America 250: The Jewish Journey from Sefarad to the Present
Coming Soon... Jule 26, 2026 1:00pm ET
Program Overview
As the United States prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding, this special educational program explores the extraordinary journey of the Jewish people from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World—and the enduring role Sephardic Jews have played in shaping the American story.
The program traces the arc from the Expulsion from Spain and the Portuguese Inquisition to the emergence of the Sephardic diaspora across the Atlantic world and their eventual settlement in colonial America. It highlights how these early communities helped lay the foundations for religious liberty, civic engagement, commerce, and the pluralistic ideals that would become central to the American experiment.
Through the stories of pioneering families and leaders—including Jonas and Rebecca Machado Phillips, Mordecai Noah, and others—the discussion follows the evolution of Jewish life from the colonial period through the founding of the Republic and into modern America.
The program also addresses the enduring challenge of antisemitism. By placing historical and contemporary manifestations of anti-Jewish prejudice in dialogue, the conversation frames today’s concerns within a broader historical continuum—highlighting both the obstacles faced and the resilience, contributions, and civic commitment of Jewish communities.
Ultimately, the program presents the American Jewish experience as a journey of exile and renewal, challenge and opportunity, and the ongoing pursuit of freedom—from Sefarad to America at 250.
PROGRAM INTRODUCTION:
Mr. Michael Steinberger, Founder & CEO of JHA.
SPEAKERS – PRESNTERS:
Dr. Jonathan Sarna is University Professor and the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History and Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. He is also past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
Dubbed by the Forward newspaper in 2004 as one of America's fifty most influential American Jews, he was Chief Historian for the 350th commemoration of the American Jewish community and is recognized as a leading commentator on American Jewish history, religion, and life.
In 2009, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds four honorary degrees.
Mr. Keith Stokes: Keith Stokes was recently named Rhode Island’s Historian Laureate, a role in which he will deliver lectures at official state events and promote civics education across the state. He currently serves as Director of the Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and is a ninth-generation Rhode Islander. He is a former Newport City Councilor and consulting historian for the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, and has held leadership roles across numerous regional and national institutions, including the Touro Synagogue Foundation, the Preservation Society of Newport County, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Dr. Paul Finkelman is a specialist in American legal history, constitutional law, and race and the law. He is the author of more than 150 scholarly articles and more than 30 books. His op-eds and shorter pieces have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and on the Huffington Post. He was recently named the ninth most cited legal historian according to " Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings ".
He is an expert in constitutional history and constitutional law, freedom of religion, the law of slavery, civil liberties, and the American Civil War and has written extensively on Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. He was the chief expert witness in the Alabama Ten Commandments monument case and his scholarship on religious monuments in public spaces was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry (2005).
Dr. Michael Hoberman is Professor of American Literature at Fitchburg State University and an adjunct professor of history at Yeshiva University. He is the author of New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America and Imagining Early American Jews (Oxford University Press, 2025) and has published widely in both academic and public-facing venues. He is a recipient of fellowships from the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and is a former Fulbright Senior Scholar. His work focuses on Jewish life in early America and the intersections of religion, culture, and identity in the colonial and early national periods. His current book, The John Muir Trail’s Jewish Founder: The Uplifted World of Theodore Solomons, will be published in 2027 by the University of California Press.
More details to follow....
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