Tag
Sephardic
18 articles
Rosh Hashanah Customs and Simanim: A Complete Guide
Rosh Hashanah is rich with customs and symbolic foods — from apples and honey to the head of a fish, from pomegranates to dates. Explore the full simanim table, Ashkenazi vs. Sephardic comparisons, and the meaning behind every tradition.
Jewish Wedding Dances: The Hora, the Shtick, and the Joy
No Jewish wedding is complete without dancing — from the iconic hora and chair-lifting to the creative absurdity of shtick to the solemn beauty of the mitzvah tantz. Here is your guide to every dance at a Jewish wedding.
Choosing a Haggadah: A Guide for Every Seder
With hundreds of Haggadahs in print — from traditional Orthodox editions to feminist, social justice, and family-friendly versions — choosing the right one for your Seder can be overwhelming. Here's a guide to finding the Haggadah that fits your table.
Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi Liturgy: Two Voices, One Prayer
Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews pray to the same God with the same core prayers — but the melodies, the pronunciation, the order, and even some of the texts differ in ways that reveal two great civilizations of Jewish life.
Sephardic Piyyutim: The Sacred Poetry of Song
Sephardic piyyutim — liturgical poems set to haunting melodies rooted in Middle Eastern maqam scales — represent one of the richest musical traditions in Jewish life. From the pre-dawn bakashot to the poets of Spain's Golden Age, discover a world of sacred song.
Ladino: The Romance Language of the Sephardic Jews
Born in medieval Spain and carried across the Mediterranean, Ladino is a living testament to the resilience and beauty of Sephardic culture.
The Golden Age of Jewish Spain
For centuries, Jews in Muslim and Christian Spain created an extraordinary civilization of poetry, philosophy, science, and interfaith dialogue.
Sephardic Cuisine: The Mediterranean Flavors of Jewish Cooking
Spiced, vibrant, and sun-drenched — Sephardic cuisine draws from the kitchens of Spain, Turkey, Morocco, and the Middle East, creating a Jewish food tradition that rivals any in the world.
Moroccan Jewish Cuisine: Spice, Tradition, and the Shabbat Table
From slow-cooked tagines and Friday night dafina to Mimouna mufleta and preserved lemons, Moroccan Jewish cuisine is one of the richest and most aromatic food traditions in the Jewish world.
Iraqi Jewish Cuisine: Kubba, T'bit, and the Flavors of Babylon
From kubba dumplings and Shabbat t'bit to amba and masgouf fish, Iraqi Jewish cuisine carries the flavors of the oldest diaspora community in Jewish history.
Jewish Naming Traditions: How Jews Choose Names and Why It Matters
Ashkenazi Jews name after the deceased. Sephardic Jews name after the living. Everyone argues about it. Here is how Jewish naming traditions work, what the ceremonies look like, and how converts choose their Hebrew names.
Jews of the Caribbean: Conversos, Sugar, and Sand-Floor Synagogues
Jewish history in the Americas began not in New York but in the Caribbean — with converso refugees from the Inquisition who built synagogues with sand floors, traded sugar, and created communities that endured for centuries.
Jewish Immigration to America: Four Waves That Built a Community
Jewish immigration to America came in four distinct waves — Sephardic (1654), German (1840s), Eastern European (1880-1924), and Soviet/Israeli (1970s+). Each wave transformed the community, and each left marks on American life that endure today.
Emma Lazarus: The Poet Who Gave America Its Voice of Welcome
She wrote the most famous words in American immigration history — 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' Emma Lazarus was a Sephardic Jewish poet who fought for refugees, envisioned a Jewish homeland, and died at thirty-eight.
Jewish Recipes: The Complete Collection — Every Dish, Every Holiday, Every Community
Your one-stop guide to every Jewish recipe on this site — organized by holiday, course, and community. From Ashkenazi classics like challah and brisket to Sephardic gems like shakshuka and bourekas, find exactly what you need for any occasion.
50 Jewish Foods Explained: The Ultimate A-to-Z Guide
From babka to za'atar, the definitive guide to Jewish foods — what they are, where they come from, and why they matter. Fifty dishes, one delicious tradition.
Jews of Syria: From Aleppo's Golden Age to Exile
The Jewish community of Syria — centered in Aleppo and Damascus — thrived for over two thousand years before persecution, pogroms, and emigration brought one of the oldest Diaspora communities to an end.
Jews of the Netherlands: From Golden Age to Destruction and Renewal
The history of Dutch Jewry spans four centuries — from the golden age of tolerance in Amsterdam to the devastating Holocaust, when 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered.