Interview with Mr. Arie Toledano¹

Chairman and Founder of Zera Israel Foundation, Geneva on Outreach to the Anousim

E-Mail Interview by Judith Roumani²

1. Mr. Toledano, this is truly a pleasure and a privilege. Please tell us first something about your personal background .

After 30+ years of a successful international business career as President of a Top-Tier technology company in France, I’ve decided to devote myself to Zera Israel³. Alongside my professional career, I held many roles in Jewish communities in France and Israel and had always been dedicated to the empowerment of the Jewish life and faith.

2. And what brought you to found this organization?

My dedication to the perpetuity of the Jewish people is based on strong roots. The Expulsion of the Jewish people from Spain is an integral part of my ancestral story, passed on from father to son, dating back to 1492. The legacy of bringing the “Seed of Israel” back to the Jewish people continued at the end of the 1980’s, when my father was appointed as the Chief Rabbi at Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, where he played a key role in the conversion and religious integration of tens of thousands of Anousim/lost tribes from Ethiopia.

My unique background triggered a special interest in the B’nei Anousim, which today are estimated in the millions, seeking a path back into the Jewish flock.

3. How did you and Rabbi Haim Amsellem⁴ team up?

I have known Rav Amsellem for many years and supported with determination and motivation his vision and actions to revive an open and welcoming Judaism (in respect of the Halakha) in the tradition of the famous Sephardic rabbis, especially on the acute subject of conversions on which he is a reference through his many studies and writings on the subject⁵.

4. What is precisely the mission of Zera Israel and do you have backing from the government of Israel?

Zera Israel is non-profit organization that acts on a global scale. Zera Israel’s vision is to reach out to the millions of people from the “Seed of Israel” around the world and bring them closer to Judaism and the State of Israel in a welcoming and approachable manner, while preserving the rules of Halakha (Jewish Law). Zera Israel strives to reach out and help those in need, through which it contributes to the future of the Jewish People, while spreading unity and brotherhood among our nation. This is done through the establishment of dozens of welcoming congregations and outreach centers across five continents - in addition to the ever-growing and ever-evolving online presence, which enables even the most distant of places to become close. This is how we bridge the gap, this is how we strengthen the existing Jewish identity, while bringing the people back to the Jewish community.

The recognition by the State of Israel of the Anousim phenomenon is in our opinion close to the Zero level. This is the whole point of our lobbying and political activism led by Rav Amsellem in the past and on the occasion of the upcoming elections in Israel to include this project in the actions of the next government.

5. I remember reading that 10% of the Roman Empire was Jews, spread all around the Mediterranean. Imagine how many Jews there would be in the world today if we had not been persecuted over the centuries!
Please let us first why you have chosen to start your mission in Brazil.

It is known that in Brazil about 30% of Brazilians have some Jewish ancestry. What remains of the Jewish influence in Brazil is proven in habits, traditions, and vocabulary, which have been handed down from generation to generation for more than 500 years. In the Northeast Brazil, many of the Jewish traditions remain alive and are practiced even without knowing the reason or being distorted, as a kind of Family Law.

It was therefore clear that Brazil was the first target of our actions because of the enormous potential and promise it represents for the future of the Jewish people.

6. We have an article in Sephardic Horizons by Professor Regina Igel, “A Bitter Taste in the Sugar Plantations”⁶ detailing the harsh suppression of any Judaizing among the anousim who had settled in Brazil, and the fact that they would be sent back to Portugal for trial by the Portuguese Inquisition.
There must even today be some reluctance to admit to any Jewish ancestry in Brazil. Could you comment?

On the contrary, we are witnessing the opposite phenomenon. The number of B’nei Anousim who declare themselves is growing daily.

7. How do you go about identifying descendants of anousim?

Genealogy research, DNA tests, … family testimonies, etc. are part of the arsenal of ways to help them in their quest.

8. How do you approach them? Or do they find you?

With the explosion of the Internet, social media and genealogy sites, millions are discovering their descendent ancestry, kindling an urge to discover their Jewish roots and connect with other Jewish communities. These discoveries and connections have led to the realization that they could live a Jewish lifestyle and become halakhic members of the Jewish people if they chose.

