#judaism — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #judaism, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.europesays.com/videos/91744/ Identity drives rise in religious rites attendance ahead of Jewish New Year • FRANCE 24 English #FRANCE24 #FRANCE24English #FRANCE24 #FRANCE24English #Israel #Judaism #MiddleEast #religion
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Attendance at the Western Wall to recite “selihot”, or “prayers of penitence”, forty days before Yom Kippur has broken all records once again this year. Among the faithful are many young people not necessarily from Jewish orthodox backgrounds, but are part of a trend that is part religious, part driven by identity. FRANCE 24's Stephane Amar reports from Jerusalem
#Israel #Judaism #religion -
Attendance at the Western Wall to recite “selihot”, or “prayers of penitence”, forty days before Yom Kippur has broken all records once again this year. Among the faithful are many young people not necessarily from Jewish orthodox backgrounds, but are part of a trend that is part religious, part driven by identity. FRANCE 24's Stephane Amar reports from Jerusalem
#Israel #Judaism #religion -
Attendance at the Western Wall to recite “selihot”, or “prayers of penitence”, forty days before Yom Kippur has broken all records once again this year. Among the faithful are many young people not necessarily from Jewish orthodox backgrounds, but are part of a trend that is part religious, part driven by identity. FRANCE 24's Stephane Amar reports from Jerusalem
#Israel #Judaism #religion -
Attendance at the Western Wall to recite “selihot”, or “prayers of penitence”, forty days before Yom Kippur has broken all records once again this year. Among the faithful are many young people not necessarily from Jewish orthodox backgrounds, but are part of a trend that is part religious, part driven by identity. FRANCE 24's Stephane Amar reports from Jerusalem
#Israel #Judaism #religion -
Attendance at the Western Wall to recite “selihot”, or “prayers of penitence”, forty days before Yom Kippur has broken all records once again this year. Among the faithful are many young people not necessarily from Jewish orthodox backgrounds, but are part of a trend that is part religious, part driven by identity. FRANCE 24's Stephane Amar reports from Jerusalem
#Israel #Judaism #religion -
"There are numerous renowned #Jewish #children’s and #YA #authors and #illustrators whose identity and affiliation with #Judaism is well-known and often crops up in their work or personal interviews: #MauriceSendak, #JudyBlume and #SydneyTaylor to name but a few. But #bibliophiles may not be aware that there are a number of other famed and talented #kidlit creators over the last few decades who are, in fact, also members of the Tribe. Here’s a list of notable children and #youngadult #authors you may not have known are Jewish!"
https://www.kveller.com/5-kid-and-young-adult-authors-you-may-not-know-are-jewish/
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"There are numerous renowned #Jewish #children’s and #YA #authors and #illustrators whose identity and affiliation with #Judaism is well-known and often crops up in their work or personal interviews: #MauriceSendak, #JudyBlume and #SydneyTaylor to name but a few. But #bibliophiles may not be aware that there are a number of other famed and talented #kidlit creators over the last few decades who are, in fact, also members of the Tribe. Here’s a list of notable children and #youngadult #authors you may not have known are Jewish!"
https://www.kveller.com/5-kid-and-young-adult-authors-you-may-not-know-are-jewish/
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"There are numerous renowned #Jewish #children’s and #YA #authors and #illustrators whose identity and affiliation with #Judaism is well-known and often crops up in their work or personal interviews: #MauriceSendak, #JudyBlume and #SydneyTaylor to name but a few. But #bibliophiles may not be aware that there are a number of other famed and talented #kidlit creators over the last few decades who are, in fact, also members of the Tribe. Here’s a list of notable children and #youngadult #authors you may not have known are Jewish!"
https://www.kveller.com/5-kid-and-young-adult-authors-you-may-not-know-are-jewish/
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"There are numerous renowned #Jewish #children’s and #YA #authors and #illustrators whose identity and affiliation with #Judaism is well-known and often crops up in their work or personal interviews: #MauriceSendak, #JudyBlume and #SydneyTaylor to name but a few. But #bibliophiles may not be aware that there are a number of other famed and talented #kidlit creators over the last few decades who are, in fact, also members of the Tribe. Here’s a list of notable children and #youngadult #authors you may not have known are Jewish!"
