SEC Annual Israel Mission
Every year, members of the Sephardic Educational Center travel to Israel for one powerful week of connection, learning, and solidarity. But in recent years — especially since October 7 — this mission has taken on even deeper meaning.
As SEC President Neil Sheff wrote:
“We felt a calling to be in Israel with Israelis… to cry with them and to hug them.”
This is not a sightseeing tour. It is a statement.
Why We GO
When Israelis ask, “Why did you come now?”
Our answer is simple:
“We came to support.”
And the response we receive?
“Kol Hakavod.”
The SEC Israel Mission is about presence.
It is about showing up.
It is about standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel — not from afar, but in person.
A Mission Rooted in Jerusalem
Our journey begins and is anchored at the SEC Campus in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem — just steps from the Kotel.
Participants stay at the Sephardic House Hotel, gather in the historic Spanish Courtyard, and learn Torah in the Shaarei Uziel Beit Midrash — buildings that once housed the Rishon LeZion and generations of Sephardic sages.
This is not symbolic.
It is continuity.
From Zion shall emerge Sephardic Torah.
What Makes the SEC Mission Different?
Unlike large organized tours:• Our group is intimate (usually 20–30 participants)
• We are hosted in our own Jerusalem campus
• We are guided by long-standing Israeli relationships
• We blend Torah, culture, memory, and modern reality
• We travel as a community — not as tourists
This mission is not about checking sites off a list.
It is about strengthening the bond between our SEC family and the State of Israel.
What We Experience
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On a recent mission during Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut, our group:
Visited Mt. Herzl military cemetery
Walked through Kibbutz Kfar Aza with survivors
Stood in silence at the Nova Festival memorial in Re’im
Visited Hostage Square in Tel Aviv
Heard directly from IDF reservists and families
Prayed Hallel at the Kotel on Independence Day
There was not a dry eye in the room.
Participants described it as one of the most emotional trips of their lives.
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One of the most meaningful moments of every mission is Shabbat at the SEC campus.
In the Spanish Courtyard, overlooking centuries of history, we gather as one community.
We sing.
We learn.
We reflect.
We welcome special guests.The intimacy of Shabbat in the Old City cannot be replicated anywhere else.
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Each mission includes daily sessions with Rabbi Bouskila:
Sephardic perspectives on unity and leadership
Conversations about Israel’s moral and spiritual challenges
Torah learning rooted in Classic Sephardic thought
Reflections on Jewish responsibility in modern times
The mission is not just emotional.
It is intellectual.
The Feeling
“Israelis are strengthened when they see foreign tourists returning just to show they are not alone.”
-SEC President, Neil J. Sheff
“I have been to Israel many times — but never like this.”
“This mission allows you to witness Israel in her strength, pain, resilience, and hope.”
“There is something different about praying at a quiet Kotel on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Walking through the Old City at night as family. Hearing artillery in the distance while singing Hatikvah. Standing silently before memorial photos of young lives lost.”
