Founders, Scholars and Leadership

Louis N. Levy Z"L 1918–1994	David N. Barocas Z"L 1905–1978	Albert Matarasso Z"L 1890–1971	M.J. Benardete Z"L 1895–1983	Henry V. Besso Z"L 1905–1993
“It is mainly due to his lifetime efforts that future generations of Sephardim will be better acquainted with their own identity and heritage.”	“Barocas was a constant advocate of preserving Sephardic ethnicity and identity, recognizing the urgent desire of a generation of Sephardim to remain together...”	“His knowledge of Ladino was inexhaustible, he knew Ladino translation of Hebrew in a language so rich, so pure, and so virile, that Spanish scholars consulted him again and again.”	“The most distinguished Sephardic scholar in America during the 20th century.”	“Teacher, writer, lecturer, researcher and bibliographer – a scholar who had dedicated his life to the pursuit of Sephardic studies.”