https://www.kveller.com/5-kid-and-young-adult-authors-you-may-not-know-are-jewish/
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"There are numerous renowned #Jewish #children’s and #YA #authors and #illustrators whose identity and affiliation with #Judaism is well-known and often crops up in their work or personal interviews: #MauriceSendak, #JudyBlume and #SydneyTaylor to name but a few. But #bibliophiles may not be aware that there are a number of other famed and talented #kidlit creators over the last few decades who are, in fact, also members of the Tribe. Here’s a list of notable children and #youngadult #authors you may not have known are Jewish!"
https://www.kveller.com/5-kid-and-young-adult-authors-you-may-not-know-are-jewish/
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements
By Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondentSpiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence
#Foreignpolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UKnews #Worldnews #Israel #Palestine #TheGuardian #AamnaMohdinCommunityaffairscorrespondent
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements
By Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondentSpiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence
#Foreignpolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UKnews #Worldnews #Israel #Palestine #TheGuardian #AamnaMohdinCommunityaffairscorrespondent
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements
By Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondentSpiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence
#Foreignpolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UKnews #Worldnews #Israel #Palestine #TheGuardian #AamnaMohdinCommunityaffairscorrespondent
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements
By Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondentSpiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence
#Foreignpolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UKnews #Worldnews #Israel #Palestine #TheGuardian #AamnaMohdinCommunityaffairscorrespondent
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements
By Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondentSpiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence
#Foreignpolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UKnews #Worldnews #Israel #Palestine #TheGuardian #AamnaMohdinCommunityaffairscorrespondent
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/09/senior-uk-rabbis-come-out-in-support-of-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements #ForeignPolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UkNews #WorldNews #Israel #Palestine
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/09/senior-uk-rabbis-come-out-in-support-of-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements #ForeignPolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UkNews #WorldNews #Israel #Palestine
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/09/senior-uk-rabbis-come-out-in-support-of-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements #ForeignPolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UkNews #WorldNews #Israel #Palestine
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/09/senior-uk-rabbis-come-out-in-support-of-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements #ForeignPolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UkNews #WorldNews #Israel #Palestine
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Senior UK rabbis come out in support of sanctions on Israeli settlements https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/09/senior-uk-rabbis-come-out-in-support-of-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements #ForeignPolicy #WestBank #Judaism #Politics #Religion #UkNews #WorldNews #Israel #Palestine
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https://www.kveller.com/the-inventor-of-the-shopping-cart-was-a-jewish-man/
Very cool to see Kveller.com tell the story of Sylvan Goldman, the inventor of the shopping cart (and a bunch of other stuff), but also a long-time member and supporter of Oklahoma City's own Temple B'nai Israel.
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From Zamość Museum and machine-translated from Polish: We have completed the project of digitizing the collections of the Zamość Museum in cooperation with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. “Recently, the Zamość Museum hosted specialists from the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews – Monika Bondarew and Iwo Książek – who supported the digitization of the […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/08/31/zamosc-museum-we-have-completed-the-project-of-digitizing-the-collections-of-the-zamosc-museum-in-cooperation-with-the-polin-museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews/ -
Video shows antisemitic road rage abuse in Adelaide's CBD
By Leah MacLennanA Jewish woman visiting Adelaide was captured in a video being subjected to antisemitic abuse on her first day in the city, the Anti Defamation Commission says.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/antisemitic-abuse-road-rage-video-adelaide/107081548
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Jewish Heritage Europe: Czech Republic: A new database and map that document Holocaust monuments and memorials throughout the Czech Republic has been launched. “A new database and specialized map that systematically document Holocaust monuments and memorials located throughout the Czech Republic has been launched… It currently contains 616 detailed records and more than 5,550 photographs, […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/08/14/czech-republic-a-new-database-and-map-that-document-holocaust-monuments-and-memorials-throughout-the-czech-republic-has-been-launched-jewish-heritage-europe/ -
Join JIMENA for the first session of our Voices of Distinctions virtual conversation series featuring contributors to Distinctions: A Sephardi and Mizrahi Journal.
Whether you're an educator, student, or lifelong learner, this conversation will offer meaningful insights and practical tools for bringing Sephardi stories into classrooms and communities.
