What are Sephardic Jews?
Sephardic Jews are from Spain. They get their name from the term Sepharad which is a Biblical location (Obadiah 1:20). This location is identified as the Iberian Peninsula which is modern day Spain and Portugal. Sepharad still means “Spain” in Modern Hebrew. In contrast, Ashkenazic Jews are from Eastern European countries. Ashkenaz is the Medieval Hebrew name for the region that later formed the country of “Germany.” Sephardic Jews spoke Ladino; a language derived mainly from Old Castilian Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish, and some French and Greek. Ashkenazic Jews spoke Yiddish; a fusion of elements primarily from medieval German dialects and secondarily from Hebrew, Aramaic, various Slavic languages, Old French, and Old Italian. Throughout the centuries of exile both the Ashkenazim and Sephardim developed distinct cultures, prayer books, and many different customs and traditions.
