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Happy Passover 2012  
Chag Pesach Sameach
From Sephardim Hope International 
Greetings!

 

Chag Sameach for this beautiful season of  Freedom!

  2012 finds us blessed and well and lifting up prayers for our beloved Israel in these serious times.  We have  celebrated our beautiful home Seder, with our wonderful family!  We are also helping in doing other community Seders to help in the sharing of this special holiday. This year, we are so excited to share a home recreated Seder video (a week before our real one, view below!) to help in the educational process of SHI. Our son and grand kids helped us in this endeavor!   

 

 

Doña Gracia at the Golden Gate Bridge
Hag Sameach from San Francisco
 

 Happy Pesach

 

And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. - Exodus 12:14-17   


Reflections on Pesach 

Passover, or Pesach,  began on the 15th day of the month of Nissan (E'rev Pesach  April 6 this year, lasting for 8 days in diaspora until Shabbat April 14th).  Passover is the first of the Spring Feasts, followed by Shavu'ot, fifty days later---the giving of the Torah!   Pesach also represents the firstfruits, or beginning of the barley harvest in Israel.

 

Passover Explained in 3 Minutes.flv 
Passover Explained in 3 Minutes.flv

 

Passover recounts the Hebrew people's freedom and deliverance from Egypt after 400 years. When a new Pharaoh arose "that did not know Joseph", the Hebrew people went into slavery.  G-d raised Moshe as a deliverer, along with his brother Aaron to help in this mighty exodus from Eygpt.  This brought not only plagues to the Egyptians, but a mighty parting of the Red Sea!  Miracles!  We need more of them today!  Especially for Israel's safety! 

 

Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves the removal of chametz (leaven) from our homes before the Feast begins.   We have done this commanded mitzvah.  This commemorates the fact that when the Jews left Egypt in a hurry, they did not have time to let their bread rise, hence the use of matzah! We are enjoying unleavened foods this week (  See Sephardic Passover Customs )...good thing we like rice and corn products! 

 

This time is also a symbolic way of removing the "leaven of the heart" (arrogance, pride) from our own soul realm.  I pray that we may become more kind and patient with one another. 

 

May Ha Shem encourage us all to  see where we might need to "remove some chametz" from our souls to become better examples of His Torah.  In these times of "Jacobs trouble"...we certainly need one another more than ever.

 

As the B'nai Anousim are awakening, our emails are getting more frequent, with questions from all over the world.  Thank you for sharing in this very special time of our people.   

 

Thank you for giving to SHI, for inviting us to come to share and for your prayers to Ha Shem for us.  You are dearly appreciated.   

 




NEW Blog at Our Sephardim Hope Website

 

click the link above to go to the blog... 

 

 

 

New  articles and comments:

 

 

 

Our educational website is available for articles and also music, links for aliyah information and also allows you to sample my music .  We appreciate those who are downloading and purchasing music and offers.  This helps us to keep going!  Thanks for caring, sharing and writing!


  
Obadiah 2 CD Cover 
Click the CD Covers to Hear Music 
 

The right side column on the website for SHI is dedicated to current news events as they happen in Israel from Haretz news service. It has a great calendar feature with all the Biblical holidays listed, along with the Torah readings for each week and holidays schedule.
 

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Check Out Our Website for DNA Testing Now! 

 

 

If you are also looking for DNA testing to check for Jewish roots within your own family,  we have partnered with FamilyTreeDNA and developed our own "SHI Group Project" where you can join and test your DNA for Jewish genealogical roots through this fine company.  This company has now expanded even more! 

 

There have been some extraordinary DNA matches  in our SHI group and  information can be accessed by ordering your DNA kit. This kit includes a swab...for the scraping of the inside of the mouth...for an easy collection of your DNA. 

 

The "Anusim Names Project"  will allow you  to register your family name, some possible Jewish heritage history to add to our SHI data base and we try to answer all inquiries personally and promptly.  Thank you for your support of this project as several hundred of you have registered.

 



 

 

So for now, stay well and blessed.  Enjoy your families during this wonderful time of remembrance of freedom.  As we say at the end of our Seder,

 

La Shanah haba'ah bi Yerushalayim!

(next year in Jerusalem!) 

 

Loving Shalom,

Dona Gracia Serrano Fenn (Hannah Bat Yosef)

Sephardim Hope International, President
Awakening The Sephardim To The Negev!  www.SephardimHope.org

Sephardim Hope International is a benevolent international non-profit organization to bring the message of the Sephardic Anusim Jews (the descendents of the forcibly converted ones) from Spain to the awareness of the world. This is a prophetic message of hope and part of the story of Biblical Zionism.

Sephardim Hope International is also a support to the nation of Israel working in partnership with other organizations bringing aid and comfort to Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

Sephardim Hope International is a tax-deductible 501 (c)3 charitable organization (pending) formed for the above purpose. Donate tax-free to help support Sephardim Hope International in this endeavor of education, benevolence and helping the B'nai Anusim to make Aliyah to Israel.

To donate by regular mail please use the address at the bottom of this newsletter. You may also donate securely on-line by clicking here. Or you may call (408) 422-5498 and ask for Drake Fenn to donate by phone.

We look forward to hearing from many of you. Remember that you can respond to our newsletter or email directly with questions.

May Ha Shem continue to bless you and your families in this great year! Please do contact our administrator Drake (my awesome husband and webmaster) at [email protected] for speaking and music engagements.
 
Despertando a los Sefardies al Negev  www.SephardimHope.org

Sephardim Hope International (La Esperanza Sefardita Internacional) es una organizaci�n caritativa internacional, sin lucro ni beneficio, formada con el prop�sito de que los jud�os sefarditas de Espa�a hagan que el mundo entero despierten ante esta realidad, ya que este es un mensaje prof�tico de esperanza y forma parte de la historia del sionismo b�blico.

Sephardim Hope International es al mismo tiempo un apoyo a la naci�n de Israel, que trabaja juntamente con otras organizaciones, trayendo ayuda y consuelo a Jerusal�n, Israel y al pueblo jud�o.
408-422-5498