SephardiMizrahi

SephardiMizrahi is an umbrella term used in some contexts to describe Jews whose heritage traces to the Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. It is often employed in demographic or cultural discussions to refer to non-Ashkenazi Jews, especially within Israel and in diaspora communities.

Sephardim originated from the Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula, with a history that includes convivencia in medieval Spain and Portugal and a large-scale expulsion in 1492. Following diaspora dispersal, many Sephardic Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, Italy, and later the Americas. They developed a distinctive Ladino language, a Judeo-Spanish blend, and a Sephardic rite for liturgy and rabbinic authority. Their cultural influence includes music, cuisine, and scholarly traditions transmitted across centuries.

Mizrahi Jews are those from Middle Eastern and North African lands, including communities in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, and others. Mizrahi communities contributed languages such as Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Kurdish, and Judeo-Tat, along with liturgical practices and rabbinic authorities rooted in Arab, Persian, or North African contexts. While often grouped together with Sephardim in common usage, Mizrahi traditions are diverse and reflect local histories and civilizational exchanges.

In modern contexts, SephardiMizrahi identities commonly intersect with issues of language, culture, and social integration. The term’s usage varies, and some scholars distinguish Sephardic and Mizrahi identities, while others treat them as overlapping or unified under a broader non-Ashkenazi Jewish category.