Re: Sephardim from Holland

[Chris Martin <Chris.Martin...>]

In article <199301121545(dot)AA22601 (at) well(dot)sf(dot)ca(dot)us>, you wrote:

> I am surprised to learn that the Jews from Holland are considered Sephardic.
> I always learned that Sephardim were orgignally from Spain and spread out
> over Northern Africa (I guess after the expulsion in 1492). Why are the Jews
> from Holland considered Sephardic. Did they go there from Spain?

As I understand it, the combined efforts of Isabella in Spain, along with
the English expulsion and French anti-Jewish edicts, pushed a good number
of Western European Jewry to the Netherlands, where a thriving community
was extant (second only to Spain as a Western European Jewish center).
Despite the obvious call of Eretz Yisroel or the moderate Muslim
communities of North Africa, many would have found the Netherlands closer
geographically and perhaps culturally - in a non-Jewish sense, of course.
I'm sure that the more "tolerant" Dutch world view (if it existed), along
with a trade and seafaring economy like Spain's made the Netherlands
attractive, Europe-wise, as well.  Being as a disproportionate number of
Dutch Jewry came from Spain as opposed to Central and Eastern Europe, I
guess one could make the *general* statement that Jews from the Netherlands
are Sephardic, not Ashkenazic.

**********************************
Chris Martin
Systems Coordinator
Facilities - 855 Serra
Stanford University
Chris(dot)Martin (at) Forsythe(dot)Stanford(dot)Edu

------------------------------