Read Denise's article: We Belong Here, Too: Cultivating Sephardi Presence in Jewish Education
https://www.distinctionsjournal.org/we-belong-here-too-cultivating-sephardi-presence-in-jewish-education/Register for the Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/j2Rk8eFlQlu0cZ1QYQ6zIQ
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishHistory
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Light pollution interferes with traditional religious practices: “Light pollution does not shift Ts’eit HaKokhavim by more than a minute but significantly changes Motsa’ei Shabbat. In fact, light pollution causes the conditions of Motsa’ei Shabbat to never be met on at least some nights in every population center.”
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!Electronical-Computer-Mechanical
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/373!COmputer & Programming
#компьютер, #компьютеры, #ЭВМ, ремонт компьютеров, компьютерная техника, железо, #программы, #настройка, #диагностика, операционные системы, игровые приставки, аппаратные средства, computer, #computers, computers, computer repair, computer equipment, #hardware, #programs, #setup, #diagnostics, operating systems, game consoles, #hardware, #комп'ютер, #комп'ютери, #ЕОМ, ремонт комп'ютерів, комп'ютерна техніка, #залізо, #програми, #налаштування, діагностика, операційні системи, ігрові приставки, апаратні засоби ремонт телевизоров, #мониторы
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/372_Фонд редких книг
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/371Энергетика и целительство
Energy and healing, Енергетика та цілительство
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/370Эзотерическая рунология
Esoteric runology, Езотерична рунологія
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/369Шаманизм, Шаманізм, shamanism
#Шаманизм, #Шаманізм, #shamanism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/368Фэн - шуй
Фен Шуй, Feng Shui
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/367Тантрическая традиция, Tantric tradition
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/365Медитации и транс, Meditation and trance
#Медитации и #транс, #Meditation and #trance
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/364Магия, Magic
#Магия, #Magic
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/363Каббала и Тора, Kabbalah and Torah
#Каббала и #Тора, #Kabbalah and #Torah
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/362Йога, Yoga
#Йога, #Yoga
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/361Иудаизм, Judaism
#Иудаизм, #Judaism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/360Индуизм, Hinduism
#Индуизм, #Hinduism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/358веды, Veda
#веды, #Veda
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/356suteres, koans
#suteres, #koans
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/355esoteric эзотерика мистика мистицизм оккультизм
#esoteric #эзотерика #мистика #мистицизм #оккультизм
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/353RELIGION
религия секты учения
#RELIGION
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/352_Цигун, qigong Qi Books
#Цигун, #qigong #Qi Books
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/351_буддизм, Buddhism
#буддизм, #Buddhism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/349_Дзен, zen
#Дзен, #zen
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/348_Даосизм
Taoism
#Даосизм
#Taoism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/347 -
!Electronical-Computer-Mechanical
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/373!COmputer & Programming
#компьютер, #компьютеры, #ЭВМ, ремонт компьютеров, компьютерная техника, железо, #программы, #настройка, #диагностика, операционные системы, игровые приставки, аппаратные средства, computer, #computers, computers, computer repair, computer equipment, #hardware, #programs, #setup, #diagnostics, operating systems, game consoles, #hardware, #комп'ютер, #комп'ютери, #ЕОМ, ремонт комп'ютерів, комп'ютерна техніка, #залізо, #програми, #налаштування, діагностика, операційні системи, ігрові приставки, апаратні засоби ремонт телевизоров, #мониторы
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/372_Фонд редких книг
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/371Энергетика и целительство
Energy and healing, Енергетика та цілительство
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/370Эзотерическая рунология
Esoteric runology, Езотерична рунологія
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/369Шаманизм, Шаманізм, shamanism
#Шаманизм, #Шаманізм, #shamanism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/368Фэн - шуй
Фен Шуй, Feng Shui
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/367Тантрическая традиция, Tantric tradition
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/365Медитации и транс, Meditation and trance
#Медитации и #транс, #Meditation and #trance
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/364Магия, Magic
#Магия, #Magic
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/363Каббала и Тора, Kabbalah and Torah
#Каббала и #Тора, #Kabbalah and #Torah
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/362Йога, Yoga
#Йога, #Yoga
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/361Иудаизм, Judaism
#Иудаизм, #Judaism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/360Индуизм, Hinduism
#Индуизм, #Hinduism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/358веды, Veda
#веды, #Veda
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/356suteres, koans
#suteres, #koans
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/355esoteric эзотерика мистика мистицизм оккультизм
#esoteric #эзотерика #мистика #мистицизм #оккультизм
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/353RELIGION
религия секты учения
#RELIGION
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/352_Цигун, qigong Qi Books
#Цигун, #qigong #Qi Books
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/351_буддизм, Buddhism
#буддизм, #Buddhism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/349_Дзен, zen
#Дзен, #zen
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/348_Даосизм
Taoism
#Даосизм
#Taoism
t.me/scilib_yura15cbx/347 -
Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Ashkenazi Jews
Author’s Note: This post has mentions of Nazis, the Holocaust, & Nazi Germany. We completely understand if you wish to skip over this post. We’ll catch you in the next one!
