It is well known that Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews have different customs. Starting with the halacha itself, Sephardic Jews follow the rules set out in the original version of Yosef Caro’s Shulchan Aruch and Ashkenazi Jews follow a version modified by Rabbi Moises Isserles. These differences in the interpretation of mitzvoth usually remain in the world of yeshivoth, since their impact on daily life is less obvious. But there are a number of different customs that are obvious to anyone. And these differences become like the uniforms of sports teams. They serve to distinguish the group, but in reality they have no significance. Let’s look at a few:

*On Pesach, Ashkenazim usually do not eat kitniyot, which are legumes, grains, millet and rice, while Sephardim do eat them.

*Ashkenazim mix fish with dairy products, while some Sephardic Jews do not.

*On Chanukah, Sephardim eat sufganiot and Ashkenazim eat latkes.

*There are also differences between the two groups in the way they cook and wash dishes.

*Ashkenazim usually prefer that married or widowed women cover their heads with wigs.

*As for the rules of kashrut for meat, Sephardim have stricter rules. Meat products that Ashkenazim would eat are rejected by Sephardim.

*Ashkenazim use the names of deceased relatives to name their newborns, while Sephardim name them after their grandparents, regardless of whether they are alive.

*Ashkenazim’s tefillin are different from Sephardim’s in the way they are put on. Ashkenazim’s tefillin are wrapped towards the body and not away from the body as Sephardim do. In addition, Ashkenazim put them on while standing, while Sephardim can put them on while sitting. There is also a difference in the way the tzitzit are tied on the tallit.

*The Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew is different from that of the Sephardim, such as the way of pronouncing the letter Tav.

*Ashkenazi men wear the tallit from the moment they get married, and Sephardim from the moment they get bar mitzvah.

*Ashkenazim wear a kittel, a white robe, on Rosh Hashana, while Sephardim do not, although it is customary for them to wear white.

*In the Sephardic tradition, the saying of Selichot in preparation before Rosh Hashana is done early in the morning throughout the month of Elul, while Ashkenazim do it on Saturday night before the holiday.

*There are also differences in the prayers. For example, the Sephardic Kaddish has some additional phrases to the Ashkenazi Kaddish.

As you can see, the differences in customs between Sephardim and Ashkenazim are more in form than substance. And marriages between the two groups are becoming more frequent, which further minimizes these differences. Old Mr. Ashkenazi will continue to be Sephardic, but perhaps Ms. Ashkenazi could end up married and transformed into simply someone Jewish, without adjectives.

Prepared by Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: The Jewish Encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia Judaica and other sources.