Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of
Sephardic Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
who are largely descended from Jews who lived as
New Christians
New Christian ( es, Cristiano Nuevo; pt, Cristão-Novo; ca, Cristià Nou; lad, Christiano Muevo) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction in the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire. The term was used from the 15th century ...
in the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
during the immediate generations following the forced expulsion of unconverted Jews
from Spain in 1492 and
from Portugal in 1497.
Although the 1492 and 1497 expulsions of unconverted Jews from Spain and Portugal were separate events from the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition ( Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of its king, John III. ...
s (which were established over a decade earlier in 1478), they were ultimately linked, as the Inquisition eventually also led to the fleeing out of Iberia of many descendants of Jewish converts to Catholicism in subsequent generations.
Despite the fact that the original Edicts of Expulsion did not apply to Jewish-origin New Christian ''
conversos
A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert", () was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of his or her descendants.
To safeguard the Old Christian po ...
'' —as these were now legally Christians— the discriminatory practices that the Inquisition nevertheless placed upon them, which were often lethal, put immense pressure on many of the Jewish-origin Christians to also emigrate out of Spain and Portugal in the immediate generations following the expulsion of their unconverted Jewish brethren.
The
Alhambra Decree
The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ( Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Arag ...
(also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
of Spain (
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
and
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...
) ordering the expulsion of all unconverted practicing Jews from the
Kingdoms of Castile and
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
, including from all its territories and possessions, by 31 July of that year.
["Edict of the Expulsion of the Jews (1492)"](_blank)
/ref> The primary purpose of the expulsion was to eliminate the influence of unconverted Jews on Spain's by then large Jewish-origin New Christian converso
A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert", () was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of his or her descendants.
To safeguard the Old Christian po ...
population, to ensure that the prior did not encourage the latter to relapse and revert to Judaism.
Over half of Spain's Jewish origin population had converted to Catholicism as a result of the religious anti-Jewish persecution and pogroms which occurred in 1391. As a result of the Alhambra decree and persecution in prior years, it is estimated that of Spain's total Jewish origin population at the time, over 200,000 Jews converted to Catholicism, and initially remained in Spain. Between 40,000 and 80,000 did not convert to Catholicism, and by their steadfast commitment to remain Jewish were thus expelled. Of those who were expelled as unconverted Jews, an indeterminate number nonetheless converted to Catholicism once outside Spain and eventually returned to Spain in the years following the expulsion due to the hardships many experienced in their resettlement. Many of Spain's Jews who left Spain as Jews also initially moved to Portugal, where they were subsequently forcibly converted to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in 1497.
Most of the Jews who left Spain as Jews accepted the hospitality of Sultan Bayezid II
Bayezid II ( ota, بايزيد ثانى, Bāyezīd-i s̱ānī, 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512, Turkish: ''II. Bayezid'') was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, ...
and, after the Alhambra Decree, moved to the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, where they founded communities openly practising the Jewish religion; they and their descendants are known as Eastern Sephardim Eastern Sephardim are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardi Jews, mostly descended from families expelled and exiled from Iberia as Jews in the 15th century following the Alhambra Decree of 1492 in Spain and the decree of 1497 in Portugal. This branch ...
.
During the centuries following the Spanish and Portuguese decrees, some of the Jewish-origin New Christian conversos started emigrating from Portugal and Spain, settling until the 1700s throughout areas of Western Europe and non-Iberian realms of the colonial Americas (mostly Dutch realms, including Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
in the Dutch West Indies, Recife
That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15)
, image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco
, pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...
in Dutch areas of colonial Brazil which eventually were regained by the Portuguese, and New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
which later became New York) forming communities and formally reverting to Judaism. It is the collective of these communities and their descendants who are known as Western Sephardim
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the i ...
, and are the subject of this article.
As the early members of the Western Sephardim consisted of persons who themselves (or whose immediate forebears) personally experienced an interim period as New Christians, which resulted in unceasing trials and persecutions of crypto-Judaism by the Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
s, the early community continued to be augmented by further New Christian emigration pouring out of the Iberian Peninsula in a continuous flow between the 1600s to 1700s. Jewish-origin New Christians were officially considered Christians due to their forced or coerced conversions; as such they were subject to the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church's Inquisitorial system, and were subject to harsh heresy and apostasy laws if they continued to practice their ancestral Jewish faith. Those New Christians who eventually fled both the Iberian cultural sphere and jurisdiction of the Inquisition
The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...
were able to officially return to Judaism and open Jewish practice once they were in their new tolerant environments of refuge.
As former conversos or their descendants, Western Sephardim developed a distinctive ritual based on the remnants of the Judaism of pre-expulsion Spain, which some had practiced in secrecy during their time as New Christians, and influenced by Judaism as practiced by the communities (including Sephardic Jews of the Ottoman Empire and Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
) which assisted them in their readoption of normative Judaism; as well as by the Spanish-Moroccan and the Italian Jewish
Italian Jews ( it, Ebrei Italiani, he, יהודים איטלקים ''Yehudim Italkim'') or Roman Jews ( it, Ebrei Romani, he, יהודים רומים ''Yehudim Romim'') can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in or with roots in I ...
rites practiced by rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s and hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, this pr ...
im recruited from those communities to instruct them in ritual practice. A part of their distinctiveness as a Jewish group, furthermore, stems from the fact that they saw themselves as forced to "redefine their Jewish identity and mark its boundaries ..with the intellectual tools they had acquired in their Christian socialization" during their time as New Christian conversos.
Terminology
The main 'Western Sephardic Jewish' communities developed in Western Europe, Italy, and the non-Iberian regions of the Americas.
In addition to the term "Western Sephardim", this sub-group of Sephardic Jews is sometimes also referred to also as "Spanish and Portuguese Jews," "Spanish Jews," "Portuguese Jews," or "Jews of the Portuguese Nation."
The term "Western Sephardim" is frequently used in modern research literature to refer to "Spanish and Portuguese Jews," but sometimes also to "Spanish-Moroccan Jews
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...
".
The use of the terms "Portuguese Jews" and "Jews of the Portuguese Nation" in areas such as the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Hamburg, Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
, and at one time in London, seems to have arisen primarily as a way for the "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" to distance themselves from Spain in the times of political tension and war between Spain and the Netherlands in the 17th century. Similar considerations may have played a role for ethnic Sephardic Jews in the French regions of Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, given their proximity to the Spanish border.
Another reason for the terminology of "Portuguese" Jews may have been that a relatively high proportion of the families in question had Portugal as their immediate point of departure from the Iberian peninsula, regardless of whether the remoter family background was nonetheless Spanish, since Portugal was the first place of refuge and transit point for many Spanish Jews immediately following their expulsion from Spain.
As the term "Sephardim" (when used in its ethnic sense) necessarily connotes a link with Spain, the distinguishing feature of the Western subgroup was the added link with Portugal. Thus, as a subset of the Sephardim, "Portuguese" and "Spanish and Portuguese" could be used interchangeably. Finally, almost all organised communities in this group traditionally employed Portuguese rather than Spanish as their official or working language.
In Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, the term "Spanish Jews" (''Ebrei Spagnoli'') is frequently used, but it includes descendants of Jews expelled as Jews from the Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, as well as "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" proper (i.e. Jews descended from former conversos and their descendants).
In Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, Spanish and Portuguese Jews were often described as "Ponentine" (Western), to distinguish them from "Levantine" (Eastern) Sephardim from Eastern Mediterranean areas. Occasionally Italian Jews distinguish between the "Portuguese Jews" of Pisa and Livorno and the "Spanish Jews" of Venice, Modena and elsewhere.
The scholar Joseph Dan
Joseph Dan (, 1935 – 23 July 2022) was an Israeli scholar of Jewish mysticism. He taught for over 40 years in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was the first incumbent of the Gershom Scholem Chair ...
distinguishes "medieval Sephardim" (15th and 16th-century Spanish exiles in the Ottoman Empire who arrived as Jews) from "Renaissance Sephardim" (Spanish and Portuguese former converso communities who arrived as New Christians), in reference to the respective times of each grouping's formative contacts with Spanish language and culture.
Relation to other Sephardi communities
The term Sephardi means "Spanish" or "Hispanic", and is derived from Sepharad
Sepharad ( or ; ''Səp̄āraḏ''; also ''Sefarad'', ''Sephared'', ''Sfard'') is the Hebrew name for Spain. A place called Sepharad, probably referring to Sardis in Lydia ('Sfard' in Lydian), in the Book of Obadiah (, 6th century BC) of the Hebre ...
, a Biblical location. The location of the biblical Sepharad is disputed, but Sepharad was identified by later Jews as Hispania
Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...
, that is, the Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
. Sepharad still means "Spain" in modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...
.
The relationship between Sephardi-descended communities is illustrated in the following diagram
A diagram is a symbolic representation of information using visualization techniques. Diagrams have been used since prehistoric times on walls of caves, but became more prevalent during the Enlightenment. Sometimes, the technique uses a three- ...
:
"Sephardim" properly refers to all Jews whose families have extended histories in Spain and Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, in contrast to Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
and all other Jewish ethnic divisions
Jewish ethnic divisions refer to many distinctive communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population. Although considered a self-identifying ethnicity, there are distinct ethnic subdivisions among Jews, most of which are primarily the ...
. However, Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews ( he, יהודי המִזְרָח), also known as ''Mizrahim'' () or ''Mizrachi'' () and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or ''Edot HaMizrach'' (, ), are a grouping of Jewish communities comprising those who remained i ...
, who have extended histories in the Greater Middle East
The Greater Middle East, is a political term, introduced in March 2004 in a paper by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as part of the U.S. administration's preparatory work for the Group of Eight summit of June 2004, denoting a v ...
and North Africa, are often called "Sephardim" more broadly in colloquial
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...
and religious parlance due to similar styles of liturgy and a certain amount of intermarriage between them and Sephardim proper.
