Manashe Khaimov is the founder, CEO, and lead educator of SAMi: Sephardic American Mizrahi Initiative. He is also a lecturer specializing in Bukharian Jewish history and culture and the founding director of the Bukharian Jewish Union, a network for young professionals. Born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Manashe’s Jewish identity is deeply rooted in Bukharian, Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-speaking traditions. He has held leadership roles at Hillel International, JIMENA, and UJA-Federation of NY, and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Queens Impact Award, The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36,” the Bukharian Jewish Congress’s 2020 and 2021 Person of the Year, the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship, and the Wexner Field Fellowship. Based in Hollywood, Florida, Manashe holds an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and a BA in Marketing and Corporate Communication from Baruch College.