Also known as Ashkenazic Jews, Ashkenazis, or Ashkenazim.
This is a form of distinct ethnic subdivision of the Jewish Diaspora. Emerging from the Jewish communities that consolidated during the 10th century in the Rhineland (Western Germany) & northern France. They migrated there from centers such as the Italian peninsula & the Southern Levant. This includes present-day Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, & Jordan.
After numerous massacres of Jews during the Crusades (11th-13th centuries), they began a gradual eastward migration due to mounting restrictions within the Holy Roman Empire & the favorable policies of Casimir the Great & others.
This diaspora ramped up after the persecution during the Black Death of the 14th century. The bulk of the Ashkenazi Jews had migrated to the Kingdom of Poland (which includes modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, & parts of Russia). This area became the main center of Ashkenazi Jewry until the Holocaust.
Ashkenazim adapted their traditions, rites, & customs to Europe. They traditionally followed the German rite synagogue ritual & until the Holocaust primarily spoke Yiddish, an offshoot of Middle High German written in a variety of the Hebrew script, with significant Hebrew, Aramaic, & Slavic influences.
The Yiddish language progressively declined in prestige, in favor of national languages & Hebrew, being stigmatized by assimilationists & later also Zionists. Though it was spoken by over 11 million people worldwide before the Holocaust. The Yiddishist movement, which sought to preserve & revive the language, faded through the 20th century. Including Duolingo adding Yiddish as a language.
As a proportion of the world Jewish population, Ashkenazim were estimated to be 3% in the 11th century, rising to 92% in 1930, near the population’s peak. The Ashkenazi population was significantly diminished by the Holocaust carried out by Nazi Germany during WWII, which killed around 6 million Jews. Before WWII, the estimated worldwide Jewish population was 15.3-16.7 million, with 92% being Ashkenazi. As of 2023, the population of Ashkenazim was estimated to be around 10-13 million out of 15.8 million total Jews.
The name Ashkenazi comes from the biblical figure of Ashkenaz. He’s the 1st son of Gomer, grandson of Japhet, great-grandson of Noah, & a Japhetic patriarch in the Table of Nations. The name for Gomer has often been linked to the Cimmerians.
The Biblical Ashkenazis are usually derived from Assyrian Askuza, a people who expelled the Cimmerians from the Armenian area of the Upper Euphrates. The name Askuza is identified with the Scythians.
In Jeremiah 51:27, Ashkenaz figures as 1 of 3 kingdoms in the far north, the others being Minni (or Mannaea), an ancient kingdom that flourished in northwestern Iran, & Arrat (corresponding to Urartu), called on by God to resist Babylon.
Ashkenaz is linked to Scandza/Scanzia (usually identified with Scandinavia), viewed as the cradle of Germanic tribes, in the 6th-century gloss to the Historia Ecclesiastica of Eusebius. In the 10th century, in the History of Armenia of Yovhannes Drasxanakertci, Ashkenaz was associated with Armenia.
As it was occasionally in Jewish usage, where its denotation extended at times to Adiabene, Khazaria, Chimea, & areas to the east. They’re also identified with the Slavim or Slavs. In keeping with the custom of designating areas of Jewish settlement with biblical names, Spain was called Sefarad (Obadiah 20), France was called Tsarefat (I Kings 17:9), & Bohemia was called the Land of Canaan.
