RE: Oriental? Sephardi? Eastern? Mizrachi?

[Alex Jacobowitz <alexbjacobowitz...>]

B"H Munich

> The Israeli term "edot ha-mizrakh" is probably much
> more appropriate,
Disagree majorly. When you talk about Eastern
communities ("mizrach" as east), then you imply
countries east of Israel: Iraq, Iran, Turkey, etc.
But the Sephardi tradition is found in North Africa,
in Russia, North Africa, New England, Western
Europe, etc, just as the Ashkenazi tradition is
found in New York, Germany, Hungary, Japan.
And don´t get me started on the Italians.

Perhaps most important is to remember that
Sepharad and Sepharadi aren´t the same thing.
That is, Sepharad (Spain, and Spanish Jews) may
have had their tradition, their history, their
language, etc. But the Jews of Arab lands
have rights to their own categories (or see Norman
Stillman) 

Iberian Jews (Sepharad in the case of Granada, for    
    instance) - and their descendants
North African Jews (Morocco, et al)
Oriental Jews (Yemen, etc)

whether or not they follow the
Sephardic Jewish tradition. Orient as general term
for East works for me in a way that Mizrachi can´t
match. The Jewish community in the furthest Orient
(Japan) is Ashkenazi - don´t tell them they´re
Mizrachi!
 
Alex Jacobowitz

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