The «Cátedra de Estudos Sefarditas Alberto Benveniste» is a scientific institution created in 1996 in the University of Lisbon by me and my brother Sérgio Benveniste in memory of our father Alberto Nahman  Benveniste who had transmitted to us the love of sephardic culture.
The main objective of the Cátedra is to stimulate the Scientific Research in the history of sephardic communities of portuguese origin and to show the importance of sephardic culture in the world, as well as the organization of activities, the promotion and participation in national and international research projects, the publication of the journal Cadernos de Estudos Sefarditas and publishing of specialized works.

Started with the help of  Prof. António Marques de Almeida, the chair is now under the direction of Prof. Fátima Reis who supervises a team of University researchers, Dra Susana Bastos Mateus, Dra. Carla Vieira and Dr. Miguel Lourenço, specialists in the field of sephardic studies.

The chair maintains relations with most of the big universities in the world, especially in the USA and South America. Many activities are conducted during the academic year: conferences in Portugal and abroad, organization of events with cities in Portugal eager to remember their sephardic heritage.

The chair has an extensive library. The Alberto Benveniste Library is located at the Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa. The editorial activity is constantly increasing, with the publication of books of well known  researchers, a Newsletter and a «Cadernos de Estudos Sefarditas».