Manashe Khaimov is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAMi which focuses on the Leadership Development of under-served Jewish communities on college campuses and in their communities in North America. Manashe is a fourth-generation community organizer, serial entrepreneur, and social innovator who builds and consults organizations on Jewish diversity. Manashe is an Adjunct Professor in Jewish Studies, with a specialty in the History and Culture of the Central Asian Jews at Queens College. In his previous role as a Director of Community Engagement and Development at Queens College Hillel, he focused on creating Sepharadi and Mizrahi Leadership at five CUNY Hillel campuses. Manashe sat on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at Hillel International and served as a facilitator of the Mizrahi and Sephardi Hillel Professionals resource group. In 2022 Manashe received “Person Of The Year 2020-2021” the highest award and recognition in the Bukharian Community in the USA and Canada.

He shares with us here his life growing up in Uzbekistan, adapting to life in the US and giving the next generation tools to build communities of Jewish heritage and pride.

Interviewer: Dr. Drora Arussy

Producer: Moshe Singer

Executive Producers: Dr. Drora Arussy and Dalya Arussy Di Veroli

Musical attributions:

Vanessa Paloma - "Avrom Avinu" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqizmoj9n74&list=PLGhpKVCbiejTOe6Y1QYxiPWwg2mZt2R4w&index=2

Vanessa Paloma - "Moses Salio De Misrayim" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM1qeR-NV30&list=PLGhpKVCbiejTOe6Y1QYxiPWwg2mZt2R4w&index=1

Samuel Torjman Thomas - Judeo-Muslim Soundscapes in Morocco: A Tradition of Musical Dialogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_gLMmJEfko&list=PLe9MY0_QNmDr8hsh2cae_RXuw9vhWqRF7

Samuel Torjman Thomas - Uncommon Commonalities: Music and Piyyut as Dialogue https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lBlcpUPxZ0WpI0VqeAtfodBAojegWoQV/view?usp=sharing