On behalf of JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, we are proud to present this landmark study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish Americans, the first of its kind.

This project is the result of extraordinary collaboration, and we extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Mijal Bitton and her research team, Brandeis University, New York University, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, JCRIF: Jewish Communal Response and Impact Fund, the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, the Paul E. Singer Foundation, and UJA-Federation of New York, as well as the countless individuals who gave their time, expertise, and trust to make this project possible.

For far too long, Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews have been underrepresented or misrepresented in Jewish communal studies. Our stories, languages, and traditions have often been left at the margins of the American Jewish consciousness, despite our communities’ rich heritage spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. This history, rooted in resilience, deep family bonds, and unwavering communal commitments, is a vital strand of the Jewish people – one that must be reflected in every space where Jewish life is imagined and built.

Our greatest hope is that this research becomes a foundation of rigorous, actionable information – a resource that helps the Jewish community not only understand Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews more fully but also reimagine a Jewish ecosystem that reflects the heritage, history, and needs of all its members. We hope it pushes the field of Jewish communal research and the language we use forward, expanding the ways our experiences are studied, valued, and integrated into communal priorities.

Above all, we hope this study sends a clear message to Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews everywhere: you are seen and respected, your stories and perspectives matter, you belong, and you are essential to Jewish unity. The strength and commitments of our communities – shaped by centuries of endurance and contribution – can help sustain and empower the entire Jewish people.

The findings presented here are more than numbers and charts; they are a portrait of living communities with complex histories, present-day challenges, and enormous potential. They call on all of us, leaders, institutions, educators, and advocates, to build a future where the fullness of Jewish heritage, history, and identity is celebrated, protected, and woven into the very fabric of Jewish life.

Together, we can honor the past, address the present, and create a more inclusive and united Jewish future.