24.08.2024

Thirtieth Anniversary of the Sefer Center

Dear friends,

 On August 24, the "Sefer" Center celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. In Jewish tradition, 30 years symbolize spiritual maturity, a time when a person enters a new phase of life, gaining wisdom and understanding. This anniversary is not just a number; it represents three times ten, and ten is a symbol of perfection. Over three decades, the "Sefer" Center has gathered people seeking new knowledge in the field of Jewish civilization and has elevated Russian-speaking Jewish Studies to new heights.

Our goal has always been to establish strong horizontal scientific connections among researchers from different countries, creating a space where the spirit of Jewish wisdom prevails, respect for Jewish heritage is upheld, and collegiality is fostered. Despite the hard times, today we are looking back at our journey with gratitude and into the future – with a hope and modest optimism.

We have prepared presents for you:

• We are digitizing archival videotapes and will gradually release unique lectures. You can already watch three nostalgic videos featuring excerpts from lectures by Rashid Kaplanov, Leonid Matsikh, and our students and faculty from the student schools of 2002-2003. And this is just the beginning.

• We are starting a section of "Sefer" memories, opened by Victoria Valentinovna Mochalova (in Russian) — the founder and long-time director of our center. Join us and share your memories, video, and photo materials! Please send them to students@sefercenter.org. We will definitely post them on our social media. 

• We are announcing the start of enrollment for language courses! In addition to our well-established courses in Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, and Yiddish, we have also added Aramaic and Arabic languages. 

Like any celebrant, "Sefer" would be happy to receive your gifts. We strive to achieve financial stability during this challenging time for all non-profit organizations so we can continue our numerous programs. We invite you to subscribe to monthly charitable donations. Even a small monthly contribution is your personal investment in the possibility of holding conferences, schools, webinars, publishing journals and yearbooks, and supporting our team. The link to the donation page is in the first comment.

Sefer Team.