Given the close links between the Jewish communities of France & Germany following the Carolingian unification, the term Ashkenazi came to refer to the Jews of both medieval Germany & France.
In later times, the word Ashkenaz is used to designate southern & western Germany, the ritual of which sections differs somewhat from that of eastern Germany & Poland. Thus, the prayer book of Isaiah Horowitz (a prominent rabbi & mystic), & many others, give the piyyutim (a Jewish liturgical poem), according to the Minhag of Ashkenaz & Poland. A Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism.
In a religious sense, an Ashkenazi Jew is any Jew whose family tradition & synagogue ritual follow Ashkenazi practices (German rite). Until the Ashkenazi community 1st began to develop in the Early Middle Ages, the centers of Jewish religious authority were in the Islamic world, at Baghdad & Islamic Spain. German Ashkenaz was so geographically distant that it developed a minhag of its own.
The counterpart of Ashkenazi is Sephardic. Since most non-Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews follow Sephardic rabbinical authorities, whether or not they’re ethnically Sephardic. By tradition, a Sephardic or Mizrahi (a.k.a. Oriental Jews; Jews who lived in the Muslim world) who married into an Orthodox or Haredi (a.k.a. ultra-Orthodox) Ashkenazi Jewish family raises her kids to be Ashkenazi Jews.
On the other hand, an Ashkenazi woman who married a Sephardi or Mizrahi is expected to take on Sephardic practices & the kids will “inherit” a Sephardic identity. Though in practice, many families do compromise. A “convert” usually follows the practice of the rabbinical court (beth din) that converted them.
Culturally, an Ashkenazi Jew can be identified by the concept of Yiddishkeit, which means “Jewishness” in the Yiddish language. Before the Haskalah (a.k.a. the Jewish Enlightenment) & the emancipation of Jews in Europe, this meant the study of the Torah & the Talmud for men, & communal life governed by the observance of Jewish Law for men & women.
From the Rhineland to Riga (the largest city in Latvia) to Romania, most Jews prayed in liturgical Ashkenazi Hebrew, & spoke Yiddish in their secular (worldly) lives. But with modernization, Yiddishkeit now includes not just Orthodoxy & Hasidism, but a broader range of movements, ideologies, practices, & traditions in which Ashkenazi have participated & somehow kept a sense of Jewishness. Although pockets of Jews still speak Yiddish, Yiddishkeit can be identified in manners of speech, styles of humor, & in patterns of association.
As Ashkenazi Jews moved away from Europe, mostly in the form of aliyah to Israel. Or immigration to North America, South Africa, Europe (particularly France), & Latin America, the geographic isolation has given way to mixing with other cultures, & with non-Ashkenazi Jews who, similarly, are no longer isolated in distinct geographic locales.
Hebrew has replaced Yiddish as the primary Jewish language for many Ashkenazi Jews. Although many Hasidic & Hareidi groups still use Yiddish in daily life. Aliyah is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographic Land of Israel or the Palestine region, where the State of Israel was established.
France’s blended Jewish community is typical of the cultural recombination that’s going on among Jews throughout the world. Although France expelled its original Jewish population in the Middle Ages, by the time of the French Revolution, there were 2 distinct Jewish populations.
One consisted of Sephardic Jews, originally refugees from the Inquisition (which no one expects! Sorry, we’re Monty Python fans here.) & concentrated in the southwest. While the other community was Ashkenazi, concentrated in formerly German Alsace, & mainly speaking a German dialect similar to Yiddish.
The 3rd community of Provencal Jews living in Comtat Venaissin was technically outside France, & was later absorbed into the Sephardim. Comtat Venaissin (called Comtat, for short) was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791.
But after emancipation, a sense of a unified French Jewry emerged, especially when France was wracked by the Dreyfus Affair in the 1890s. (We’ll be doing a post about the Dreyfus Affair.) In the 1920s & 30s, Ashkenazi Jews from Europe arrived in large numbers as refugees from antisemitism, the Russian Revolution, & the economic turmoil of the Great Depression.
By the 1930s, Paris had a vibrant Yiddish culture, & many Jews were involved in diverse political movements. After the Vichy years & the Holocaust, the French Jewish population was augmented once again, 1st by Ashkenazi refugees from Central Europe, & later by Sephardi immigrants & refugees from North Africa, many of them francophone. Francophone refers to people/organizations who use French (language) regularly.
