Sephardic History

Balancing tradition and modernity, Torah and science, Halacha and culture.

Migrations and settlements of Sephardic Jews following the 1492 expulsion from Spain. (Wikimedia Commons)

Today, the majority of Jews are descended from either the Ashkenazi or Sephardic subgroups of the Jewish diaspora. In the strictest sense, Jews nowadays refer to or are descended from Jews who were driven from Portugal and Spain in the 15th century. In a broader sense, they include Yemenite Jews, who were separated from other Jewish communities for so long that they are technically a distinct group, and Jews from the Middle East and North Africa who went further east into Asia and are sometimes referred to as Oriental Jews.

The Iberian peninsula saw the arrival of Sephardi from all corners of the Mediterranean. Later, numerous Ashkenazi Jews from Western Europe migrated to the wealthier neighborhoods of Spain and Portugal. Although after being forced to flee Spain and Portugal, people from a certain region tended to settle down together, the gene pool was therefore diverse and vast. As a result, sub-groups like Moroccan Jews or Tunisian Jews are more frequently used to designate Sephardic Jews.

The exiled Sephardim gradually lost their prominence as the pride of the global Jewish community. The Sephardic Jewish population in Europe was essentially eradicated by the Holocaust, while Jews in the nations of North Africa held by Germany or Vichy France narrowly escaped the same fate. About 160,000 people still speak ladino, making it a critically endangered language.

Dive into the Jewish timeline, a detailed journey through millennia, capturing pivotal events shaping
The Sephardic Timeline Visually interact and learn about our rich heritage. Tool tips: Click
Statistics Crunching the numbers as they relate to Sephardi Jews. 1.5 M Total Population
Explore rich Sephardic Communities and their cultural heritage: traditions and histories of North African,
First Cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Shearith Israel (1656–1833) in Manhattan, New York City image
First Cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Shearith Israel (1656–1833) in Manhattan, New York City

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Jewish Timeline

Jewish Timeline

Dive into the Jewish timeline, a detailed journey through millennia, capturing pivotal events shaping Jewish culture and heritage.

Read More »
Sephardi Statistics

Statistics

Statistics Crunching the numbers as they relate to Sephardi Jews. 1.5 M Total Population 15 % Jewish Population 1 M Israel Languages *Traditional:*Judaeo-Spanish, Andalusian Arabic,

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Notable Sephardi

Notable Sephardi

A Sephardic rabbi was not to be an aloof scholar, but a person of the people and with the people. His life was bound with his community.

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Sephardic Communities with photo of Jews of Morocco photo credit ebrei amazigh arch

Communities

Explore rich Sephardic Communities and their cultural heritage: traditions and histories of North African, Western, and Eastern Sephardim.

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