Born in Israel, Rabbi Ephraim Besalel is a ninth generation Sephardi rabbi. A 2006 Shehebar Sephardic Center graduate, Rabbi Besalel and his wife have literally changed the local Jewish community in Shanghai.
When he arrived in Shanghai, the synagogue had minimal attendance to Sabbath services. Today, attendance at the Shachiver Sephardic Midrash ranges from 40 -100 people from the 2,000 Jews who make up the local Jewish community. Rabbi Besalel has built a thriving synagogue where he teaches the children, prepares boys for their bar mitzvah, teaches Torah classes and recently performed the first religious wedding since World War II.
He has made significant inroads at increasing religious observance, including kashrut. As the only shochet in the China, Rabbi Besalel built a slaughterhouse, where he devotes time each month to slaughtering chickens and beef. The meat is shipped to observant Jews throughout China and is used by the local Jewish community.
In addition, Rabbi Besalel has created a home for Jewish travelers to Shanghai, a center of international trade that has attracted an increasing number of Jews throughout the world. With the escalating number of Jewish visitors passing through the city on a regular basis, there was a need for a synagogue and center that they could call home. Jewish travelers can find kosher food at the SSC Shanghai shul 24 hours a day, as well as minyans.