Ashkenazi Jews didn’t transmit their traditions or achievements by text. Instead, these traditions were passed down orally from one generation to the next. The desire to maintain pre-Holocaust traditions relating to Ashkenazi culture has often been met with criticism by Jews in Eastern Europe.
In an ethnic sense, an Ashkenazi Jew is a descendant of the Jews who settled in the Central European region of “Ashkenaz.” For roughly 1,000 years, the Ashkenazim were a reproductively isolated population in Europe.
Despite living in many countries, with little inflow or outflow of countries from migration, conversion, or intermarriage with other groups, including other Jews. Since the mid-20th century, many Ashkenazi Jews have intermarried, both with members of other Jewish communities & non-Jews.
Religious persecution of the Jews in Western & Central Europe led to a significant migration of the Ashkenazi Jews into Eastern Europe. This resulted in a major cultural divide between Western/Central & Eastern Ashkenazi communities. In particular, this was reflected in the division of Yiddish into Western & Eastern Yiddish dialects. As well as in other cultural distinctions: traditions, food, dress, etc.
Initially, the Jews of Eastern Europe enjoyed relative freedom in terms of movement, being invited by the kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Over time, the situation was reversed. By the 19th century, the Jews in the West had gradually been integrated into the general society.
While the Eastern Ashkenazi maintained their strict Jewish traditions & were mostly confined to ghettos, especially in the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire, which incorporated a considerable amount of land where the Eastern Ashkenazi lived: Poland & Lithuania.
Well-known differences in practices include:
- Observance of Passover (Pesach)
- Ashkenazi Jews traditionally refrain from eating legumes, grain, millet, & rice. Quinoa has become accepted as a food grain in North American communities. Sephardi Jews typically don’t prohibit these foods.
- Notwithstanding stricter requirements for the ACTUAL slaughter, Sephardi Jews permit the rear portions of an animal after proper Halakhic removal of the sciatic nerve. While many Ashkenazi Jews don’t.
- Ashkenazi Jews often name newborns after deceased family members, not after living relatives. Sephardi Jews often name their kids after their grandparents, even if those grandparents are still living. An exception to this is among Dutch Jews, where Ashkenazi for centuries used naming conventions otherwise attributed exclusively to Sephardim, such as Chuts. Chuts is the name given to Jews who immigrated to London from the Netherlands in the 1850s-1860s.
- Ashkenazi tefillins are wound toward the body, not away from it. Ashkenazim put on the tefillin while standing up. Other Jews generally do so while sitting down. A tefillin(s) is/are sets of small black leather boxes with leather straps having scrolls of parchment written with verses of the Torah inside.
- The prayer shawl (tallit/tallis) is worn by all Ashkenazi men AFTER marriage. Except for Western European Ashkenazi men who wear it from the bar mitzvah. In Sephardi or Mizrahi Judaism, the prayer shawl is commonly worn from early childhood.
The term Ashkenazi also refers to the Nusach Ashkenaz, the liturgical tradition used by Ashkenazi Jews in their siddur (prayer book). A nusach is defined by a liturgical tradition’s choice of prayers, the text of prayers & melodies used in the singing of prayers. 2 other major forms of nusach among Ashkenazi Jews are Nusach Sefard (not to be confused with the Sephardic ritual), which is the general Polish Hasidic nusach, and Nusach Ari, used by those in Chabad.
