How history is taught at Jewish schools

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Mrs Bissli

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 4:36 pm

So this is somewhat of a spin-off from 'Arabic Jew' (sic--Arabic is a language, should be Arab Jew') thread. Not just this one but a number of recent postings in different threads on imamother nearly had me fall of a chair.

'Sephardim didn't suffer holocaust'
'Light-skinned Sephardim most have one Ashkenazi parent'

These and similar comments plainly demonstrate how ignorant Jews are in general about Sephardim. I have a sneaking suspicion that Sephardi history is not taught at Jewish schools.

I'm not talking about less known facts (eg how many people know the first Prime Minister of Singapore was Jewish? Did you know Bahrain has a Jewish--female on top of it--members of Parliament and ambassadors? How many people knew there was a Kurdish woman who headed yeshiva well before the Maid of Ludomir?) but very basic things like:

- difference between Sephardim and Mizrachim
(admittedly, there’s some overlap in some communities, like Syrian or Lebanese communities include both mizrachim and ‘signorim’ who settled via Italy)
- Farhud
- 30 November now marked to remember the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran
- most native Ladino speakers do not call it Ladino but rather Judezmo or Hakeita
- Greek Jews and (former) Yugoslavian Jews had one of the highest death rates from Shoah

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 5:10 pm

I didn't learn most of what you said, we have learned a lot of other stuff about Sephardi history though. Admittedly, with less focus than Ashkenaz history. I went to a Bais Yaakov type school in Brooklyn.

sequoia

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 5:12 pm

This is fascinating. I am profoundly ignorant but would love to learn more.

tryinghard

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 7:41 pm

TBH, I learned very little about recent Jewish History - we covered Sephardic and Ashkenazic history well through the 16 or 1700s, 17-1900s I dont remember (slept through a lot of that year Smile

) and then focused on the formation of the State of Israel (including all points of view) and a large unit on the Holocaust. So I didn't learn those things you described, but I didn't learn comparable facts of Ashkenazic history either.

Volunteer

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 7:46 pm

I went to a modern orthodox school with a,significant Sephardic population, and we didn't learn Sephardic history after the Spanish expulsions. Unfortunately. It definitely should be covered.

cnc

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 8:02 pm

Mrs Bissli wrote:

That was me...was speaking from "personal experience" based on the four light Sephardim that I know.

You're absolutely correct. I did not learn (recent) Sephardi history at all in high school. I think that the latest we learned was up to 1500.

tigerwife

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 8:05 pm

tryinghard wrote:

TBH, I learned very little about recent Jewish History - we covered Sephardic and Ashkenazic history well through the 16 or 1700s, 17-1900s I dont remember (slept through a lot of that year Smile

This was my experience as well. We covered historia up to around the Middle Ages. As far as I remember, the Enlightenment period focused on the formation of the Reform Movement, and then going into modern history which covered the formation of the state of Israel. Holocaust was a separate class. I'm pretty sure Project Witness's curriculum covers how Sephardic Jews were affected (Greece, North Africa, etc.)

Do Sephardic schools teach more Ashkenazic history?

samantha87

Tue, Aug 02 2016, 8:53 pm

What is Farhud?

Mrs Bissli

Wed, Aug 03 2016, 8:23 am

samantha87 wrote:

What is Farhud?

Farhud is an attack on Jews that took place in Iraq (mainly in Baghdad) in early 1940s. Some people call it Iraqi pogrom or Kristalnacht. The word actually means like 'storm' or 'strong gust of wind'. What is interesting is that this preceded the creation of the State of Israel by more than 5 years. The attack was backed by Rashid Ali who was 'inspired' by Nazi Germany, but on the false accusation that Iraqi Jews aided British to quench Iraqi war of independence.

I can't remember the exact number of victims but hundreds of Jews were massacred, shops and houses burned and destroyed over the course of several days. This really came as a shock to Iraqi Jewish community, who were very much involved in nationalism and civil life. However, Farhud did NOT lead to emigration to Israel immediately--those who left mainly came to UK (because many had British passports), and the community remained pretty much the same till after 1947, at which point public policy and attitude toward Jewish Iraqis turned clearly hostile. I have a good friend (who is older than me) whose father was publicly hanged as an Israeli spy when he was only about 8 or 9, so must be late 1950s/early 1960s.

Many are bitter against British for not intervening earlier, and there are unresolved claims that Mossad actually was involved in a series of bombing (which didn't cause too many casualties but enough to scare the Jews to leave Iraq) that preceded Operation Ezra and Nehemia in early 1950s.

We just had 75th anniversary commemoration this year.
http://harif.org/official-comm.....arhud

Something to think about before you bite into a sabich and amba...

(Now I assume everyone will shock

if I ask 'What is pogrom/Kristalnacht?' . That is my point. Why so many people have not heard about Farhud which shares similar turning point in Jewish history.)

yo'ma

Wed, Aug 03 2016, 9:38 am

What is the difference between Mizrachi and Sefardi? Thank you

greenfire

Wed, Aug 03 2016, 10:01 am

yeah well I got at 8% on my final in היסטריה

[might have been for getting my name right]

Mrs Bissli

Wed, Aug 03 2016, 4:10 pm

yo'ma wrote:

What is the difference between Mizrachi and Sefardi? Thank you

Strictly speaking, Sephardim trace their ancestry to those who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. Popular destinations were north Africa (eg Morocco, Tunisia ) and Ottoman empire (incl Turkey, Serbia, Greece ). Some crypto Jews made it to Amsterdam and reaffirmed their Judaism (western Sephardim ).

Mizrachim communities trace their origins straight from Israel or other communities but NOT via Spain /Portugal. They include Persian, Bukhari, Iraqi, Afghani, Burmese, Indian, Syrian, Lebanese communities.

Now there are Sephardim and Italikim who settled in Levantine communities. Also Morocco is mixed, eg Makhnes is Berber jewish community whereas Tetuan is definitely Sephardi.

Liturgy is different between Eidot mizrachi and Sephardi (esp western Sephardi ). Andy they're not the same as nusach ari sephard.

Chayalle

Wed, Aug 03 2016, 4:17 pm

This is fascinating. Thank you for posting and educating us.

yo'ma

Thu, Aug 04 2016, 9:17 am

Thank you.

Lately I've been interested to learn about the jews who lived in Israel these past 2,000 years, but I can't find anything. They would be considered Mizrachi, right? Smile

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