Sephardic Jews
The Latest
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Life Finally, A Safe Space For Sephardic And Mizrahi LGBTQ Jews
On a Saturday night in May, somewhere in Crown Heights, a group of young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s swayed back and forth to the classic Mizrahi songs they grew up on — everything from Ofra Haza to Cheb Khaled. The gathering, set with mood lighting and a perfect sound system, was attended by…
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Fast Forward Sephardic Chief Rabbi Could Be Charged For Racist ‘Monkey’ Remark
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israel Justice Ministry official told Israeli media that the government is considering taking criminal action against Sephardic chief rabbi for likening a black child born to white parents to a “monkey” in explaining a point of ritual. Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef made the comparison earlier this month during a Saturday evening lecture,…
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Community What’s So Different About A Persian Passover Seder?
There are two times a year that my entire family comes together — Rosh Hashanah and Passover. Although both holidays have their respective traditions, Passover is particularly special. Exhausted mothers and grandmothers have spent the last month before the holiday cleaning their homes with arduous rigor. They have cooked every day, while also having to…
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Fast Forward 1,800 Sephardic Jews Get Portuguese Citizenship
(JTA) — Nearly 1,800 descendants of Sephardic Jews acquired the Portuguese nationality in 2017 under a law enacted two years earlier, with another 12,000 still in the application process, officials in Lisbon said. The tally for last year is six times higher than the total for 2016, during which the application of the law hit…
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Fast Forward Purim Project Tells Women Of Color’s Stories, In Esther’s Honor
Inspired by the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, the new campaign #ShareHerStory shares the stories of modern Jewish women of color who are working to create a more inclusive and thriving Jewish community in various ways. As the name sounds, #ShareHerStory shares individual stories of powerful Jewish leaders in short, easy-to-read vignettes as a way…
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Opinion I Am A Jew Of Color. I Think.
I am a Jew of color. I think. I’ve always been confused by this idea, of being “of color.” I’m Sephardic, but I grew up in a white town, and my parents grew up in an Ashkenazi area of Israel, so, culturally speaking, I always felt identified with some degree of whiteness. It was a…
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Fast Forward Spain And Portugal Naturalize Nearly 5,000 Sephardic Jews
(JTA) — Nearly 5,000 people have become citizens of Spain or Portugal following the passing of laws in both countries on the naturalization of descendants of Sephardic Jews. In Portugal, where a procedure for naturalization under the law went into effect last year, 292 applicants for naturalization have been approved, Catarina Madeira, a spokeswoman for…
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Fast Forward Why Amsterdam’s Spectacular Sephardic Jewel Goes Candle-Lit For Yom Kippur
(JTA) — As one of Europe’s oldest and most impressive Jewish buildings, this city’s Portuguese Synagogue is known far and wide for its majestic beauty. Its architect is said to have drawn inspiration from Solomon’s Temple. While the Portuguese Synagogue was later eclipsed by even larger and more magnificent shuls — like the one on…
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Culture Why a forgotten teacher’s grave became a Jewish pilgrimage site
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Fast Forward Olympics committee defends sale of T-shirt commemorating 1936 Nazi-era Games
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News Muslim and Sephardic Jewish college students are connecting over shared heritage
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Looking Forward The one Jewish value everyone should hold dear in the age of AI
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