The main factor distinguishing "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" (Western Sephardim) from other "Sephardim proper" is that "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" refers specifically to those Jews who descend from persons whose history as practising members of Jewish communities with origins in the Iberian peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
was interrupted by a period of having been New Christians (also known as ''conversos'', the Spanish term for "converts" to Catholicism; or ''cristãos-novos'', "new Christians" in the Portuguese equivalent) or ''anusim
Anusim ( he, אֲנוּסִים, ; singular male, anús, he, אָנוּס ; singular female, anusáh, , meaning "coerced") is a legal category of Jews in ''halakha'' (Jewish law) who were forced to abandon Judaism against their will, typically ...
'' (Hebrew for those "forced" to convert from Judaism to another faith).
During their period as New Christians, many conversos continued to practise their Jewish faith in secrecy as best they could. Those New Christian conversos of Jewish origin who maintained crypto-Jewish practices in secret were termed marrano
Marranos were Spanish and Portuguese Jews living in the Iberian Peninsula who converted or were Forced conversion#Spanish Inquisition, forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages, but continued to Crypto-Judaism, practice Judaism i ...
s (Spanish "swine") by Old Christian
Old Christian ( es, cristiano viejo, pt, cristão-velho, ca, cristià vell) was a social and law-effective category used in the Iberian Peninsula from the late 15th and early 16th century onwards, to distinguish Portuguese and Spanish people atte ...
Spaniards and Portuguese.
Conversely, those New Christian conversos who have remained as conversos since that time, both those in the Iberian Peninsula and those who moved to the Iberian colonial possessions during the Spanish colonization of the Americas
Spain began colonizing the Americas under the Crown of Castile and was spearheaded by the Spanish . The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions ...
, became the related Sephardic Bnei Anusim
Sephardic Bnei Anusim ( he, בני אנוסים ספרדיים, , lit. "Children f thecoerced onvertedSpanish ews is a modern term which is used to define the contemporary Christian descendants of an estimated quarter of a million 15th-century ...
. Sephardic Bnei Anusim are the contemporary and largely nominally Christian descendants of assimilated 15th century Sephardic Anusim, and are today a fully assimilated sub-group within the Iberian-descended Christian populations of Spain, Portugal, Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
and Brazil. For historical reasons and circumstances, Sephardic Bnei Ansuim have not returned to the Jewish faith over the last five centuries, In modern times, some have begun emerging publicly in increasing numbers, especially in the last two decades.
For "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" (Western Sephardim), their historical period as conversos has shaped their identity, culture, and practices. In this respect, they are clearly distinguishable from those Sephardim who descend from the Jews who left Iberia as Jews before the expiration date for the Alhambra Decree
The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ( Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Arag ...
, resulting in the 1492 expulsion from Spain and 1497 expulsion from Portugal of all Jews who had not been baptised into the Catholic faith. These expelled Jews settled mainly around the Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...
of Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, namely, Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, the Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and they became the Eastern Sephardim and North African Sephardim
North African Sephardim are a distinct sub-group of Sephardi Jews, who descend from exiled Iberian Jewish families of the late 15th century and North African Maghrebi Jewish communities.
Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the ...
respectively. For centuries, the Sephardic Jewish communities under Ottoman rule provided spiritual leadership to the dispersed Sephardim through their contributions to the Responsa literature. These Sephardic communities offered refuge to all Jews, including the Sephardi Jewish-origin New Christian conversos fleeing the Inquisition across Europe, as well as their Eastern European Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
coreligionists fleeing pogroms.
Relation to Sephardic Bnei Anusim and Neo-Western Sephardim
The common feature shared by Western Sephardim ("Spanish and Portuguese Jews") to Sephardic Bnei Anusim
Sephardic Bnei Anusim ( he, בני אנוסים ספרדיים, , lit. "Children f thecoerced onvertedSpanish ews is a modern term which is used to define the contemporary Christian descendants of an estimated quarter of a million 15th-century ...
and Neo-Western Sephardim is that all three are descended from conversos. "Western Sephardim" are descendants of former conversos of earlier centuries; "Sephardic Bnei Anusim" are the still nominally Christian descendants of conversos; and "Neo-Western Sephardim" are the increasing in number modern-day former conversos currently returning to Judaism from among the Sephardic Bnei Anusim population.
The distinguishing factor between "Western Sephardim" and the nascent "Neo-Western Sephardim" is the time frame of the reversions to Judaism, the location of the reversions, and the precarious religious and legal circumstances surrounding their reversions, including impediments and persecutions. Thus, the converso descendants who became the Western Sephardim had reverted to Judaism between the 16th and 18th centuries, they did so at a time before the abolition of the Inquisition in the 19th century, and this time frame necessitated their migration out of the Iberian cultural sphere. Conversely, the converso descendants who are today becoming the nascent Neo-Western Sephardim have been reverting to Judaism between the late 20th and early 21st centuries, they have been doing so at a time after the abolition of the Inquisition in the 19th century, and this time frame has not necessitated their migration out of the Iberian cultural sphere.
Although Jewish communities were re-established in Spain and Portugal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely with the help of communities of Spanish and Portuguese Jews such as that in London, these present-day Jews in Portugal
The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities that originated in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain).
Before P ...
and Jews in Spain
While the history of the Jews in the current-day Spanish territory stretches back to Biblical times according to legendary Jewish tradition, the settlement of organised Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula possibly traces back to the time ...
are distinct from "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" as, for the most part, the modern Jewish communities resident in Spain and Portugal also include other Jewish ethnic divisions
Jewish ethnic divisions refer to many distinctive communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population. Although considered a self-identifying ethnicity, there are distinct ethnic subdivisions among Jews, most of which are primarily the ...
recently immigrated to Spain and Portugal, such as Ashkenazi Jews of Northern Europe.
In modern Iberia, practicing Jews of Sephardic origins, such as the Jewish community of Oporto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, however, are also not Western Sephardim, but are Neo-Western Sephardim, as they were re-established in the 20th century and early 21st centuries with a campaign of outreach to the crypto-Jews
Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; practitioners are referred to as "crypto-Jews" (origin from Greek ''kryptos'' – , 'hidden').
The term is especially applied historically to Sp ...
of Sephardic Bnei Anusim origins. The Oporto community's return to Judaism was led by the returnee to Judaism Captain Artur Carlos de Barros Basto
Artur Carlos de Barros Basto ( he, אברהם ישראל בן-ראש; Abraham Israel Ben-Rosh) (18 December 1887 – 8 March 1961) was a Portuguese military officer and writer, who published several works related to Judaism. He was an important Je ...
(1887–1961), known also as the "apostle of the Marranos". In 1921, realizing that there were less than twenty Ashkenazi Jews living in Porto, and that recent returnees to Judaism like himself were not organized and had to travel to Lisbon for religious purposes whenever necessary, Barros Basto began to think about building a synagogue and took initiative in 1923 to officially register the Jewish Community of Porto and the Israelite Theological Center in the city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of Porto. As mentioned, these communities of modern-day returnees to Judaism are among the first in the emergence of the nascent Neo-Western Sephardim. Neo-Western Sephardim are the modern returnees to Judaism throughout Iberia and Ibero-America emerging from among the population of Sephardic Bnei Anusim, and are distinct from Western Sephardim (those termed "Spanish and Portuguese Jews").
Even more recent examples of such Neo-Western Sephardim communities include the Belmonte Jews
The history of the Jewish Community in Belmonte, Portugal dates back to the 12th century and consists of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who kept their faith alive through the practice of Crypto-Judaism. The Sephardic tradition of Crypto-Judaism is u ...
in Portugal, and the Xuetes
The Xuetes (; singular , also known as and spelled as ) are a social group on the Spanish island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea, who are descendants of Majorcan Jews that either were conversos (forcible converts to Christianity) or were C ...
of Spain. In the case of the Xuetes, the entire community of converso descendants was extended a blanket recognition as Jews by Rabbinical authorities in Israel due to their particular historical circumstances on the island which effectively resulted in a strict social isolation of the Xuetes imposed upon them by their non-Jewish-descended neighbors up until modern times.["Chuetas of Majorca recognized as Jewish"; ''The Jerusalem Post'' 07/12/2011](_blank)
/ref>
In the last five to ten years, "organized groups of ephardicBenei Anusim have been established in Brazil, Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
, Chile, Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, Mexico, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, and in Sefarad he Iberian Peninsulaitself". Some members of these communities have formally reverted to Judaism.
In 2015, the Spanish government enacted a law conceding Spanish nationality to the descendants of Sephardic Jews of Spanish origin. The law created a powerful incentive for the descendants of B'nei Anusim to re-discover their Sephardic ancestry, and it spurred a wave of genealogical inquiry and even genetic research. The law remained in force until 2019, therefore applications for Spanish citizenship on the basis of Sephardic ancestry are no longer accepted by the Spanish authorities.
History
In Spain and Portugal
Spanish and Portuguese Jews were originally descended from New Christian conversos (i.e. Jews converted to Roman Catholic Christianity) whose descendants later left the Iberian peninsula and reverted to Judaism.
Although legend has it that conversos existed as early as the Visigothic period, and that there was a continuous phenomenon of crypto-Judaism from that time lasting throughout Spanish history, this scenario is unlikely, as in the Muslim period of Iberia there was no advantage in passing as a Christian instead of publicly acknowledging one was a Jew. The main wave of conversions, often forced, followed The massacre of 1391 in Spain. Legal definitions of that era theoretically acknowledged that a forced baptism was not a valid sacrament, but the Church confined this to cases where it was literally administered by physical force: a person who had consented to baptism under threat of death or serious injury was still regarded as a voluntary convert, and accordingly forbidden to revert to Judaism. Crypto-Judaism as a large-scale phenomenon mainly dates from that time.
