The Joseph Wahed Memorial Library to be Established Within

The New Karaite Jewish Cultural Center at Congregation B’nai Israel

JIMENA’s beloved co-founder Joseph Wahed passed away three years ago and he is still missed by many of us who knew and worked with him. JIMENA is now pleased to report that a fund has been established by his family, with the goal of establishing the Joseph Wahed Memorial Library in his memory.

The Library will be housed within the new Karaite Jewish Cultural Center to be created as part of the expansion effort of Congregation B’nai Israel in Daly City; the only Karaite synagogue in the United States, and a congregation of which Joe was a member since its inception. The purpose of the Center is to keep the traditions of this unique community alive within world Jewry.

As a co-founder of JIMENA, Joe was determined to help sustain the memory and traditions of Jews from the Middle East, and particularly of Karaite Jews, so often obscured in an American worldview of Judaism more typically grounded in the European experience. He also served on the Board of Directors of Karaite Jews of America (KJA) for ten years and was an avid supporter of the synagogue and its close-knit community (many of whom he had known since childhood,) often representing KJA as its public spokesman.

The Joseph Wahed Memorial Library will be focused on sharing the legacy of the Wahed family and other Karaite Jews from Egypt, through oral and video histories, new book translations, and preservation of archival materials.

Congregation B’nai Israel is seeking support from those who want to help keep Joe’s memory alive, by helping to preserve his unique Jewish Karaite heritage. Please click here for more information on the Joseph Wahed Memorial Library.