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#10thCentury #11thCentury #1274 #13thCentury #14thCentury #1790 #1791 #1850s #1860s #1890s #1920s #1930 #1930s #19thCentury #20thCentury #21stCentury #6thCentury #Adiabene #Aliyah #Aramaic #Armenia #Arrat #AshkenaziJews #Ashkenazim #Askuza #Assyrian #Babylon #Belarus #BethDin #BlackDeath #Bohemia #Canaan #Carolingian #CasmirTheGreat #CentalEurope #CentralEurope #Chabad #Chimea #Chuts #Cimmerians #Comtat #ComtatVenaissin #Crusades #DreyfusAffair #Duolingo #EarlyMiddleAges #EasternEurope #Europe #Eusebius #France #GermanAlsace #GermanRite #Germany #Gomer #GreatDepression #Halakic #Haredi #Hasidism #Haskalah #Hebrew #HistoriaEcclesiastica #HistoryOfArmenia #Holocaust #HolyRomanEmpire #IKings179 #IsaiahHorowitz #Islam #Israel #ItalianPeninsula #Japhet #Jeremiah5127 #JewishDiaspora #JewishEnlightenment #JewishLaw #Jordan #Judaism #Khazaria #KingdomOfPoland #LatinAmerica #Lebanon #Levant #Lithuania #London #Mannaea #MiddleAges #MiddleHighGerman #Minhag #Minni #Mizrahi #Muslim #Netherlands #Noah #NorthAfrica #NorthAmerica #NorthernFrance #NorthwesternIran #NusachSefard #OrientalJews #Orthodox #PaleOfSettlement #Palestine #PapalStates #Paris #Passover #Pesach #Piyyutim #Poland #PolishLithuanianCommonwealth #prayerBook #PrayerShawl #Provencal #Rhineland #Riga #Romania #Russia #RussianEmpire #RussianRevolution #Scandinavia #Scythians #Sefarad #Sephardic #Siddur #Slavic #SouthAfrica #SouthernLevant #Spain #StateOfIsrael #synagogue #TableOfNations #Tallis #Tallit #Talmud #Tefillins #Torah #Tsarefat #Ukraine #UltraOrthodox #UpperEuphrates #Vichy #WesternGermany #WorldWarII #Yiddish #Yiddishkeit #YovhannesDrasxanakertci #Zionists - Observance of Passover (Pesach)
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"On the evening of July 22, we begin #TishaBAv, the day we remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the many heartbreaks that have shaped #Jewishhistory. Yet the #Jewish response to destruction has never been simply to mourn. It has always been to ask: What are we being called to rebuild?
The destruction of the Temple transformed #Judaism. Worship that had centered on one sacred place became centered on sacred lives. The Temple was not replaced, it was reimagined."
https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2026/07/19/choosing-repair-over-destruction/
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"As #prisons go, #EasternStatePenitentiary in #Philadelphia was unusually luxurious. For one, it had flush toilets — beating out even the #WhiteHouse in making the upgrade, #museum exhibit developer #BethTinker told me on a recent tour.
But if plumbing reflected the #penitentiary’s commitment to #prisoners’ physical well-being, its biggest innovation was more spiritual. Eastern State housed the first #synagogue inside a #US #prison, complete with a #Torah #ark and #nertamid, or eternal light. That restored sanctuary — a short walk from gangster #AlCapone’s former cell — is now newly open to the public in a museum exhibit, Freedom through Faith: #Judaism at #EasternState and Beyond.
“It’s a place really of humanity, when you’re not getting a lot of humanity in this space,” Tinker said.
The synagogue, founded in 1922, hosted holiday celebrations and weekly #Shabbat services."
https://forward.com/culture/838196/eastern-state-penitentiary-synagogue-philadelphia/
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JIMENA Featured Educational Resources
Florida Sephardi Demographic Study:
https://sephardicstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/11.-Demographic-study_Latin-Sephardic-Jews-in-S.Florida.pdf#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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JIMENA Featured Educational Resources
Lesson Plans, including Cuisine: https://www.jimena.org/sephardic-and-mizrahi-lesson-plans/
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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JIMENA Featured Educational Resources
Bring Sephardi Wisdom to Dayschool Article: https://www.distinctionsjournal.org/a-library-of-sages-bringing-sephardi-wisdom-to-jewish-day-schools-2/
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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JIMENA Featured Educational Resources
Tunisia Archive Link: http://jimenaexperience.org/tunisia/
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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JIMENA Featured Educational Resources
Holocaust Studies Link: https://www.sepharditoolkit.org/recommendation/holocaust/
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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From Harif UK:
For all the attention the Middle East conflict attracts, the expulsion of nearly a million Jews from Arab countries is rarely acknowledged. This is why Lyn Julius has written ‘Cast Out’, a long-form essay published by the Jewish Quarterly.For thousands of years, Jewish communities lived across the Middle East and North Africa, forming significant parts of the populations of cities such as Baghdad, Tunis, Cairo and Casablanca. Today, those communities have almost entirely disappeared.