9. Are they mainly just curious about their origins? Do they have a mystical feeling about their ancestors?

Both approaches are in effect. For some, curiosity is their primary motive, for others the approach is more fundamental and is expressed by a fierce desire to return to their roots.

10. Are there some who become involved enough to want to return to Judaism?

For sure. In our communities of B’nei Anousim (nearly 25), more than 500 of them have already been converted after preparation by our local ambassador (Rav Emmanuel Ventura⁷ and his team) and more are in progress.

11. Is the process of conversion halakhically the same for a descendant of anousim as for someone who has no Jewish origins?

There is a fundamental difference between a gentile and a Ben Anuss (Seed of Israel). In one case it is a primary conversion, in the other it is an accompaniment to the return. The process of conversion is in fact lightened but responds strictly to the Halakha, namely the acceptance of a single God, the acceptance of the main commandments of the Torah and their practice.

12. Where do these possible conversions take place, and what is the convert’s relation afterwards to his or her surrounding family and friends?

The preparation is done by our local ambassadors in the different communities. At the end of the process, a specially constituted Beth Din travels to the site and carries out conversions, weddings and circumcisions if necessary.

13. How are relations with the existing Brazilian Jewish communities of Ashkenazim and Sephardim? Is there support for what you do?

These relationships can be described as cold even if over time and on the scale of the movement they tend to warm up slowly. It is the purpose of our efforts to make traditional communities aware of the interest and necessity for them to bring together all those who wish to initiate this quest to return to their roots. There is still a long way to go, but we are convinced that there is a growing awareness of the crucial importance of this phenomenon for the survival of the Jewish people.

14. Are you active or planning to be active in any other countries?

Other than Brazil, where we already have a strong presence, we are active in France and Italy, and planning to start activities in Mexico and Portugal.

15. Do you have support in Israel, e.g. from the Center for the Study of Crypto-Jewish Culture and of Anousim at Netanya College?

Rav Amsellem's first meeting with the B’nei Anousim of Brazil was initiated by Samuel Buzaglo (Director of the Center for the Study of Crypto-Jewish Culture and of Anousim at Netanya College) a few years ago. In the near future, we will multiply our collaboration and cross efforts for the benefit of the B’nei Anousim. We have recently jointly participated in conferences initiated by the French-speaking campus of Netanya (Netanya and Ashdod).

16. Please tell us your goals and aspirations for your organization, and thank you so much for answering these questions!

Zera Israel’s vision is to reach out to the millions of “People from the Seed of Israel” around the world, bring them closer to Judaism and the State of Israel, in a welcoming and approachable manner, while preserving the Halakha rules. Zera Israel strives to introduce a flexible approach and to reach out and help those in need, and through that, contribute to the future of the Jewish People, spread unity and brotherhood among our nation.

In a very concrete way we plan to launch a global campaign to raise awareness in the Jewish world of the challenge and the need for a favourable welcome from these communities. At the same time, we are strengthening our presence on the internet day after day, to offer the opportunity to all B’nei Anousim to meet and support them in their efforts to reform their links with the Jewish people.

And finally, we actively support the cause of the B’nei Anousim with the Israeli government, so that the conversion of the B’nei Anousim is officially recognized and so that the B’nei Anousim can benefit from the law of return.

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¹ Arie Toledano is the Founder/Chairman of Zera Israel. He left a successful international business career to devote himself to Zera Israel. Some of his major business milestones include acting as the President of DATAFIRST SAS, France and heading M&A’s and global business development. Toledano has held many roles in the Jewish communities in France and Israel; founded two synagogues and Beth Midrach in Jerusalem, and served as the President of the Sefaradi congregation of Lyon, France.

² Judith Roumani is the editor of Sephardic Horizons.

³ Zera Israel (“Seed of Israel”) is a non-profit organization, operating globally, with a key objective of reaching out to the millions of descendants of Jewish people to bring them closer to Judaism and the State of Israel in a welcoming and approachable manner, while preserving the rules of Halakha. https://zera-israel.org/

⁴ Rabbi Haim Amsalem is a renowned Torah scholar, prolific author, and an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset.

⁵ https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/haim-amsellem/

⁶ https://www.sephardichorizons.org/Volume1/Issue3/BitterTaste.html

⁷ https://zera-israel.org/ambassadors/rabino-emmanuel-ventura/