ASF Monthly – Globalizing Jewish Studies: Moroccan Migrations to Latin America

In Memory of “Salim Saleh Mahlab, A”H, a great and a good man, who founded the first Iraqi Jewish synagogue in the NYC area in Jamaica, Queens. When I arrived to New York in 1987, almost immediately I was taken to this synagogue and Congregation, Bene Naharayim. Not only was Salim Mahlab the founder, but he led the services for Shabbat and the High Holidays. He did it with such warmth and inclusiveness. And it was completely true to the Babylonian tradition. Having never been to Baghdad, I got a sense for the first time of what our traditions and sentiments felt like. It was wonderful. It left a lasting impression on me and was one of the inspirations that influenced me to get involved with the American Sephardi Federation.”~ David E.R. Dangoor, President of the American Sephardi Federation