami (Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and the George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies)

STRATEGIC OUTREACH PARTNERS:

Special Strategic Partners for this series:

• Habura is an educational organization dedicated to the theological dimensions of the Sefarad legacy. See more information at https://www.thehabura.com.

• Jewish Virtual Library is a comprehensive online encyclopedia focused on Jewish history, culture, and current events, particularly related to Israel and the United States. See more at https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.

CO-HOSTING PARTNERS:Assisting in promoting this program are:

• Greater Miami Jewish Federation
• Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE)
• ANU Museum of the Jewish People
• European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC)
• Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO)
• Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies (SCJS)

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