Along the Silk Roads to Jerusalem: A Voyage Into Bukharian Jewish History and Culture with Ruben Shimonov

Please register for this free online program.

Embark on an exploration of the eclectic and multilayered story of Central Asia’s ancient Jewish community—Bukharian Jews. Uzbekistan-born Ruben Shimonov will share the ways in which Bukharian Jews have developed their rich cultural heritage against the backdrop of their changing surroundings—including Iranian, Arab, Turkic and Russian empires. Through historical documents, music, photographs, and personal stories, he will take us on a transcontinental journey spanning Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the United States.

Ruben Shimonov is an educator, community builder, and artist passionate about Jewish diversity and intercultural understanding. He is the American Sephardi Federation’s National Director of Education & Sephardi House—an innovative initiative that works to enrich Jewish campus life and young leadership with the vibrancy, richness, and wisdom of the Greater Sephardi world. He is also the Founding Executive Director of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network—the sole international organization building a supportive and much-needed community for LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews. Previously, he was the Director of Community Engagement & Education at Queens College Hillel and Director of Educational Experiences & Programming for the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. As a visual artist, Ruben uses his multilingual Hebrew-Arabic-Persian calligraphy to build interfaith bridges and celebrate the diversity of the Greater Sephardi world. His art has been featured in international publications and exhibits, including at the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan. Ruben has brought his multilingual calligraphy workshops, as well as his lectures on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish histories, to conferences, universities, and museums around the world. He recently concluded an Artist Residency and Visiting Lectureship at the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding at John Carroll University.

This program is made possible by Jane Rice, in memory of Michael Rice z”l.