Growing up in a typical American Jewish family, I received a Jewish education that could only be described as “Eurocentric.” First in an afternoon religious school, then in an Orthodox Yeshiva, and finally as an undergraduate student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, I was led to believe that Jewish life in the last several centuries was entirely focused in Central and East Europe. Even in Rabbinical School, I never questioned whether the customs and traditions that I was taught were anything but universally followed by all Jews. We knew that Joseph Caro (1488-1575), author of the Shulchan Aruch (The Code of Jewish law) was Sephardic, but we were taught to read past his decisions to those of Moses Isserles (1530-1572), his Ashkenazic counterpart. When we learned Jewish history the expulsion from Spain was yet another passing trauma of the Jewish people. Instead, we focused on the crusades, pogroms, shtetl life, the rise of Hasidic Jewry, the enlightenment and the emancipation and the rise of denominational Judaism. Didn’t every Jew speak Yiddish at one time?
Of course, I knew differently. I grew up hearing my mother and grandmother speak Ladino to one another. And my sister and I loved the culinary treats that Mom called “Sephardic.” That was the extent of our Sephardic identity. Sephardic Jewry seemed exotic and fascinating. I was attracted to it. As an undergraduate I even traveled to Istanbul and began researching my family tree. It was only in recent years, as a new member of a Sephardic congregation that I began to appreciate that there is more to Sephardic identity than the stories we tell, the language we speak (or no longer speak), and the food we eat. I have come to believe that Sephardic Judaism offers American Jews a powerful alternative that could revitalize Jewish life.
American Jews are obsessed with denominational designations. They want to know “What kind of Jew are you?” Are you Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox? Once defined denominationally, such designations separate Jews. This is an Ashkenazic phenomenon. Denominations never took on any significance for Sephardic Jews. Instead, Sephardic Jews learned to live in a big tent. They might ask, “Where is your family from,” but the answer doesn’t change their attitude toward other Jews. I have learned that Sephardic synagogues are a virtual United Nations of Jews from different lands. The word, ‘Sephardic,’ has taken on a new meaning in our contemporary world. It refers not only to Jews who can trace their lineage back to Spain and Portugal but to the broader non-Ashkenazi Jewish world. These communities share some common traditions and a similar prayer book, with some variations. I would argue that what defines a person as Sephardic is anyone who chooses to adopt the traditions of Sephardic Jews. While Mizrahi Jews are technically not Sephardic they are often defined that way, making more than half the Jewish population of Israel Sephardic today.
There is an old Lenny Bruce routine in which he defines the difference between Jews and Christians by saying ‘Christians celebrate’ while ‘Jews observe’ their religion. While there is some truth in this distinction, I think it is fair to say that Sephardic Jews also tend to focus more on celebration than observance. Although they have a deep commitment to halachah, Sephardic Jews tend to place more emphasis on what Jews do rather than what they are not yet doing. No one checks your tzitzit when you enter a Sephardic synagogue; everyone is welcomed whatever their level of observance may be.
I have also learned that Sephardic Jews tend to be more joyful rather than plaintive in the tone of their observance. With all due respect for our Hasidim, while Sephardic Jews may not be dancing in the isles of their synagogue, there is a sense of joyfulness in their daily and Shabbat prayers. One can hear this in Sephardic music. It is often pointed out that Ashkenazic prayer is sung in a minor key while Sephardic music—particularly on the High Holy Days—tends to be in a major key. This attitude is reflected in every aspect of Jewish living, whether they are celebrating Frutikas on Tu Bishvat or singing their way through the Aggadah on Passover.
One of the foremost rabbis of twentieth century America was Mordechai Kaplan. While we might not agree with his conclusions about Jewish life, there is one he was right about: Judaism is not just a religion; it’s an entire civilization. By this, Kaplan meant that Judaism is not just what one does in synagogue; it is “the sum of Jewish religion, culture, language, literature and social organization.” Sephardic Jewry has the ability to express itself in this way and is inclusive of the full experience of our way of life.
There is nothing wrong with nostalgia. But the farther we move from the past, the more distant it feels and the less likely it will be in providing us with a meaningful way into Jewish life. We are already living in a generation when few people speak Ladino and the memories of life in Turkey and Greece or wherever your family came from are understandably vague. A religion and a culture must speak to the present generation.
If Sephardic identity continues to be a meaningful force in Jewish life in coming generations, it needs to do more than nurture a sense of nostalgia. Sephardic Jews the recipients of a great historic tradition that colors the way we understand Judaism and which speaks to us today. It is expressed not just in religion but in art, music, poetry, in Jewish thought and philosophy. Sephardic Jews have something to share with the larger Jewish world as well. From the time of the Golden Age, Sephardic Jews lived in the larger world and engaged with their neighbors.
If you don’t speak Ladino why not learn to? How much do you know about the amazing history of Sephardic Jewry beyond the expulsion? Do you understand the differences between Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs? Have you ever studied the beautiful poetry of our ancestors or their philosophical writing? There is so much to learn—so much that could enrich our lives today as Sephardic-born Jews and as people who have adopted Sephardic expression as a meaningful way to live. Let's move beyond nostalgia!
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