Conversos, whatever their real religious views, often (but not always) tended to marry and associate among themselves. As they achieved prominent positions in trade and in the Royal administration, they attracted considerable resentment from the "Old Christian
Old Christian ( es, cristiano viejo, pt, cristão-velho, ca, cristià vell) was a social and law-effective category used in the Iberian Peninsula from the late 15th and early 16th century onwards, to distinguish Portuguese and Spanish people atte ...
s". The ostensible reason given for issuance of the 1492 Alhambra Decree for the conversion, expulsion or execution of the unconverted Jews from Spain was that the unconverted Jews had supported the New Christian conversos in the crypto-Jewish practices of the latter, thus delaying or preventing their assimilation into the Christian community.
After the issuance of Spain's Alhambra Decree in 1492, a large proportion of the unconverted Jews chose exile rather than conversion, many of them crossing the border to Portugal. In Portugal, however, the Jews were again issued with a similar decree just a few years later in 1497, giving them the choice of exile or conversion. Unlike in Spain, however, in actual practice Portugal mostly prevented them from leaving, thus they necessarily stayed as ostensible converts to Christianity whether they wished to or not, after the Portuguese King reasoned that by their failure to leave they accepted Christianity by default. For this reason, crypto-Judaism was far more prevalent in Portugal than in Spain, even though many of these families were originally of Spanish rather than Portuguese descent. Over time, however, most crypto-Jews both of Spanish and Portuguese ancestry had left Portugal by the 18th century.
Crypto-Judaism
Scholars are still divided on the typical religious loyalties of the conversos, in particular on whether they are appropriately described as "crypto-Jews". Given the secrecy surrounding their situation, the question is not easy to answer: probably the conversos themselves were divided, and could be ranged at different points between the possible positions. The suggested profiles are as follows:
#Sincere Christians, who were still subject to discrimination and accusations of Judaizing on the part of the Inquisition; some of these appealed to the Pope and sought refuge in the Papal States.
#Those who had honestly tried their best to live as Christians, but who, on finding that they were still not accepted socially and still suspected of Judaizing, conceived intellectual doubts on the subject and decided to try Judaism, on the reasoning that suspicion creates what it suspects.
#Genuine crypto-Jews, who regarded their conversions as forced on them and reluctantly conformed to Catholicism until they found the first opportunity of living an open Jewish life.
#Opportunistic "cultural commuters" whose private views may have been quite sceptical and who conformed to the local form of Judaism or Christianity depending on where they were at the time.
For these reasons, there was a continuous flow of people leaving Spain and Portugal (mostly Portugal) for places where they could practise Judaism openly, from 1492 until the end of the 18th century. They were generally accepted by the host Jewish communities as ''anusim
Anusim ( he, אֲנוּסִים, ; singular male, anús, he, אָנוּס ; singular female, anusáh, , meaning "coerced") is a legal category of Jews in ''halakha'' (Jewish law) who were forced to abandon Judaism against their will, typically ...
'' (forced converts), whose conversion, being involuntary, did not compromise their Jewish status.
Conversos of the first generation after the expulsion still had some knowledge of Judaism based on memory of contact with a living Jewish community. In later generations, people had to avoid known Jewish practices that might attract undesired attention: conversos in group 3 evolved a home-made Judaism with practices peculiar to themselves, while those in group 2 had a purely intellectual conception of Judaism based on their reading of ancient Jewish sources preserved by the Church such as the Vulgate
The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible.
The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
, the Apocrypha
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
, Philo
Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt.
Philo's deplo ...
and Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
. Both groups therefore needed extensive re-education in Judaism after reaching their places of refuge outside the peninsula. This was achieved with the help of
* Sephardim living in Italy (and to a lesser extent, Italian Jews proper);
*1492 exiles living in Morocco, who were the immediate heirs of the ''Andalusi'' Jewish tradition;
*especially in Holland and Germany, Ashkenazi Jews.
Ceuta and Melilla
There are still Jewish communities in the North African exclaves of Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
and Melilla
Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...
. These places, though treated in most respects as integral parts of Spain, escaped the Inquisition and the expulsion, so these communities regard themselves as the remnant of pre-expulsion Spanish Jewry.
In Italy
As Sephardic Jewish communities were established in central and northern Italy, following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and from the Kingdom of Naples in 1533, these areas were an obvious destination for conversos wishing to leave Spain and Portugal. The similarity of the Italian language to Spanish was another attraction. Given their Christian cultural background and high level of European-style education, the new emigrants were less likely to follow the example of the 1492 expellees by settling in the Ottoman Empire, where a complete culture change would be required.
On the other hand, in Italy they ran the risk of prosecution for Judaizing, given that in law they were baptized Christians; for this reason they generally avoided the Papal States. The Popes did allow some Spanish-Jewish settlement at Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...
, as this was the main port for the Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
trade, in which their links with the Ottoman Sephardim were useful. Other states found it advantageous to allow the conversos to settle and mix with the existing Jewish communities, and to turn a blind eye to their religious status. In the next generation, the children of conversos could be brought up as fully Jewish with no legal problem, as they had never been baptized.
The main places of settlement were as follows:
#The Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
often had strained relations with the Papacy. They were also alive to the commercial advantages offered by the presence of educated Spanish-speaking Jews, especially for the Turkey trade. Previously the Jews of Venice were tolerated under charters for a fixed term of years, periodically renewed. In the early 16th century, these arrangements were made permanent, and a separate charter was granted to the "Ponentine" (western) community. Around the same time, the state required the Jews to live in the newly established Venetian Ghetto
The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were forced to live by the government of the Venetian Republic. The English word ''ghetto'' is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The Venetian Ghetto was instituted on 29 March 151 ...
. Nevertheless, for a long time the Venetian Republic was regarded as the most welcoming state for Jews, equivalent to the Netherlands in the 17th century or the United States in the 20th century.
#Sephardic immigration was also encouraged by the House of Este
The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries.
The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...
in their possessions of Reggio, Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
and Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
. In 1598 Ferrara was repossessed by the Papal States, leading to some Jewish emigration from there.
#In 1593, Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (30 July 1549 – 3 February 1609) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.
Early life
Ferdinando was the fifth son (the third surviving at ...
, granted Spanish and Portuguese Jews charters to live and trade in Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
and Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
.
On the whole, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews remained separate from the native Italian rite Jews
Italian Jews ( it, Ebrei Italiani, he, יהודים איטלקים ''Yehudim Italkim'') or Roman Jews ( it, Ebrei Romani, he, יהודים רומים ''Yehudim Romim'') can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in or with roots in I ...
, though there was considerable mutual religious and intellectual influence between the groups. In a given city, there was often an "Italian synagogue" and a "Spanish synagogue", and occasionally a "German synagogue" as well. Many of these synagogues have since merged, but the diversity of rites survived in modern Italy.
The Spanish Synagogue (''Scola Spagnola'') of Venice was originally regarded as the "mother synagogue" for the Spanish and Portuguese community worldwide, as it was among the earliest to be established, and the first prayer book was published there. Later communities, such as in Amsterdam, followed its lead on ritual questions. With the decline in the importance of Venice in the 18th century, the leading role passed to Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
(for Italy and the Mediterranean) and Amsterdam (for western countries). Unfortunately, the Livorno synagogue – considered to be the most important building in town – was destroyed in the Second World War: a modern building was erected on the same site in 1958–1962.
Many merchants maintained a presence in both Italy and countries in the Ottoman Empire, and even those who settled permanently in the Ottoman Empire retained their Tuscan or other Italian nationality, so as to have the benefit of the capitulations of the Ottoman Empire
Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire were contracts between the Ottoman Empire and other powers in Europe, particularly France. Turkish capitulations, or Ahidnâmes were generally bilateral acts whereby definite arrangements were entered into ...
. Thus, in Tunisia there was a community of ''Juifs Portugais'', or ''L'Grana'' (Livornese), separate from, and regarding itself as superior to, the native Tunisian Jews (''Tuansa''). Smaller communities of the same kind existed in other countries, such as Syria, where they were known as ''Señores Francos''. They were generally not numerous enough to establish their own synagogues, instead meeting for prayer in each other's houses.
In France
In the 16th and early 17th centuries, conversos were also seeking refuge beyond the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
, settling in France at , Tarbes
Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...
, Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, and Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. They lived apparently as Christians; were married by Catholic priests; had their children baptized, and publicly pretended to be Catholics. In secret, however, they circumcised their children, kept Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
and feast-days as best they could and prayed together.
Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
confirmed the privileges granted them by Henry II of France
Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...
, and protected them against accusations. Under Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
, the conversos of Bayonne were assigned to the suburb of Saint-Esprit. At Saint-Esprit, as well as at Peyrehorade, Bidache, Orthez
Orthez (; eu, Ortheze; oc, Ortès, ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of New Aquitaine, southwestern France.
It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the sma ...
, Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
, and , they gradually avowed Judaism openly. In 1640 several hundred conversos, considered to be Jews, were living at Saint-Jean-de-Luz; and a synagogue existed in Saint-Esprit as early as 1660.
In pre-Revolutionary France, the Portuguese Jews were one of three tolerated Jewish communities, the other two being the Ashkenazi Jews of Alsace-Lorraine and the Jews of the former Papal enclave of Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France.
The entire region was an enclav ...
; all three groups were emancipated at the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. The third community originally had their own Provençal rite, but adopted the Spanish and Portuguese rite shortly after the French Revolution and the incorporation of Comtat Venaissin into France. Today there are still a few Spanish and Portuguese communities in Bordeaux and Bayonne, and one in Paris, but in all these communities (and still more among French Jews generally) any surviving Spanish and Portuguese Jews are greatly outnumbered by recent Sephardic migrants of North African origin.
In the Netherlands
During the Spanish occupation of the Netherlands, converso merchants had a strong trading presence there. When the Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
gained independence in 1581, the Dutch retained trading links with Portugal rather than Spain, as Spain was regarded as a hostile power. Since there were penal laws against Catholics, and Catholicism was regarded with greater hostility than Judaism, New Christian conversos (technically Catholics, as that was the Christian tradition they were forced into) were encouraged by the Dutch to "come out" openly as Jews. Given the multiplicity of Protestant sects, the Netherlands was the first country in the Western world to establish a policy of religious tolerance. This made Amsterdam a magnet for conversos leaving Portugal.