More Info: https://www.harif.org/event/cast-out-the-untold-refugee-story/
#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #JewishHistory #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi
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From Harif UK:
Baghdadi Jews have shaped Singapore’s history since 1819, yet their stories often go untold. This talk highlights the lives of David Marshall, Singapore’s first Chief Minister and a champion of inclusive citizenship, and Felice Isaacs, a leading figure in Jewish communal life—both of whom survived Japanese internment and helped rebuild the city. Their resilience and leadership in politics, law, and communal work helped forge Singapore’s multicultural identity—a legacy that still resonates today.More Info: https://www.harif.org/event/the-baghdadi-builders-of-singapore/
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #JewishHistory #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi
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Prayer isn't talking to God. That's the common definition — but it's mostly wrong.
Jewish davening is a formal plea before a court. Islamic salat is orientation: body facing Mecca, set words, submission enacted. Christian contemplative prayer (Cloud of Unknowing) teaches specifically NOT talking. Buddhist chanting makes the sound the vehicle.
What does prayer mean where you practice?
#interfaith #religion #Judaism #Islam #Christianity #Buddhism #faith #theology
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The Sabbath isn't a day off. It's an act of resistance.
The commandment to rest comes right after 'You were slaves in Egypt.' Shabbat exists because an enslaved people needed to remember: you are not owned by your labor.
The day changed across traditions. The liberation theology didn't.
What does Sabbath mean in your tradition?
#interfaith #religion #Judaism #Christianity #ComparativeReligion #faith #HolyDay #theology
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This fall, JIMENA invites you to join Voices of Distinctions, a six-part virtual conversation series that brings the pages of our latest Distinctions Journal education issue to life.
Through live conversations with the journal's contributors, we'll explore the ideas, research, and personal experiences shaping Sephardi and Mizrahi education today.
Register Here: https://linktr.ee/VoicesOfDistinctions
Whether you're an educator, student, community leader, or lifelong learner, these discussions offer an opportunity to engage directly with the authors and continue the conversation beyond the written page.
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishEducation #JewishHistory
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For our Friends in LA:
Holocaust Museum LA has expanded its educational exhibits to include the experiences of Jewish communities in the Middle East and North Africa during the Holocaust era, helping bring greater attention to histories that have often been overlooked in mainstream Holocaust education.More Info: https://www.holocaustmuseumla.org
Among the featured stories is that of Joseph Samuels, a cherished member of the JIMENA community and survivor of the 1941 Farhud in Baghdad.
Holocaust Museum LA's digital guide now includes educational content on Jewish experiences in the Middle East and North Africa during the Holocaust era, including testimony from Joseph Samuels.
Jews of the Middle East: https://guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-GB/guide/holocaustMuseumLa/item/df1a085e-92eb-4ecc-b388-c81e4528c48fJews of North Africa: https://guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-GB/guide/holocaustMuseumLa/item/5f81b709-7ca3-48f9-bcc9-ceb61aa639b4
Joe Samuels Story: https://guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-GB/guide/holocaustMuseumLa/item/216eb006-3bb6-4095-b5ea-bd028633bda3
#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #MENA #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory
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From JIMENA:
Ghosts of a Holy WarZoom Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4K6lu7ouRke71ehmJUHU9Q#/registration
Date & Time
Jul 15, 2026 02:00 PM in
Eastern Time (US and Canada)#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #MENA #JewishHistory
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From Hadassah:
Executive Editor Lisa Hostein hosts a discussion with three women shining a light on the Sephardic & Mizrahi experience in the United States. Syrian Jewish writer Esther Chehebar, author of the best-selling novel Sisters of Fortune & a co-host of the new podcast GOLDA Girls; Sarah Levin, executive director of JIMENA, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that advocates for Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, who has Turkish Jewish roots; and Rozeeta Mavashev, North America executive director of Masa Israel, who is of Bukharian Jewish descent, will share their perspectives as well as stories of how their experiences have evolved in an America—now celebrating its 250th birthday—where Sephardic Jews were the first to settle but where Ashkenazi Jews have long comprised the overwhelming majority of the Jewish population.#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Sephardi #Mizrahi #JewishHistory #MENA #JewishWomen
