Ashkenazi and Sephardic and Mizrahi

The difference between different groups of Jews arts with the Jewish Diaspora, the displacement of Israelites outside of the Southern Levant. Because Jews traveled to various parts of the known world and communication was not as easy as it is today, over time they developed their own customs, religious practices, language, foods, etc.

The three major ethnic divisions are the Ashkenazi, the Sephardic, and the Mizrahi. (Much of the following comes from chabad.org.)

The group most familiar to Western Europe and America is the Ashkenazi, the Jews who settled in France, Germany, and Eastern Europe. The Hebrew word "Ashkenaz" refers to Germany. Over time their language evolved to a blend of Hebrew with German and Slavic vocabulary; this language is what we call Yiddish.

The Sephardic Jews settled in the Iberian Peninsula ("Sepharad" refers to Spain). Their Hebrew was blended with Old Spanish and Portuguese into a dialect called Ladino.

Jews who migrated to the Middle East and North Africa are the Mizrahi. Living among Arabs, dialects associated with the Mizrahim are Judeo-Iranian, Judeo-Persian, and Neo-Aramaic.

Culinary tastes differ among the different ethnic groups. The Ashkenazi are associated with gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, potato kugel. During Passover, legumes and rice are forbidden. Sephardic Jews do not restrict these foods during Passover; their cuisine is more heavily spiced than Ashkenazi foods, and they have slow-cooked Sabbath stews. The Mizrahim also allow legumes and rice. Charoset, a sweet staple of Passover, is made from dried fruits, chiefly dates, and has a thick consistency. Among the Ashkenazi, charoset is made with apples and nuts spiced with wine and cinnamon.

There are more profound differences. Sephardic Jews keep their Torah scrolls upright when reading. Ashkenazi lay them flat. Ashkenazi synagogues are arranged with seats facing forward; Sephardic synagogues arrange seating around a central reading table.

Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews tended to be more integrated into the local (largely Arabic or Muslim) culture, whereas in Christian territory Jews dealt with the constant tension of being distrusted by their neighbors, accused of crimes, and segregated into ghettos.

The origin of the word ghetto is disputed, but it seems likely that it comes from a Venetian decree in 1516 that Jews in the city must live in the Cannaregio district. The Cannaregio was where cannons were made, and the word "ghetto" means "foundry." But since that was the 16th century and a little late for a blog with "medieval" in its name, let's look at an earlier situation when Jews were settled in a specific part of town: the Old Jewry of London. See you next time.