Product Description

Sephardic Jews trace their origins to Spain and Portugal. They enjoyed a renaissance in these lands until their expulsion from Spain in 1492, when they settled in the countries along the Mediterranean, throughout the Ottoman Empire, in the Balkans, and in the lands of North Africa, Italy, Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, mixing with the Mizrahi, or Oriental, Jews already in these locations. Sephardic Jews have contributed some of the most important Jewish philosophers, poets, biblical commentators, Talmudic and Halachic scholars, and scientists, and have had a significant impact on the development of Jewish mysticism.

Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry brings together original work from the world's leading scholars to present a deep introductory overview of their history and culture over the past 1500 years. The book presents an overarching chronological and thematic survey of topics ranging from the origin of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry and their history to kabbalah, philosophy, and biblical commentary, and Sephardic Jewish life in the modern era. This collection represents the most up-to-date scholarship about Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry available.

Contributors include: Mark R. Cohen, Norman Stillman, David Bunis, Jonathan Decter, Yitzhak Kalimi, Moshe Idel, Annette B. Fromm, Zvi Zohar, Morris Fairstein, Pamela Dorn Sezgin, Mark Kligman, and Henry Abramson.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #228137 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Released on: 2005-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review

"Younger scholars have much to gain by their encounter with these brilliant essays especially where the authors generously gesture precisely to those lacunae in excisting scholarship that may prove to be the foundations of future careers."

About the Author

Zion Zohar is associate director of the Institute for Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at Florida International University, where he is also the chair of the President Navon Program for the Study of Sephardic and Oriental Jewry. He is the editor of Song of My People: High Holy Day Liturgy.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Survey of Sephardic/Oriental Jewry
The reviewer is a teacher.
This is a fantastic, interesting, and very readable overview of all the important aspects of Sephardic and Oriental Jewry--origins, language, history, culture, contributions to the Jewish and non-Jewish world, etc... Very accessible for the layperson and yet sophisticated enough for the scholar. Clears up what exactly are the 3 main ethnic groups within the Jewish people and how they came about. The introductory essay gives an excellent overview of each chapter and its highlights. The final chapter by the editor proposes a new and very challenging theory as to why Jews from Arab lands experienced discrimination upon making aliyah (coming to live) in Israel. This is THE book you want if you are looking for the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of this subject. A pleasure to read!!!