There were originally three Sephardi communities: the first, ''Beth Jacob'', already existed in 1610, and perhaps as early as 1602; ''Neve Shalom'' was founded between 1608 and 1612 by Jews of Spanish origin. The third community, ''Beth Israel'', was established in 1618. These three communities began co-operating more closely in 1622. Eventually, in 1639, they merged to form ''Talmud Torah'', the Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam, which still exists today. The current Portuguese Synagogue
The Portuguese Synagogue, also known as the Esnoga, or Snoge, is a late 17th-century Sephardic synagogue in Amsterdam, completed in 1675. ''Esnoga'' is the word for synagogue in Judaeo-Spanish, the traditional Judaeo-Spanish language of Sephardi ...
, sometimes known as the "Amsterdam Esnoga", was inaugurated in 1675, of which Abraham Cohen Pimentel was the head Rabbi.
At first the Dutch conversos had little knowledge of Judaism and had to recruit rabbis and ''hazzanim'' from Italy, and occasionally Morocco and Salonica
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, to teach them. Later on Amsterdam became a centre of religious learning: a religious college ''Ets Haim'' was established, with a copious Jewish and general library. This library still exists. The transactions of the college, mainly in the form of responsa
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
, were published in a periodical, ''Peri Ets Haim'' (see links below). There were formerly several Portuguese synagogues in other cities such as The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. Since the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War and the mass killing of Jews by the Nazi regime, the Amsterdam synagogue is the only remaining synagogue of the Portuguese rite in the Netherlands: it serves a membership of about 600. On the other hand, the synagogue at the Hague survived the war undamaged; it is now the Liberal Synagogue and no longer belongs to the "Portuguese" community.
The position of Jews in the Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...
(modern Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
) was rather different. Considerable numbers of conversos lived there, in particular in Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, . The Inquisition was not allowed to operate. Nevertheless, their practice of Judaism remained under cover and unofficial, as acts of Judaizing in Belgium could expose one to proceedings elsewhere in the Spanish possessions. Sporadic persecutions alternated with periods of unofficial toleration. The position improved somewhat in 1714, with the cession of the southern Netherlands to Austria, but no community was officially formed until the 19th century. There is a Portuguese synagogue in Antwerp; its members, like those of the Sephardic rite synagogues of Brussels, are now predominantly of North African origin, and few if any pre-War families or traditions remain.
In Germany, Northern Europe and Eastern Europe
There were Portuguese Jews living in Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
as early as the 1590s. Records attest to their having a small synagogue called ''Talmud Torah'' in 1627, and the main synagogue, ''Beth Israel'', was founded in 1652. From the 18th century on, the Portuguese Jews were increasingly outnumbered by "German Jews" (Ashkenazim). By 1900, they were thought to number only about 400.
A small branch of the Portuguese community was located in Altona, with a congregation known as ''Neweh Schalom''. Historically, however, the Jewish community of Altona was overwhelmingly Ashkenazi, as Altona belonged to the kingdom of Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, which permitted Jews of all communities to settle there when Hamburg proper still only admitted the Portuguese.
Spanish and Portuguese Jews had an intermittent trading presence in Norway until the early 19th century, and were granted full residence rights in 1844. Today they have no separate organizational identity from the general (mainly Ashkenazi) Jewish community, though traditions survive in some families.
Around 1550, many Sephardi Jews travelled across Europe to find their haven in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, which had the largest Jewish population in the whole of Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. For this reason there are still Polish Jewish surnames with a possible Spanish origin. However, most of them quickly assimilated into the Ashkenazi community and retained no separate identity.
In Britain
There were certainly Spanish and Portuguese merchants, many of them conversos, in England at the time of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
; one notable marrano was the physician Roderigo Lopez
Roderigo Lopes (also called Ruy Lopes, Ruy Lopez, Roderigo Lopus, Ruy Lopus, Roger Lopez and Rodrigo Lopes; also referred to as Roderigo Lopez and Rodrigo Lopez; c. 1517 – 7 June 1594) served as a physician-in-chief to Queen Elizabeth I of En ...
. In the time of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
, Menasseh Ben Israel
Manoel Dias Soeiro (1604 – 20 November 1657), better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh ben Israel (), also known as Menasheh ben Yossef ben Yisrael, also known with the Hebrew acronym, MB"Y or MBI, was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, writ ...
led a delegation seeking permission for Dutch Sephardim to settle in England: Cromwell was known to look favourably on the request, but no official act of permission has been found. By the time of Charles II and James II, a congregation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews had a synagogue in Creechurch Lane. Both these kings showed their assent to this situation by quashing indictments against the Jews for unlawful assembly. For this reason the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of England often cite 1656 as the year of re-admission, but look to Charles II as the real sponsor of their community.
Bevis Marks Synagogue
Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim ( he, קָהָל קָדוֹשׁ שַׁעַר הַשָׁמַיִם, "Holy Congregation Gate of Heaven"), is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom in continuous use. It is loc ...
was opened in 1701 in London. In the 1830s and 40s there was agitation for the formation of a branch synagogue in the West End, nearer where most congregants lived, but rabbis refused this on the basis of ''Ascama 1'', forbidding the establishment of other synagogues within six miles of Bevis Marks. Dissident congregants, together with some Ashkenazim, accordingly founded the West London Synagogue
The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS ( he, ק"ק שער ציון, ''Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar Tziyon'', "Holy Congregation Gate of Zion"), is a synagogue and congregation, affiliated to Reform Judaism, near Marble Arch in cent ...
in Burton Street in 1841. An official branch synagogue in Wigmore Street was opened in 1853. This moved to Bryanston Street in the 1860s, and to Lauderdale Road in Maida Vale
Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...
in 1896. A private synagogue existed in Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
from 1865 to 1884, and another in Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
from 1885 to 1936. A third synagogue has been formed in Wembley. Over the centuries the community has absorbed many Sephardi immigrants from Italy and North Africa, including many of its rabbis and ''hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, this pr ...
im''. The current membership includes many Iraqi Jews
The history of the Jews in Iraq ( he, יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים, ', ; ar, اليهود العراقيون, ) is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and mos ...
and some Ashkenazim, in addition to descendants of the original families. The Wembley community is predominantly Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
.
The synagogues at Bevis Marks, Lauderdale Road and Wembley are all owned by the same community, formally known as ''Sahar Asamaim'' (Sha'ar ha-Shamayim), and have no separate organisational identities. The community is served by a team rabbinate: the post of ''Haham'', or chief rabbi, is currently vacant (and has frequently been so in the community's history), the current head being known as the "Senior Rabbi". The day-to-day running of the community is the responsibility of a ''Mahamad
Ma'amad or Mahamad ( he, מעמד) was Council of Elders (or "the board of directors") of the communities of Sephardi Jews ( Spanish-Portuguese Jews) corresponding to ''qahal'' of the Ashkenazi Jews. Ma'amad was described as extremely conservative ...
'', elected periodically and consisting of a number of ''parnasim'' (wardens) and one ''gabbay'' (treasurer). Under the current Senior Rabbi, Joseph Dweck, the name of the community has been changed from "Congregation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews" to "S&P Sephardi Community".
In addition to the three main synagogues, there is the Montefiore Synagogue at Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...
associated with the burial place of Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, afte ...
. A synagogue in Holland Park is described as "Spanish and Portuguese" but serves chiefly Greek and Turkish Jews, with a mixed ritual: it is connected to the main community by a Deed of Association. The Manchester Sephardic synagogues are under the superintendence of the London community and traditionally used a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese ritual, which is giving way to a Jerusalem Sephardic style: the membership is chiefly Syrian
Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...
in heritage, with some Turkish, Iraqi and North African Jews. The London community formerly had oversight over some Baghdadi synagogues in the Far East, such as the Ohel Leah Synagogue
The Ohel Leah Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת אהל לאה ''Beit Ha-Knesset Ohel Leah'') and its next-door neighbors, the Jewish Recreation Club and the Jewish Community Center, have formed the center of Jewish social and religious l ...
in Hong Kong and Ohel Rachel Synagogue
The Ohel Rachel Synagogue (Hebrew for "Tent of Rachel") is a Sephardi synagogue in Shanghai, China. Built by Sir Jacob Elias Sassoon in memory of his wife Rachel, it was completed in 1920 and consecrated in 1921. Ohel Rachel is the largest ...
in Shanghai. An informal community using the Spanish and Portuguese rite, and known as the "Rambam Synagogue", exists in Elstree
Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of t ...
and a further minyan
In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( he, מניין \ מִנְיָן ''mīnyān'' , lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Jud ...
has been established in Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...
. Newer Sephardic rite synagogues in London, mostly for Baghdadi and Persian Jews, preserve their own ritual and do not come under the Spanish and Portuguese umbrella.
Like the Amsterdam community, the London Spanish and Portuguese community early set up a ''Medrash do Heshaim'' (''Ets Haim''). This is less a functioning religious college than a committee of dignitaries responsible for community publications, such as prayer books. In 1862 the community founded the "Judith Lady Montefiore College
Judith Lady Montefiore College () is a Jewish theological seminary founded in 1869 by Sir Moses Montefiore in memory of his late wife, Lady Judith Montefiore, at Ramsgate, Kent. Though closed in 1985, the College re-opened in London in 2005.
E ...
" in Ramsgate, for the training of rabbis. This moved to London in the 1960s: students at the college concurrently followed courses at Jews' College (now the London School of Jewish Studies
The London School of Jewish Studies (commonly known as LSJS, originally founded as Jews' College) is a London-based organisation providing adult educational courses and training to the wider Jewish community. Since 2012 LSJS also offers rabbinic ...
). Judith Lady Montefiore College closed in the 1980s, but was revived in 2005 as a part-time rabbinic training programme run from Lauderdale Road, serving the Anglo-Jewish Orthodox community in general, Ashkenazim as well as Sephardim.
