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.
Acknowledgments Part I1 A Global Perspective on Sephardic and Mizrahi JewryZion Zohar2 The Origins of Sephardic Jewry in the Medieval Arab WorldMark R. Cohen3 The Judeo-Arabic Heritage Norman A. Stillman4 Judeo-Spanish Culture in Medieval and Modern Times David M. Bunis5 Literatures of Medieval Sepharad Jonathan P. Decter6 Medieval Sephardic-Oriental Jewish Bible ExegesisIsaac Kalimi7 Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah in Spain Moshe IdelPart II8 Hispanic Culture in Exile: Sephardic Life in the Ottoman Balkans Annette B. Fromm9 Sephardic Jurisprudence in the Recent Half-Millennium Zvi Zohar10 Safed Kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage Morris M. Faierstein11 Jewish Women in the Ottoman Empire Pamela Dorn SezginPart III12 Early Modern Sephardim and Blacks: Contact and Con?ict between Two Minorities Jonathan Schorsch13 Diversity and Uniqueness: An Introduction to Sephardic Liturgical Music Mark Kligman14 A Double Occlusion: Sephardim and the Holocaust Henry Abramson15 Sephardim and Oriental Jews in Israel: Rethinking the Sociopolitical Paradigm Zion ZoharAbout the Contributors Index
