ICJudaism: A Teacher’s Guide to Judaism

      Hosted by ICTeachers                                                                Formerly: Mike’s Rough Guide to Judaism

Disclaimer:

The contents of these pages represent the author’s personal views, experience and understanding.
There are bound to be some things here that some Jews would disagree with.

 

Jewish Diversity (3)

 

A quite different division within Judaism is one based on origin.

Judaism has its origin in the Middle East but over time many communities moved away from this area of origin. Those communities that stayed in the Middle East are referred to as Mizrachim (mizrach is Hebrew for east).

The areas away from the middle East are often referred to as The Diaspora. Diaspora communities that developed in Eastern Europe are known as Ashkenazim (Ashkenaz is medieval Hebrew for Germany); those which developed in Spain, Portugal and Western Europe are known as Sephardim. There are a number of smaller groups, too, such as the Falasha originating from Ethiopia, Yemenite, Indian and Italian Jews. Not surprisingly, customs vary considerably between the different groups.

Britain's Jews are mainly either Ashkenazic or Sephardic in origin. The majority of Ashkenazic families came to Britain during the early and middle years of the 20th Century, often as refugees from antisemitic persecution in countries such as Russia, Lithuania and Poland and, later, Nazi Germany, or as survivors of the Shoah (the term, meaning whirlwind, which many Jews prefer to Holocaust).

Many of the Sephardic families, on the other hand, have been in Britain much longer than that, often having come here as traders, or artisans during the 18th and 19th centuries. (Some families have been here much longer - since Jews were readmitted to Britain in 1656 during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell). The two groups originally formed separate communities but many present-day communities, and indeed families (my own included), are mixed.

Both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities were originally widely distributed and developed languages that were commonly spoken within their own regions. Ashkenazi communities spoke Yiddish, whilst Sephardim spoke Ladino.

A note about Messianic Judaism

There are many small religious groups who, while claiming to be Jews, believe that Jesus, who they usually call Yeshua, was the promised Messiah, the Son of God. Among these groups are people who were born into Jewish families and can, therefore, legitimately claim to be Jews, and others who were not (and cannot). Messianic Jews practise many Jewish rituals and observances, such as celebrating Shabbat and festivals. Some groups of Messianic Jews refer to themselves as Torah Communities.

Since their belief in the divinity of Jesus conflicts with core Jewish thinking, none of the other Jewish denominations, as far as I know, accept Messianic Jews as Jews in a religious sense. Indeed, some Jews see Jews for Jesus and other similar groups as, at best, confusing for those non-Jews who want to understand more about their Jewish neighbours and, at worst, downright dangerous, especially when they engage, as many do, in proselytisation. I understand that most Christian authorities would also claim Messianic Jews to be Christians.

 

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