If we look at any traditional Jewish group, whether today or yesterday, such as the Jews of the shtetl of Europe, the Hasidim of Brooklyn, the Jews of Yemen or Syria, we can see how different they are from one another and even more so from the Jews of biblical times.

When speaking of a local Jewish culture, the question usually arises as to whether they are Ashkenazi or Sephardic Jews. These terms date back to the Middle Ages and were originally assigned to the Jews of Germany and Spain, respectively. The first Ashkenazim date back to the 10th or 11th century and were originally from France and Germany, where they had arrived from the Roman world and the land of Israel. Of the Sephardim, only a minority comes from Spain, as the majority are from North Africa and the Middle East and their origins go back to Babylon.

Another distinctive feature of Jewish cultures was language. None used Hebrew in daily life. They used the language of the country, mixed with words of Hebrew and Aramaic. The Ashkenazim developed Yiddish, a language derived from German, with a bit of Hebrew and later some Slavic languages ​​such as Russian and Polish. When the Sephardim left Spain they spoke Ladino, a language derived from Spanish.

There was not only a difference in language, but also in matters of halacha and customs. The Sephardim follow the halakhic precepts according to the Shuljan Aruj of Josef Caro. The Ashkenazim follow what Rabbi Isserles dictated, who adapted the Shuljan Aruj to Ashkenazi customs. Hebrew, although only used in religious texts, was pronounced differently by the different communities. An Ashkenazi would say “shabos koidesh” (holy Sabbath), a Yemenite Jew would say “shabot qodesh” and a Sephardi “shabbat kodesh”.

There were also differences in clothing and food. Although everyone respected the laws of kashrut, their application in practice resulted in different dishes. Reheated food on Saturday was given to all groups, but in different ways. In Europe, they had cholent, which has a Judeo-French root meaning heated, just like the term jamin in Hebrew. In Africa, they had tefina. In one case, it was an apple and noodle pudding, in others, meat with potatoes and beans, and in others, wheat, meat, chickpeas and boiled egg. As a curious fact, the prohibition of removing fish bones on Saturday gave rise to the Ashkenazim’s gefilte fish.

Judaism has developed a great variety of ethnic cultural expressions that range from typical dishes to the melodies used in prayers. The basic principles of Judaism are the same, but each group puts them into practice in its own way. Although each time, these customs are mixed. An Ethiopian Jew can go to a Hasidic yeshivah and a Sephardic Jew can serve matze ball soup on Pesach. Yes, we are one, but we are also many.

Prepared by Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: Encyclopaedia Judaica and other sources.