Dan Brotman and Adam Heffez grew up in very different Jewish environments, one assimilated and Ashkenazi, the other conservative and Sephardic. Neither fully felt embraced by the communities in which they were raised. It was only through their journeys to Jewish communities in far-flung places, especially in the Middle East and Africa, that they began to find their place in the broader Jewish story. Today, they are the co-founders of Project Diaspora Expeditions, which leads small groups to visit disappearing and remote Jewish communities across the globe. They are also the co-hosts of an upcoming documentary exploring these fragile communities and the people working to preserve their stories.

Today, nearly 85% of the global Jewish population lives in the United States and Israel. As a result, many ancient Jewish communities around the world are nearing their final chapter. In many cases, diaspora populations have declined by as much as 90%, with some communities now sustained by only a handful of remaining members. Dan Brotman and Adam Heffez have each traveled to more than 100 countries, documenting Jewish communities at the far corners of the world, some of which are endangered or nearly gone. Together, they recently co-founded Project Diaspora Expeditions, an initiative that brings others along on immersive journeys to document ancient Jewish communities that may not survive another generation. Join us for an evening exploring their journeys through places such as Iraq, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, and other edges of the map, before these stories transition from living history into memory.

Join us for a fireside chat with our Executive Director, Daniel Bloch, in conversation with journalist, global migration expert, and former Cape SAJBD professional staff member, Dan Brotman, as they examine lesser-known chapters of the Jewish Diaspora. Brotman draws on his travels across Africa and the Middle East, including Syria, Iran and Lebanon, offering insight into Jewish communities that have largely disappeared from public view.

We are running out of time. Today, we are witnessing the final days of 2,500-year-old Jewish civilizations. In many corners of the globe, ancient populations have declined by 90%, leaving only a handful of remaining members to carry the weight of millennia. These are living libraries of human history, with lineages dating back to the destruction of the Temple of Solomon. From Iraq, where a community of 150,000 has dwindled to fewer than five people, to the vanished heritage of Libya, these cultures face total extinction in our lifetime. Adam Heffez and Dan Brotman have traveled to over 100 countries—from Afghanistan to Yemen — searching for these last remnants. We started Project Diaspora Expeditions to bring others along on immersive journeys to "bottle up" these last moments before they vanish forever. Join us as we explore the map's furthest edges, documenting these stories before living history transitions into memory. In this talk, we'll share with you what Jewish heritage we found in our journeys in countries such as Libya, Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, and more.