Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews: Volume XXIIVolume XXII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the major and rapid changes experienced by a population known variously as "Sephardim," "Oriental" Jews and "Mizrahim" over the last fifty years. Although Sephardim are popularly believed to have originated in Spain or Portugal, the majority of Mizrahi Jews today are actually the descendants of Jews from Muslim and Arab countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. They constitute a growing proportion of Israeli Jewry and continue to revitalize Jewish culture in places as varied as France, Latin America, and the United States. Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews offers a collection of new scholarship on the issues of self-definition and identity facing Sephardic Jewry. The essays draw on a variety of disciplines--demography, history, political science, sociology, religious and gender studies, anthropology, and literature. Contributors explore the issues surrounding the emergence and increasingly wide usage of "Mizrahi" in place of "Sephardic," as well as the invigoration of Sephardic Judaism. They look at the evolution of Sephardic politics in Israel through the dramatic rise and continuing influence of the Shas political party and its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Other contributors examine the variegated nature of Mizrahi immigration to Israel, fictional portraits of female Mizrahi immigrants to Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, contemporary Mizrahi Israel feminism, modern Arab historiography's portrayal of Jews of Muslim lands, and the changing Sephardic halakhic tradition. |
Contents
Review Essays | 257 |
Book Reviews | 277 |
Biography History and the Social Sciences | 289 |
Language Literature and the Arts | 305 |
Religion Thought and Education | 317 |
Zionism Israel and the Middle East | 328 |
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aliyah American analysis appeared Arab Ashkenazic Asian-African Aviv beyisrael camp chief rabbi Cohen colonial conflict context countries cultural decade defined definite diaspora discussion Djerba economic edot Eretz Israel essay Esther ethnic Europe European feminist field figure find first France French groups halakhah halakhic hamizrah haredi haredi Mizrahim Hayehudim Hayim Hebrew Holocaust Ibid idem identification identity ideology influence instance Iraq Iraqi Israeli Israeli society issues Jerusalem Jewish Agency Jewish communities Jewish population Jewry Jews Judaism Judeo-Arabic Juifs kibbutz Knesset Middle East Middle Eastern Mizrahi Mizrahi Jews modern Moroccan Morocco Moshe movement Muslim North African immigrants official Oriental origin Ovadia Ovadia Yosef Palestine percent political published reflect regard religious responsa Rosenzweig scholars sector Sephardic Sephardim Sergio DellaPergola Shas shel Shenhav Shlomo significant significantly social specific sub-ethnic Torah traditional Tunisia University volume western women Yad Vashem yeshiva Yishuv Yitzhak Yosef Zionist