Benghiat Rabbis in Israel 

After the Sefad earthquake of 1759, Rabbi Abraham Benghiat was among the leaders of the refugees who fled to Pekin. Rabbi Yehiel Benghiat died in Jerusalem in 1784. His wife Esterula died in Jerusalem in 1794. Rabbi Hayyim Isaac Benghiat, son of Ephraim Benghiat was born c.1780 and died in Jerusalem. His wife was Reina.


Benjamin Vidal Benghiat Settles in South Africa

Benjamin Vidal Benghiat (c.1875-1938) emigrated from Egypt to South Africa about 1910. He married Cornelia Van der Watt (1899-1978). They had five children, Julia (1912-1994) married Andre Van Zyl, Henry (1915-?) married Winnie Brummer, Philip (1916-1992) married Elizabeth Roos, Dorothy Cornelia Mary (1920-?) married Lucas Steyn and Benjamin Vidal (1922-?) married Elizabeth Manders.


Great Grandparents Mordecai (Nissim) Benghiat & Sinyuru (Celia) Abraham and Grandparents Joseph Benghiat & Sultana (Victoria) Levy of Izmir Immigrate To America

Mordecai (Nissim) Benghiat (1846-1922), son of Yaacov Benghiat, was probably named Mordecai, at birth. As was the custom, he most likely acquired the name “Nissim”, which means miracle, after having survived a severe illness. Another indication that his original name was Mordecai, is that his son Joseph named his oldest son Mordecai, in the Sephardic tradition of naming the oldest son after the paternal grandfather. Additionally, Joseph's cousin Hadji Ephraim Benguiat named his oldest son Mordecai, as well.

Great Grandmother Sinyuru (Celia) Abraham (1867-1937), daughter of Shabbatay Abraheam had a sister Reine (married a Gormanzano then married Elia Benyakar) and a brother Nissim Abraham (married Hermana Caden). Nissim and Celia had eight children in Izmir: Jacob (1883-1976) married Estria Matarraso), Julia (c.1885-?) married a Muslim Turk and was expelled from the family),  Isaac (1897-1912), Estrea (Stella) (1886-?) married Solomon B. Levy, my grandfather Joseph (1887-1965) married Sulttana (Victoria) Levy (1893-1941), Rica (Rita) (1898-1991) married Alberto Segura and after he died married Phil Chaleffe, Rebecca (1900-?) married Victor Sidy, Matilda (1901-?) married Alberto Colordo. Julia, Rebecca and Isaac remained in Izmir, Stella emigrated to Peru, Jacob, Matilda and Joseph emigrated to the US.

According to Jacob Benghiat's late daughter, Susan Benguiat Taranto, Nissim owned a shoe factory, which burned down. Celia sold her jewelry to reopen the factory. But, it burned again and they were destitute. They joined their children in the United States in 1918, living with Jacob, in D.C.

‘Early in the formation of the Yom Tov Sephardic Congregation, 75-80 lots were purchased in the National Hebrew Cemetery with the first $500 they raised. This was their first official act and has had a great deal to do with keeping the group intact. … The first person buried was Mr. Nessim Benquiat (sic) in 1922 - 75 years old and father of Mrs. Victor Sidey.”
Altshuler David, ed. The Jews of Washington, D.C: A Communal History Anthology, Chappaqua, N.Y.: Jewish Historial Society of Greater Washington, 1985. Luna Ereza Diamond, The Sephardic Jews, P. 256

As an old woman Celia posed with a bible in her hands as the subject of the portrait, “Matriarch” taken by the noted photographer Edward Steichen in 1933 (see photo left). When I saw Rembrandt's self-portrait at the Frick (see image left), I thought it must have inspired Steichen who incorporated portraying the figure in monumental proportions, tight cropping, low angle and "the gigantic hands that loom before us." https://www.frick.org/interact/rembrandt-harmensz-van-rijn-self-portrait

When he first arrived in America in 1911, my grandfather Joseph visited his cousin Ephraim Benguiat in his "big house" in Edgewater, New Jersey. Joseph brought over his future wife in 1911. Sultana changed her name to Victoria after she had been “victorious” over a serious disease. They had six children: Mordecai (Willie/Michael), Celia, Rose, Albert, Isaac and Sarah.

Grandmother Sultana was one of five children born in Izmir to Avram (Albert) Levy and Rosha (Rose) Kapoya (Jacob, Moses, Regina, Sultana and Stella). Stella married David Behar, and their son Henry has compiled a stirring oral history from Stella, “Grandma Stories.”

According to Sue Benguiat Taranto, Jacob told his children about Nissim’s two brothers who immigrated to Cairo, Egypt – the “wealthy uncle,” probably Abraham Benguiat and the “uncle who played the violin,” probably Isaac. Sue also said that Jacob changed the spelling of his name from Benghiat to Benguiat when living in D.C. after a visit from two Benguiat relations, (probably Ephraim and his son Mordecai).


Family Reunions At The Jewish Museum in NYC
 
Members of five distinct branches of Benghiat, Benguiat and Giat family trees gathered thirty-nine strong at the Jewish Museum in New York on November 12, 1995. We were given a museum tour that highlighted items from the permanent H. Ephraim and Mordecai Benguiat Family Collection, linked family trees and videotaped our round table discussion.

Once again, our extended Benghiat, BenGhiat, Bengiyat and Giat family gathered on October 6, 2019 at The Jewish Museum which is featuring items from the H. Ephraim and Mordecai Benguiat Family Collection through July 2020. "This collection of 300 examples of decorative and ceremonial art related to Jewish culture is one of the formative groups of the Jewish Museum’s collection." https://www.mannpublications.com/mannreportresidential/2019/08/20/masterpieces-and-curiosities-the-benguiat-collection/