Can someone Israeli tell me what the difference is between....?

Question

...Askenazim and the Shepardim (did I write it right, sorry if I didn't).

Is the difference caused by being from a different part of the world? Where & where?

If so, is it because of Latitude or mixing with other races? What do you think?

And is it also distinguishable by looks? Dark hair or blond hair, dark eyes or light eyes, etc.

Just curious. Friend not foe.

Answer 1

Ashkenazim and spharadim. originally there are some small differences in the prayer book. ashkenazim are those who pray the askenazi version and spharadim pray the spharadi version. (there are versions which are not either; for instance Yemenite - they are not spharadim neither askenazim).

now the ashkenazi version is customized by European Jews, east and west, except Bulgaria, Salonika, Greece. spharadi version is customized in north Africa, Egypt, middle east, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria.

hence colloquially, Jews from Europe are called askenazim and jews from north afrika and the middle east are called spharadim.

btw: spharad is the hebrew name for spain; askenaz used to be an hebrew name for germany.

Answer 2

what about the jews in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen? what do guys call them?

Answer 3

lupines nailed it,Ashkenazim mostly eastern european,sephardim are spanish and north african and sometimes mizrahim are lumped in with sephardi Im still confused.

Answer 4

Hi Friend!

I am Sephardic so this is my opinion. Just think of it as differences in ritual and descendancy. It is not wholly accurate to just think of it in one way or another.  I will go into more detail because I think some need to know more detail so I will talk about both.

Some people think of ritual as just what pertains to synagogue service I have heard this as most common definition between the two. There are myriad of rituals (customs) performed that take place outside of synagogue and some are Rabbinic and some are biblical so I will talk a little about this as it is not often discussed.

For instance, when Ashkenazim were one place in globe during Middle Ages and Sephardim were in Spain, the tradition to herald in "sweet New Year" was developed. Ashkenazim dip apples in honey still today. The Sephardim developed our own tradition of making bunuelos with sweet glaze as dipping apples in honey was a giveaway during the Inquisition period.  Some say the bunuelos were done at Hannukah because they are fried in "oil" food but my family did not do that we did it at New Year but all these  customs meet observancy.

Another food custom would be during Pesach (Passover) where Ashkenazim refrained from legume and rice but Sephardim did not it was our staple food. Ashkenazim made matzo where Sephardim made flat bread tortillas with no leaven and some even go so far as to call it semitic bread to distinguish from rest of tortilla eating population. All customs once again meet observancy.

All of these Judeo-Spanish customs were brought into New World (The Americas) and are still practiced today I can give you at least a dozen examples.

Maimondes said exile would return with little knowledge of ritual, which is true.  Some of the Ashkenazim ritual is very foreign to me and mine would be to them.  I think this is why people simplify it to think of it as descendancy or maybe they just don't know the difference in customs, while some people know difference of synagogue custom only not taking into account the rich cultural diaspora customs.

Regarding descendancy, Sephardim and Ashkenazim are mostly recognized via their most common recent ancestry to the rest of the world but actually it is what our traditions and customs and rituals not just recent descendancy. Sephardim lines are generally confused with Mizrahim.

Regarding personality statement I do think there is a bit of truth to that.  We are two groups that went thru different points in history and other very diverse cultures and separate life experience would make peoples somewhat different.

I can tell you stories of Holocaust and Inquisition that would make heads spin the horrors of it and both events are still effecting both groups even today.

In Israel, it is comprised of about 50 percent Ashkenazim, 30 percent Mizrahim, and about 20 percent Sephardim.

Mizrahim are the Jewish Arabs. Don't ask me what Mizrahim customs are I don't know but if it is any indicator between Sephardim-Ashkenazim then they have customs different too it is not just descendancy.

Here is some Judeo-Spanish music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBz7cFnRF...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQEeof7Qt...

Answer 5

uhh im really not sure about the first few questions, but i know that ashkenazim usually have blond hair/light eyes.

Answer 6

sephardim are generally from spain and those countries,

ashkenazim are from eastern europe

Answer 7

Sephardem are descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who were kicked out of both countries. Askhenazi are descendants of Jews who fled to Central Europe.

I never noticed any physical differences except with some North African Sephardim.  The Mizrahi Jews( Jews who never left the middleast) tend to look no different than Askhenazi and Sephardim.

The main differences is the synagogue services are a little different and Askhenazi spoke Yiddish while Sephardem spoke Ladino.  Ladino has pretty much been replaced with Hebrew since most Sephardim live in Israel now. Yiddish has been replaced by almost everyone except Hasids, though some Hasidic dynasties are using Hebrew more than Yiddish, such as the Lubavitcher and Nachman

Answer 8

ASHKENAZIM are from eastern european countries polish czech etc

sephardem are from african countries morroco tunasia persia  iraq

the differences are noticable in their mentality as well as looks

shepardem are more reserved  and darker

ashkenazim are lighter in color and more open

both can learn from each other

the differences in jewish culture as well as ritual is really minimal

ashkenazim probably may know yiddish while the sheparden may know arabic