Sephardic

Sephardic refers to Sephardim, Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula, in what is now Spain and Portugal. The name derives from Sepharad, a Hebrew term historically associated with Spain. Following the expulsions and acts of forced conversion in the late 15th century, many Iberian Jews dispersed across the Mediterranean world and beyond, forming communities in the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and parts of Europe. These communities developed a distinct set of religious, cultural, and social practices that differentiated them from other Jewish populations.

Linguistically, Sephardic Jews historically spoke Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish language that blended medieval Spanish with Hebrew and other local languages. In religion, they developed a Sephardic or Sefardic rite and rabbinic tradition that differs in prayer, liturgical melodies, and some legal rulings from the Ashkenazic rite followed by many Central and Eastern European Jews. Sephardic practice also reflects a historical Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influence in rituals, dietary laws, and holiday observances.

Today, Sephardic communities are found worldwide. Historic centers emerged in the Ottoman realm—particularly Turkey and the Balkans—as well as in North Africa (notably Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria) and the Levant, with continued presence in Israel, Western Europe, and the Americas. Ladino literature, Sephardic music, and family customs continue to influence Jewish culture, even as communities integrate into broader societies.

Contemporary usage sometimes extends Sephardic to Jews who identify with Iberian ancestry or who follow Sephardic liturgical traditions, while it is often distinguished from Ashkenazi and, in some contexts, Mizrahi identities.