In the Americas
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, a majority of conversos leaving Portugal went to Brazil. This included economic emigrants with no interest in reverting to Judaism. As the Inquisition was active in Brazil as well as in Portugal, conversos still had to be careful.
Dutch Sephardim were interested in colonisation, and formed communities in both Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
and Paramaribo
Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...
, Suriname. Between 1630 and 1654, a Dutch colony existed in the north-east of Brazil, including Recife. This attracted both conversos from Portuguese Brazil and Jewish emigrants from Holland, who formed a community in Recife called ''Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue
Kahal Zur Israel was a Jewish synagogue located at Rua do Bom Jesus (Rua dos Judeus) number 197 in Recife, Brazil. It was established in 1636 by Portuguese and Spanish Sephardic Jews that had taken refuge in the Netherlands fleeing forced conver ...
'', the first synagogue in the Americas. On the reconquest of the Recife area by Portugal, many of these Jews (it is not known what percentage) left Brazil for new or existing communities in the Caribbean such as Curaçao. Others formed a new community, Congregation Shearith Israel, in New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
(later renamed as New York) in 1654, the first Jewish synagogue in what became the United States. Numerous conversos, however, stayed in Brazil. They survived by migrating to the countryside in the province of Paraíba and away from the reinstated Inquisition, which was mostly active in the major cities.
In the Caribbean, there were at one point Spanish and Portuguese synagogues in various other Dutch- and English-controlled islands, such as Jamaica, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, Barbados, Sint Eustatius, St. Eustatius and Nevis. With the elimination of the Inquisition after the Spanish American wars of independence, which many Caribbean Sephardim had supported, many of these communities declined as Jews took advantage of their new-found freedom to move to the mainland, where there were better economic opportunities. Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, Panama, Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and Honduras, among others, received numbers of Sephardim. Within a couple of generations, these immigrants mostly converted to Catholicism to better integrate into society. Only in Panama and Suriname did viable communities endure on the Central- and South-American mainland. In the 21st century among the Caribbean islands, only Curaçao and Jamaica still have communities of Spanish and Portuguese Jews.
In Canada, at that time named as 'New France', Esther Brandeau was the first Jew to immigrate to Canada, in 1738, disguised as a Roman Catholic boy. She came from Saint-Esprit (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), a district of Bayonne, a port city in Southwestern France, were Spanish and Portuguese Jews had settled.
In the British Thirteen Colonies, synagogues were formed before the American Revolution at Newport, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, as well as in cities of the southern colonies of South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Since then, many of the former Sephardic synagogues in the southern states and the Caribbean have become part of the Conservative Judaism, Conservative, Reform Judaism, Reform or Reconstructionist Judaism, Reconstructionist movements, and retain only a few Spanish and Portuguese traditions. Thus, among the pioneers of the Reform Judaism movement in the 1820s there was the Sephardic congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina.
Despite the Dutch origins of the New York community, by the 19th century all of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities in the United States and Canada were very much part of the London-based family. The 19th and early 20th century editions of the prayer book published in London and Philadelphia contained the same basic text, and were designed for use on both sides of the Atlantic: for example, they all contained both a prayer for the Royal family and an alternative for use in republican states. The New York community continued to use these editions until the version of David de Sola Pool was published in 1954. On the other hand, in the first half of the 20th century, the New York community employed a series of ''hazzanim'' from Holland, with the result that the community's musical tradition remained close to that of Amsterdam.
There are only two remaining Spanish and Portuguese synagogues in the United States: Shearith Israel in New York, and Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia. In both congregations, only a minority of their membership has Western Sephardic ancestry, with the remaining members a mix of Ashkenazim, Levantine Sephardim, Mizrahim, and converts. Newer Sephardic and Sephardic-rite communities, such as the Syrian Jews of Brooklyn and the Greek and Turkish Jews of Seattle, do not come under the Spanish and Portuguese umbrella. The Seattle community did use the de Sola Pool prayer books until the publication of ''Siddur Zehut Yosef'' in 2002. Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, a community in Los Angeles with a mainly Turkish ethnic background, still uses the de Sola Pool prayer books.
In India and the East Indies – Goa, Cochin, Chennai and Malacca
The signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494, divided the world between Portugal, and Spain. Portugal was allotted responsibility over lands east of the Tordesillas meridian. In 1498 Vasco da Gama arrived on India's western coast where he was first greeted by a History of the Jews in Poland, Polish Jew: Gaspar da Gama. In 1505 Portugal made Kochi, Cochin its eastern headquarters, and in 1510 Goa was established as the capital of Portuguese India.
Goa
With the establishment of the Portuguese colonies in Asia, New Christians began flocking to India's western coast. Regarding Goa, the Jewish Virtual Library states that "From the early decades of the 16th century many New Christians from Portugal came to Goa. The influx soon aroused the opposition of the Portuguese and ecclesiastical authorities, who complained bitterly about the New Christians' influence in economic affairs, their monopolistic practices, and their secret adherence to Judaism." Professor Walter Fischel of the University of California, Berkeley observes that despite the start of the inquisition in Portugal, the Portuguese relied heavily on Jews and New Christians in establishing their fledgling Asian empire. The influence of Jews and New Christians in Goa was substantial. In his book'', The Marrano Factory,'' Professor Antonio Saraiva of the University of Lisbon writes that "King Manuel theoretically abolished discrimination between Old and New Christians by the law of March 1, 1507 which permitted the departure of New Christians to any part of the Christian world, declaring that they 'be considered, favored and treated like the Old Christians and not distinct and separated from them in any matter.' Nevertheless, in apparent contradiction to that law, in a letter dated Almeirim, February 18, 1519, King Manuel promoted legislation henceforth prohibiting the naming of New Christians to the position of judge, town councilor or municipal registrar in Goa, stipulating, however, that those already appointed were not to be dismissed. This shows that even during the first nine years of Portuguese rule, Goa had a considerable influx of recently baptized Spanish and Portuguese Jews" There are even examples of well-positioned Portuguese Jews, and New Christians, leaving the Portuguese administration to work with the Muslim sultanates of India in an attempt to strike back at Portugal for what it had done to them viz-a-viz the inquisition in Portugal. Moises Orfali of Bar-Ilan University writes that the initially Portuguese colonial and ecclesiastical authorities complained in very strong terms about Jewish influence in Goa. The Goa Inquisition which was established in 1560 was initiated by Society of Jesus, Jesuit Priest Francis Xavier from his headquarters in Malacca due to his inability to reanimate the faith of the New Christians there, Goa and in the region who had returned to Judaism. Goa became the headquarters of the Inquisition in Asia.
Cochin, and Chennai
Cochin was, and still is, home to an ancient Jewish community (the Cochin Jews). Sephardic Jews from Iberia joined this community and became known as Paradesi Jews or "White Jews" (as opposed to older community which came to be known as the "Malabari Jews" or "Black Jews"). Cochin also attracted New Christians. In his lecture at the Library of Congress, Professor Sanjay Subrahmanyam of University of California, Los Angeles explains that New Christians came to India for economic opportunities (the Spice trade, the Golconda Diamonds trade, etc.) and because India had well-established Jewish communities which allowed them the opportunity to rejoin the Jewish world.
As explained by Professor Fischel, the Sephardic Jews of London were active in trading out of Fort St. George, India which later developed into the city of Madras, and is known today as Chennai and during the early years, the city council was required to have three Jewish aldermen to represent the community's interests.
Malacca
Malacca, Malaysia was in the 16th century a Jewish hub – not only for Portuguese Jews but also for Jews from the middle east and the Malabar. With its synagogues and rabbis, Jewish culture in Malacca was alive and well. Visible Jewish presence (Dutch Jews) existed in Malacca right up to the 18th century. Due to the inquisition a lot of the Jews of Malacca were either captured or assimilated into the Malacca-Portuguese (Eurasian) community where they continued to live as New Christians. Malacca was the headquarters of Jesuit priest Francis Xavier and it was his discovery of the conversos from Portugal there who had openly returned to Judaism as in the fortresses of India that became the turning point and from whence he wrote to King John III of Portugal to start the inquisition in the East. Prominent Malaccan Jewish figures include Portuguese Rabbi Manoel Pinto, who was persecuted by the Goa Inquisition in 1573 and Duarte Fernandes a former Jewish tailor who had fled Portugal to escape the Inquisition who became the first European to establish diplomatic relations with Thailand.
Synagogues
Most Spanish and Portuguese synagogues are, like those of the Italian Jews, Italian and Romaniote Jews, characterised by a bipolar layout, with the ''tebáh'' Bema#Judaism, bimah) near the opposite wall to the ''Hechál'' (Torah ark). The Hekhál has its ''parochet'' (curtain) inside its doors, rather than outside. The Sefer Torah, sefarim (Torah scrolls) are usually wrapped in a very wide mantle, quite different from the cylindrical mantles used by most Ashkenazi Jews. ''Tikim,'' wooden or metal cylinders around the ''sefarim,'' are typically not used. These were reportedly used, however, by the Portuguese Jewish community in Hamburg.
The most important synagogues, or ''esnogas'', as they are usually called amongst Spanish and Portuguese Jews, are the Portuguese Synagogue
The Portuguese Synagogue, also known as the Esnoga, or Snoge, is a late 17th-century Sephardic synagogue in Amsterdam, completed in 1675. ''Esnoga'' is the word for synagogue in Judaeo-Spanish, the traditional Judaeo-Spanish language of Sephardi ...
of Amsterdam and those in London and New York. Amsterdam is still the historical centre of the Amsterdam ''minhag'', as used in the Netherlands and former Dutch possessions such as Surinam. Also important is the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London, the historical centre of the London ''minhag''. The Curaçao synagogue (built in 1732 and known as the ''Snoa'', the Papiamento form of ''esnoga'') of the ''Mikvé Israel-Emanuel'' congregation is considered one of the most important synagogues in the Jewish history of the Americas.
