Rabbi Sjimon den Hollander lived in the Netherlands until he moved to New York City in 2000. He holds an MA in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Rijksuniversiteit Leiden and a BA in Education from Ichthus Hogeschool Rotterdam. Sjimon received rabbinical ordination both from Yeshiva University and from Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Haim (Yeshiva Badatz – Mekor Hayyim). Sjimon teaches Jewish literature at Hunter College and medieval Jewish philosophy at Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan. He has a personal website: www.SjimonDenHollander.com.
Rabbi den Hollander has been involved with the Abayudaya community since 2003. He hopes to see the Sephardi Jewish communities in Uganda grow into strong, proud, and beautiful congregations, secure in their identity, offering support, comfort, and a home to those who share its path, while able and willing to lend support to others around them.