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About Us
Sephardic Heritage Foundation is a Non-Profit Organization focused on facilitating the religious and cultural observance of the Jewish Syrian-Sephardic Communities. We have been producing prayer books for over 50 years, catering to the Syrian Sephardic Communities around the world including the U.S, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe and Asia. By distributing publications, Sephardic Heritage Foundation strives to perpetuate the venerated prayer, sacred traditions and valued customs of one of the oldest uninterrupted Jewish Communities of the world, the Community of Aram Soba (Aleppo, Syria). Our work is influenced and inspired by our late founder, Mr. Sam Catton, may he rest in peace.
On February 5, 2006 the Syrian-Sephardic Community lost one of its founders and leaders, Sam Catton a"h.
While his work for Jewish institutions are numerous and all leshem shamayim, the crown jewel and greatest love of his life was the Sephardic Heritage Foundation.
For nearly 50 years, with Sam Catton as its president and driving force, Sephardic Heritage Foundation distributed approximately 1,000,000 books worldwide. Sam Catton and the Sephardic Heritage Foundation focused their efforts wherever there was a Community need. When there was a need for Mahazorim and Siddurim, Sam Catton developed high quality and universally accepted books which reinvigorated the prayers and kavanot of the Community.
When Sam Catton was concerned that the next generation had forgotten their roots, he wrote the trilogy, Men of Faith and Vision, documenting the Community and its origins. Sam Catton saved our glorious pizmonim with his publication of the classic Shir Ushbaha. It is through these, and many other accomplishments, that he became known as Ba'al Hasefarim.
We, the next generation at Sephardic Heritage Foundation, are proud to continue his great work for the Community, with his inspiration inside us and his direction from above.
David Catton
President
Sephardic Heritage Foundation
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Mahzorim were developed for Passover, Shabuot and Sukkot. In the 1980s, Mr. Catton recruited Rabbi David Bitton a"h to spearhead a revolutionary project of a daily siddur specifically for the Syrian Community with prayers for weekdays and Shabbat. He approached the world-renowned banker and philanthropist Mr. Edmond Safra in regards to the project who immediately sponsored it in memory of his late father Jacob, and the daily prayer book was called Kol Yaakob in his memory. Another revolutionary project which was done by Mr. Catton and Hazzan Gabriel Shrem is Sir Ushbaha Hallel Vezimra Pizmonim book which preserved songs written and sung by the Syrian Jews for centuries.
There are several other publishing projects which Mr. Catton worked tirelessly on due to his love of world Jewry, The Syrian Community and their priceless traditions. These include a trilogy of books titled Men of Faith & Vision, authored by Mr. Catton which document the early years of the Syrian Community in New York. Upon his passing in 2006, his grandson David Catton took over as president of the Foundation and has moved it forward with both new projects and expanded outreach to other Syrian Communities throughout the world.
Sephardic Heritage Foundation books number in the dozens and are growing. They can be found in over ___ countries throughout the entire globe. We are grateful to the Almighty for the opportunity and strength to preserve Syrian-Sephardic traditions through our publications and pray to Him that we can expand the Foundation, its projects and outreach for many years to come.