Since the late 20th century, many ''esnogas'' or synagogues in the Iberian Peninsula have been discovered by archaeologists and restored by both private and governmental efforts. In particular, Girona Synagogue, the synagogues of Girona, Spain and Tomar, Portugal have been impressively restored to their former grandeur, if not their former social importance. (See the article Synagogue of Tomar.) Both Spain and Portugal have recently made efforts to reach out to descendants of Jews who were expelled from the peninsula in the 15th century, inviting them to apply for citizenship.
Language
"Spanish and Portuguese Jews" typically spoke both Spanish and Portuguese in their Early Modern forms. This is in contrast to the languages spoken by Eastern Sephardim and North African Sephardim
North African Sephardim are a distinct sub-group of Sephardi Jews, who descend from exiled Iberian Jewish families of the late 15th century and North African Maghrebi Jewish communities.
Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the ...
, which were archaic Old Spanish language, Old Spanish derived dialects of Judaeo-Spanish ("Ladino") and Haketia (a mixture of Old Spanish, Hebrew language, Hebrew, and Aramaic language, Aramaic, plus various other languages depending on the area of their settlement). Their Early Modern languages also differ from modern Spanish and Portuguese, as spoken by Sephardic Bnei Anusim of Iberia and Ibero-America, including some recent returnees to Judaism in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The use of Spanish and Portuguese languages by Western Sephardim persists in parts of the synagogue service. Otherwise, the use of Spanish and Portuguese quickly diminished amongst the Spanish and Portuguese Jews after the 17th century, when they were adapting to new societies.
In practice, from the mid-19th century on, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews gradually replaced their traditional languages with the local ones of their places of residence for their everyday use. Local languages used by "Spanish and Portuguese Jews" include Dutch in the Netherlands and Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, Low German in the Altona, Hamburg area, English in Great Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, and the United States, and Gascon dialect, Gascon, in its particular Judeo-Gascon sociolect, in France.
In Curaçao, Spanish and Portuguese Jews contributed to the formation of Papiamento, a creole language, creole of Portuguese and various African languages. It is still used as an everyday language on the island.
Spanish and Portuguese Jews who have migrated to Latin America since the late 20th century have generally adopted modern standard Latin American varieties of Spanish as their mother tongue.
Portuguese
Because of the relatively high proportion of immigrants through Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, the majority of Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the 16th and 17th centuries spoke Portuguese as their first language. Portuguese was used for everyday communication in the first few generations, and was the usual language for official documents such as synagogue by-laws; for this reason, synagogue officers still often have Portuguese titles such as ''Parnas dos Cautivos'' and ''Thesoureiro do Heshaim''. As a basic academic language, Portuguese was used for such works as the halakha, halakhic manual ''Thesouro dos Dinim'' by Menasseh Ben Israel and controversial works by Uriel da Costa.
The Judaeo-Portuguese dialect was preserved in some documents, but was extinct since the late 18th century: for example, Portuguese ceased to be a spoken language in Holland in the Napoleonic period, when Jewish schools were allowed to teach only in Dutch and Hebrew. Sermons in Bevis Marks Synagogue
Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim ( he, קָהָל קָדוֹשׁ שַׁעַר הַשָׁמַיִם, "Holy Congregation Gate of Heaven"), is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom in continuous use. It is loc ...
were preached in Portuguese till 1830, when English was substituted. Judaeo-Portuguese has had some influence on the Judeo-Italian languages, Judeo-Italian language of Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, known as ''Bagitto''.
Castilian (Spanish)
Castilian Spanish was used as the everyday language by those who came directly from Spain in the first few generations. Those who came from Portugal regarded it as their literary language, as did the Portuguese at that time. Relatively soon, the Castilian ''Ladino'' took on a semi-sacred status ("Ladino", in this context, simply means literal translation from Hebrew: it should not be confused with the Judaeo-Spanish used by Balkan, Greek and Turkish Sephardim.) Works of theology as well as ''reza books'' (siddurim) were written in Castilian rather than in Portuguese; while, even in works written in Portuguese such as the ''Thesouro dos Dinim'', quotations from the Bible or the prayer book were usually given in Spanish. Members of the Amsterdam community continued to use Spanish as a literary language. They established clubs and libraries for the study of modern Spanish literature, such as the ''Academia de los Sitibundos'' (founded 1676) and the ''Academia de los Floridos'' (1685).
In England the use of Spanish continued until the early 19th century: In 1740 Haham Isaac Nieto produced a new translation into contemporary Spanish of the prayers for the New Year and Yom Kippur, and in 1771 a translation of the daily, Sabbath and Festival prayers. There was an unofficial translation into English in 1771 by A. Alexander and others by David Levi in 1789 and following years, but the Prayer Books were first officially translated into English in 1836, by ''hakham'' David de Aaron de Sola. Today Spanish Jews in England have little tradition of using Spanish, except for the hymn ''Bendigamos'', the translation of the Biblical passages in the prayer-book for Tisha B'Av, and in certain traditional greetings.
Hebrew
The Hebrew of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the 19th century and 20th century is characterised primarily by the pronunciation of (Beth (letter), Beth rafé) as a hard ''b'' (''e.g.'', ''Abrahám, Tebáh, Habdaláh'') and the pronunciation of (Ayin, ʿAyin) as a voiced velar nasal (''Shemang, Ngalénu''). The hard pronunciation of Beth Rafé differs from the ''v'' pronunciation of History of the Jews in Morocco, Moroccan Jews and the Judaeo-Spanish Jews of the Balkans, but is shared by History of the Jews in Algeria, Algerian and Syrian Jews. The nasal pronunciation of 'Ayin is shared with traditional Italian Jews, Italian pronunciation (where it can be either "ng" or "ny"), but not with any other Sephardi groups. Both these features are declining, under the influence of hazzanim from other communities and of Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Israeli Hebrew.
The sibilants , , and are all transcribed as ''s'' in earlier sources. This, along with the traditional spellings ''Sabá'' (Shabbat), ''Menasseh'' (Menashe), ' (Rosh Hashana), ''Sedacáh'' (tzedaka), ''massoth'' (matzot), is evidence of a traditional pronunciation which did not distinguish between the various sibilants—a trait which is shared with some coastal dialects of Moroccan Hebrew. Since the 19th century, the pronunciations (for and [ts] for have become common—probably by influence from Oriental Sephardic immigrants, from Ashkenazi Hebrew and, in our times, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Israeli Hebrew.
The (taw rafé) is pronounced like ''t'' in all traditions of Spanish and Portuguese Jews today, although the consistent transliteration as ''th'' in 17th-century sources may suggest an earlier differentiation of and . (Final is occasionally heard as ''d''.)
In Dutch-speaking areas, but not elsewhere, (gimel) is often pronounced like Dutch "g". More careful speakers use this sound for ''gimel rafé'' (gimel without dagesh), while pronouncing ''gimel'' with dagesh as .
Dutch Sephardim take care to pronounce He (letter), he with mappiq as a full "h", usually repeating the vowel: ''vi-yamlich malchutéhe''.
The accentuation of Hebrew adheres strictly to the rules of Biblical Hebrew, including the secondary stress on syllables with a long vowel before a shva. Also, the shvá nang in the beginning of a word is normally pronounced as a short ''eh'' (''Shemang, berít, berakháh''). Shva nang is also normally pronounced after a long vowel with secondary stress (''ngomedím, barekhú''). However it is not pronounced after a prefixed ''u-'' (and): ', not ''u-bene''.
Vocal shva, segol (short e) and tzere (long e) are all pronounced like the 'e' in "bed": there is no distinction except in length. In some communities, e.g. Amsterdam, vocal shva is pronounced when marked with ''gangya'' (a straight line next to the vowel symbol, equivalent to meteg), and as when followed by the letter yodh: thus ''va-nashubah'' and ''bi-yom'' (but ''be-Yisrael'').
The differentiation between kamatz gadol and kamatz katan is made according to purely phonetic rules without regard to etymology, which occasionally leads to spelling pronunciations at variance with the rules laid down in the grammar books. For example, (all), when unhyphenated, is pronounced "kal" rather than "kol" (in "kal ngatsmotai" and "Kol Nidre, Kal Nidre"), and (noon) is pronounced "tsahorayim" rather than "tsohorayim". This feature is shared by other Sephardic groups, but is not found in Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Israeli Hebrew. It is also found in the transliteration of proper names in the King James Version such as Naomi (biblical figure), Naomi, Oholah and Oholibah, Aholah and Aholibah.
Liturgy
Although all Sephardic liturgies are similar, each group has its own distinct liturgy. Many of these differences are a product of the syncretization of the Spanish liturgy and the liturgies of the local communities where Spanish exiles settled. Other differences are the result of earlier regional variations in liturgy from pre-expulsion Spain. Moses Gaster (died 1939, Hakham of the S&P Jews of Great Britain) has shown that the order of prayers used by Spanish and Portuguese Jews has its origin in the Castilian liturgy of Pre-Expulsion Spain.
As compared with other Sephardic groups, the minhag of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews is characterised by a relatively low number of Kabbalah, cabbalistic additions. The Friday night service thus traditionally starts with Psalms, Psalm 29, "Mizmor leDavid: Habu LaA.”. In the printed siddurim of the mid-17th century, “Lekhah Dodi" and the Mishnah, Mishnaic passage are also not yet included, but these are included in all newer siddurim of the tradition except for the early West London Synagogue, West London and Congregation Mickve Israel, Mickve Israel (Savannah) Reform Judaism, Reform prayerbooks, both of which have Spanish and Portuguese roots.
Of other, less conspicuous, elements, a number of archaic forms can be mentioned—including some similarities with the Italian Jews#Italian rite Jews, Italian and Nusach Ashkenaz, Western Ashkenazi traditions. Such elements include the shorter form of the Birkat Hamazon which can be found in the older Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands, Amsterdam and Portuguese Jewish community in Hamburg, Hamburg/Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Scandinavia, Scandinavian traditions. The Jewish community of Livorno, Livorno (Leghorn) tradition, however, includes many of the cabbalistic additions found in most other Sephardi traditions. The current London minhag is generally close to the Amsterdam minhag, but follows the Livorno tradition in some details—most notably in the Birkat Hamazon.
