Sephardic Jew
Noun A Jew who is of Spanish, Portuguese, or North African descent, tracing their cultural and liturgical traditions to the Jewish communities expelled from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) in the late 15th century.
The term "Sephardic Jew" is used to describe a member of this distinct Jewish ethnic division, often in historical, cultural, or religious contexts. It refers to heritage and tradition, not religious practice level.
- Noun:
- After the 1492 expulsion, many Sephardic Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire.
- The synagogue follows the Sephardic liturgy.
- She is a Sephardic Jew, so her family's customs for the Passover holiday differ from those of Ashkenazi Jews.
- "Sephardic" as an adjective: The adjective form "Sephardic" is commonly used to describe the related customs, liturgy, pronunciation of Hebrew, cuisine, and music.
- He studies Sephardic music and Ladino folk songs.
Sephardi (noun): Another term for a Sephardic Jew.
- The community was founded by Sephardim from North Africa.
Sephardic (adjective): Of or relating to Sephardic Jews or their customs.
- The Sephardic tradition has its own legal interpretations.
Ladino: The Judeo-Spanish language historically spoken by Sephardic Jews.
- Ashkenazi Jew: A Jew of Central or Eastern European descent, representing the other major Jewish ethnic division.
- Sephardi
- Spanish and Portuguese Jew (historical context)
The term specifically denotes ancestry from the Iberian Peninsula (Sepharad in Hebrew). While many settled in North Africa following the expulsions, the core identity is linked to the Spanish/Portuguese diaspora. It is an ethnic-cultural classification within Judaism, distinct from the religious denominations of Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform.
- a Jew who is of Spanish or Portuguese or North African descent