JIMENA · Official Statement

Statement on Seattle’s Inclusion in JIMENA’s National Demographic Study

JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa  ·  Published July 2026

In recent months, questions and differing public accounts have circulated regarding why Seattle’s Sephardic community was not included among the qualitative community portraits in Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities, the national demographic study commissioned by JIMENA. Because Seattle’s community deserves an accurate record, we are setting it out here.

The Study and Its Rigor

Serious demographic research must be designed and led by trained social scientists and subjected to rigorous academic review. This study was built to that standard. It was conducted by an academic research team based at New York University under Dr. Mijal Bitton, Principal Investigator and Research Director, with the national quantitative analysis authored by researchers at Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, and the full report critically reviewed by a fourteen-member international academic advisory committee.

We know of no comparable study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States: this is the first research effort of its kind and scope, pairing national quantitative analysis with original fieldwork across Sephardic communities, conducted with social-science leadership and multi-institutional academic oversight from beginning to end.

Seattle Was Always Part of the Plan

From the study’s inception, Seattle’s historic Ladino-heritage Sephardic community was designated for one of the qualitative community portraits, and Professor Devin Naar of the University of Washington agreed to participate as the local scholar for the Seattle portrait.

What Happened

In December 2023, months after the project was underway, Professor Naar withdrew from the study. In his written withdrawal, he cited the ideologically charged political climate and the intense scrutiny his words were receiving. Community portraits of this kind depend on local scholarly partnership. Following his withdrawal, the research team considered alternatives, but the Seattle role was not filled, and the Seattle portrait was subsequently removed from the study. Every other member of the research team completed their work. JIMENA, the researchers, and members of the Seattle community were disappointed by this outcome. Seattle’s absence from the qualitative research followed directly from the withdrawal of its local scholar.

Seattle Remains Represented

The study’s quantitative component includes Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews nationwide, including members of the Seattle community. Its published findings reflect communities that report strong connection to Israel, high communal participation, and a vigorous sense of belonging to the Jewish people.

On Subsequent Public Commentary

Professor Naar has since published criticism of the study, including citing the absence of Ladino-heritage community portraits. His published criticism did not disclose that he had agreed to serve as the local scholar for the Seattle portrait and later withdrew from that role. We note this because readers evaluating that criticism are entitled to the complete facts.