One interesting feature of the tradition (at least in New York and Philadelphia) is that, when reading the haftarah on Simchat Torah, Simhat Torah and Shabbat Bereshit, the Hatan Torah and Hatan Bereshit chant two extra verses pertaining to bridegrooms from Isaiah 61:10 and 62:5 at the end of the standard haftarot for the days themselves. This seems to be a unique remnant of the old tradition of Haftarah#Haftarah for a bridegroom, reading Isaiah 61:10–63:9 if a bridegroom who had been married the previous week was present in synagogue.
Music
Historical
The religious Jewish music, ritual music of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews differs from other Sephardic music in that it is influenced by Western European Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical music to a relatively high degree. Not only in Spanish and Portuguese communities, but in many others in southern France and northern Italy, it was common to commission elaborate choral compositions, often including instrumental music, for the dedication of a synagogue, for family events such as weddings and circumcisions and for festivals such as Hoshana Rabbah, on which the halachic restriction on instrumental music did not apply.
Already in 1603, the sources tell us that harpsichords were used in the Spanish and Portuguese synagogues in Hamburg. Particularly in the Amsterdam community, but to some degree also in Hamburg and elsewhere, there was a flourishing of Classical music in the synagogues in the 18th century. There was formerly a custom in Amsterdam, inspired by a hint in the ''Zohar'', of holding an instrumental concert on Friday afternoon prior to the coming in of the Shabbat, as a means of getting the congregants in the right mood for the Friday night service. An important Jewish composer was Abraham Caceres; music was also commissioned from non-Jewish composers such as Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti, some of which is still used.
The same process took place in Italy, where the Venetian community commissioned music from non-Jewish composers such as Carlo Grossi and Benedetto Marcello.
Another important centre for Spanish and Portuguese Jewish music was Livorno, where a rich cantorial tradition developed, incorporating both traditional Sephardic music from around the Mediterranean and composed art music: this was in turn disseminated to other centres.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in particular in Italy at the time of the Italian unification, hazzanim sometimes doubled as opera singers, and some liturgical compositions from this period reflect this operatic character.
Choirs
Already in the 17th century, choirs were used in the service on holidays in the Amsterdam community: this choir still exists and is known as ''Santo Serviço''. This custom was introduced in London in the early 19th century. In most cases, the choirs have consisted only of men and boys, but in Curaçao, the policy was changed to allow women in the choir (in a separate section) in 1863.
Instrumental music
There are early precedents for the use of instrumental music in the synagogue originating in 17th century Italy as well as the Spanish and Portuguese communities of Hamburg and Amsterdam and in the Ashkenazic community of Prague. As in most other communities the use of instrumental music is not permitted on Shabbat or festivals.
As a general rule, Spanish and Portuguese communities do not use pipe organs or other musical instruments during services. In some Spanish and Portuguese communities, notably in France (Bordeaux, Bayonne), US (Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, Richmond, Virginia) and the Caribbean (Curaçao), pipe organs came into use during the course of the 19th century, in parallel with developments in Reform Judaism. In Curaçao, where the traditional congregation had an organ set up in the late 19th century, the use of the organ on Shabbat was eventually also accepted, as long as the organ player was not Jewish. In the more traditional congregations, such as London and New York, a free-standing organ or electric piano is used at weddings or Bar and Bat Mitzvah, benot mitzvah (although never on Shabbat or Yom Tob), in the same way as in some English Ashkenazi synagogues.
Current practice
The cantorial style of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews adheres to the general Sephardi principle that every word is sung out loud and that most of the ritual is performed communally rather than soloistically (although nowadays in the New York community, the Pesukei dezimra (''zemirot'') throughout the year, Hallel on festivals or the new moon, and several of the selichot during Yom Kippur are chanted in a manner more similar to the Ashkenazi practice of reading only the first and last few verses of each paragraph aloud). The hazzan's role is typically one of guiding the congregation rather than being a soloist. Thus, there is traditionally a much stronger emphasis on correct diction and knowledge of the Nusach (Jewish music), musical minhag than on the soloistic voice quality. In the parts of the service where the ḥazzan would traditionally have a more soloistic role, the basic melodies are embellished according to the general principles of Baroque performance practice: for example, after a prayer or hymn sung by the congregation, the ḥazzan often repeats the last line in a highly elaborated form. Two- and three-part harmony is relatively common, and Edwin Seroussi has shown that the harmonies are a reflection of more complex, four-part harmonies in written sources from the 18th century.
The recitative style of the central parts of the service, such as the Amidah, the Psalms and the Hebrew cantillation, cantillation of the Torah is loosely related to that of other Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, Mizraḥi communities, though there is no formal Weekly Maqam, maqam system as used by most of these. The closest resemblance is to the rituals of Gibraltar and Northern Morocco, as Spanish and Portuguese communities traditionally recruited their ḥazzanim from these countries. There is a remoter affinity with the Babylonian and North African traditions: these are more conservative than the Syrian and Judaeo-Spanish (Balkan, Greek, Turkish) traditions, which have been more heavily influenced by popular Mediterranean, Turkish and Arabic music.
In other parts of the service, and in particular on special occasions such as the festivals, Shabbat Bereshit and the anniversary of the founding of the synagogue, the traditional tunes are often replaced by metrical and harmonized compositions in the Western European style. This is not the case on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Kippúr (Yom Kippur), when the whole service has a far more archaic character.
A characteristic feature of Oriental Sephardic music is the transposition of popular hymn tunes (themselves sometimes derived from secular songs) to important prayers such as ''Nishmat'' and ''Kaddish''. This occurs only to a limited extent in the Spanish and Portuguese ritual: such instances as exist can be traced to the book of hymns ''Imre no'am'' (1628), published in Amsterdam by Joseph Shalom Gallego, Joseph Gallego, a hazzan originating in Salonica. Certain well-known tunes, such as ''El nora aliláh'' and ''Ahhot ketannáh'', are shared with Sephardi communities worldwide with small variations.
Cantillation
Spanish and Portuguese traditional Hebrew cantillation, cantillation has several unique elements. ''Torah'' cantillation is divided into two musical styles. The first is the standard used for all regular readings. A similar but much more elaborate manner of cantillation is used on special occasions. This is normally referred to as ''High Tangamim'' or ''High Na'um''. It is used for special portions of the Torah reading, principally the Ten Commandments but also Chapter 1 of Book of Genesis, Bereshit (on Simchat Torah), the ''Song of the Sea, Shirat ha-Yam'', the Song of Moses, the concluding sentences of each of the five books and several other smaller portions.
Spanish and Portuguese Torah cantillation has been notated several times since the 17th century. The melodies now in use, particularly in London, show some changes from the earlier notated versions and a degree of convergence with the Iraqi melody.
The rendition of the Haftarah (prophetic portion) also has two (or three) styles. The standard, used for most ''haftarot'', is nearly identical with that of the Moroccan ''Nusach (Jewish music), nusach''. A distinctly more somber melody is used for the three ''haftarot'' preceding the ninth of Ab (the "three weeks".) On the morning of the Tisha B'Av, Ninth of Ab a third melody is used for the Haftarah—although this melody is borrowed from the melody for the Book of Ruth.
There is a special melody used for reading the Book of Esther on Purim, but this is not cantillation in the accepted sense as it is chant-like and does not depend on the Masoretic symbols. There are however the remnants of a cantillation melody in the chant for the verses from the Book of Esther read at the conclusion of the morning service in the two weeks preceding Purim; this melody is also used for certain verses recited by the congregation during the reading on Purim itself.
The books of Ruth, read on Shavuot, and Book of Lamentations, Lamentations, read on the Ninth of Ab, have their own cantillation melodies as well. There is no tradition of reading Ecclesiastes.
Most Spanish and Portuguese communities have no tradition of liturgical reading of the ''Shir haShirim'' (Song of Songs), unlike Ashkenazim who read it on Pesach and Oriental Sephardim who read it on Friday nights. However, in the two weeks preceding Pesach a passage consisting of selected verses from that book is read each day at the end of the morning service. The chant is similar but not identical to the chant for Shir haShirim in the Moroccan tradition, but does not exactly follow the printed cantillation marks. A similar chant is used for the prose parts of the book of Job on the Ninth of Ab.
There is no cantillation mode for the books of Book of Psalms, Psalms, Book of Proverbs, Proverbs and the poetic parts of Book of Job, Job. The chant for the Psalms in the Friday night service has some resemblance to the cantillation mode of the Oriental traditions, but is not dependent on the cantillation marks.
Communities, past and present
Europe
Belgium and the Netherlands
France
Germany and Denmark
Gibraltar
Great Britain
Ireland
Italy
Portugal
Asia
Israel
India
Indonesia
Americas
Canada
United States
Central America and the Caribbean
Suriname
Brazil
Prominent rabbis/clergy
*Immanuel Aboab
*Menasseh Ben Israel
Manoel Dias Soeiro (1604 – 20 November 1657), better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh ben Israel (), also known as Menasheh ben Yossef ben Yisrael, also known with the Hebrew acronym, MB"Y or MBI, was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, writ ...
*Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas
*Saul Levi Morteira
*Jacob ben Hayyim Zemah
*Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
*Jacob Abendana
*David Nieto
*Hezekiah da Silva
*Isaac Nieto
*Gershom Mendes Seixas
*Raphael Meldola (Sephardic Rabbi), Raphael Meldola
*David de Aaron de Sola
*Elijah Benamozegh
*Abraham de Sola
*Sabato Morais
*Abraham Pereira Mendes
*Frederick de Sola Mendes
*Joseph Athias
*Henry Pereira Mendes
*Moses Gaster
*David de Sola Pool
*Shem Tob Gaguine
*Judah Cassuto
*Aron Mendes Chumaceiro
*Abraham Lopes Cardozo
*Isaac Touro
*Henry Samuel Morais
*Abraham Cohen Pimentel
*Emanuel Nunes Carvalho
*Jessurun Cardozo
*Solomon Gaon
*:de:David Cohen de Lara, David Cohen de Lara
*Marc D. Angel
*Hayyim Angel
*Pinchas Toledano
*Joseph Dweck
Other prominent personalities
*First-generation Sephardic exiles – Isaac Abravanel, Solomon ibn Verga, Abraham Zacuto, :de:Abraham ben Salomon de Torrutiel Ardutiel, Joseph ben Tzaddik
* Antonio de Nebrija – linguist, historian, teacher and astronomer
* Judah Leon Abravanel – physician, poet, and philosopher
* Pedro de Herrera – Gibraltar community leader
* Alonso Calle – treasurer on the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas; one of the settlers of Sephardic origin who composed the crew
* Juan de Vergara – writer, humanist and hellenist
* Garcia de Orta – physician, herbalist and naturalist
* Gracia Mendes Nasi – businesswoman and philanthropist
* Amato Lusitano – physician who discovered the circulation of the blood
* Joseph Nasi – Duke of Naxos
* Roderigo Lopez
Roderigo Lopes (also called Ruy Lopes, Ruy Lopez, Roderigo Lopus, Ruy Lopus, Roger Lopez and Rodrigo Lopes; also referred to as Roderigo Lopez and Rodrigo Lopez; c. 1517 – 7 June 1594) served as a physician-in-chief to Queen Elizabeth I of En ...
– physician who served Elizabeth I of England
* Abraham Usque – 16th-century publisher
* Samuel Pallache – merchant, diplomat and pirat
* Elijah Montalto – physician and polemicist from Paris, became the personal physician of Marie de' Medici
* Abraham Cohen de Herrera, Abraham Cohen Herrera – philosophy of religion, religious philosopher and Kabbalah, Kabbalist
* Uriel da Costa – controversial writer
* Antonio Fernandez Carvajal – Portuguese people, Portuguese-Jewish merchant, became the first denization, endenizened English Jew
* Moses Cohen Henriques – Caribbean pirate
* Jacob Lumbrozo – physician, farmer, and trader resident in the Province of Maryland
* Isaac Cardoso – physician, philosopher, and polemic writer
* Benjamin Musaphia – Jewish doctor, scholar and Kabbalist
* Leonora Duarte – Flemish composer and musician
* David Cohen Nassy – professional colonizer who started Jewish colonies in the Caribbean
* Isaac Orobio de Castro – religious writer
* Isaac de Castro Tartas – Jewish martyr
* Miguel de Barrios – poet and historian
* David de Castro Tartas – printer in Amsterdam
* Gabriel Milan – governor of the Danish West Indies
* Abraham Israel Pereyra – prominent Portuguese-Dutch merchant
* Solomon Franco – Jewish rabbi, converted to Anglicanism, first Jew in Greater Boston
* Baruch Spinoza – philosopher
* :es:Daniel Israel López Laguna, Daniel Israel López Laguna – Portuguese-Jamaican translator and poet
* Joseph de la Vega – merchant, poet, and philanthropist
* Solomon de Medina – army contractor for William III of England, first Jew to be knighted in England
* Moses da Costa – 18th-century English banker
* Isaac de Sequeira Samuda – British physician
* Francisco Lopes Suasso – financier to William the Silent
* Luis Moises Gomez – prominent businessman and leader within the early Jewish community in the Province of New York
* Joseph Franco Serrano – Amsterdam publisher, academician and translator of the Torah into Spanish
* Samuel Nunez – Portuguese people, Portuguese physician, among the earliest Jews to settle in North America
* Jacob de Castro Sarmento – Portuguese ''estrangeirado'', physician, naturalist, poet and Deism, deist
* Baron Diego Pereira d'Aguilar – Austrian-English Jewish businessman, community leader and philanthropist
* António José da Silva – Brazilian dramatist
* John de Sequeyra – British physician who was born into a Spanish-Portuguese Jewish family
* David Franco Mendes – Dutch Hebrew-language poet
* Jacob Rodrigues Pereira – financier, academic and the first teacher of deaf-mutes in France
* Joseph Salvador – British-Jewish businessman, first and only Jew to become a director of the East India Company
* Isaac de Pinto – Dutch scholar and one of the main investors in the Dutch East India Company
* Emanuel Mendes da Costa – English Botany, botanist, natural history, naturalist, philosopher, and collector of valuable notes and of manuscripts, and of anecdotes of the literati
* Abraham Caceres, Abraham de Caceres – Portuguese-Dutch composer of the late baroque period
* Isaac Pinto – American publisher
* Aaron Lopez – Portuguese people, Portuguese Jewish merchant and philanthropist
* Isaac Henrique Sequeira – Portuguese people, Portuguese Jewish doctor
* Ephraim Lópes Pereira d'Aguilar, 2nd Baron d'Aguilar – second Baron d'Aguilar, a Barony of the Holy Roman Empire
* Haym Salomon – financier to George Washington
* Francis Salvador – first American Jew killed in the American Revolution
* Aaron Cardozo, Aaron Nunez Cardozo —English businessman, established in Gibraltar[Aaron Nunez Cardozo](_blank)
Jewish Virtual Library and was consul for Tunis and Algiers in Gibraltar
* Daniel Mendoza – English prizefighter, boxing champion of England (1792–95)
* Isaac D'Israeli – writer
* David Ricardo – economist
* Judah Touro – American businessman and philanthropist
* Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, afte ...
– philanthropist
* Mordecai Manuel Noah – American playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian
* Henri Castro – one of the most important empresarios of the Republic of Texas
* Olinde Rodrigues – French banker, mathematician, and Reform movement, social reformer
* Isaac Mendes Belisario – Jamaican artist.
* Abraham Capadose – Dutch physician
* Rehuel Lobatto – Dutch mathematician
* Isaac da Costa – Dutch poet
* Péreire brothers – French financiers, rivals of the Rothschilds
* Abraham Cohen Labatt – American merchant and pioneer of Reform Judaism in the United States
* Benjamin Mendes da Costa – English merchant and philanthropist
* David Laurent de Lara – London-based, Dutch-born limner
* Jacob De Cordova – founder of the Gleaner Company and later a member of the Texas House of Representatives
* Judah P. Benjamin – politician and lawyer
* Samuel Sarphati – Dutch physician and Amsterdam city planner
* Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda – English civil engineer and politician
* Grace Aguilar – novelist
* Mark Prager Lindo – Dutch prose writer
* Edwin de Leon —diplomat, writer, and journalist in the Confederate States of America
* Moses Angel – educationist and founder of ''The Jewish Chronicle''
* :nl:Samuel Senior Coronel, Samuel Senior Coronel – Dutch physician
* Albert Cardozo – American jurist
* Camille Pissarro – French painter
* Jacob Mendes Da Costa – American physician and surgeon
* Jacob da Silva Solis-Cohen American physician who specialized in the field of laryngology.
* Thomas Cooper de Leon – American journalist, author, and playwright
* Catulle Mendès – French poet
* Moses Jacob Ezekiel;– American soldier and sculptor
* Emma Lazarus – American poet
* Raphael Meldola – British chemist and Entomology, entomologist
* Ernest Peixotto – artist
* Daniel De Leon – American socialist, editor-in-chief of a newspaper, politician, theoretician (Marxism), Marxist theoretician, and trade union organizer
* David Belasco – American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright
* M.A. Mendes de Leon – Dutch physician, one of the founding fathers of gynaecology in the Netherlands
* Solomon Solis-Cohen, Solomon da Silva Solis-Cohen American physician, professor of medicine and prominent Zionist.
* Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading – Governor-General of India, Viceroy of India (1921–25), barrister, jurist and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom
* :es:David Lobo, David Lobo – Venezuelan doctor, professor, writer and politician.
* Annie Nathan Meyer – American author and promoter of higher education for women
* Maud Nathan – American social worker, labor activist and suffragette for women's right to vote
* Joseph Mendes da Costa – Dutch sculptor and teacher.
* Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita – Dutch graphic artist, teacher of M. C. Escher
* Benjamin N. Cardozo – U.S. Supreme Court Justice
* Theodore Solomons, Theodore Seixas Solomons –explorer and early member of the Sierra Club
* Federigo Enriques – Italian mathematician
* Emanuel Querido – successful Dutch publisher
* :es:Elías David Curiel, Elías David Curiel – Venezuelan poet, educator and journalist
* Reine Colaço Osorio-Swaab – Dutch composer
* :nl:Mozes Salomon Vaz Dias, Mozes Salomon Vaz Dias – Dutch newspaperman
* :es:Ernesto Cortissoz, Ernesto Cortissoz Alvarez-Correa – Colombian commercial aviation pioneer, founder of SCADTA (now known as Avianca), the oldest still-operating airline in the Americas
* :nl:David Jessurun Lobo, David Jessurun Lobo – Dutch theater actor
* Alexander Teixeira de Mattos – Dutch journalist, literary critic and publisher, who gained his greatest fame as a translator
* Carlos Salzedo French harpist, pianist, composer and conductor
* :nl:Max Oróbio de Castro, Max Oróbio de Castro – Dutch cellist
* Philip Guedalla – writer and critic
* Joseph Teixeira de Mattos – Dutch watercolor painter and pastellist
* Robert Nathan – American novelist and poet
* Vivian de Sola Pinto – British poet, literary critic and historian
* Morris Fidanque de Castro – first native List of Governors of the United States Virgin Islands, Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
* Robert Henriques, Robert David Quixano Henriques – British writer, broadcaster and farmer
* Sir Alan Mocatta – English judge, expert on restrictive practices and a leader of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Britain
* Pierre Mendès France – French President of the Council of Ministers
* William Pereira – American architect noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings
* Sam Costa – British popular singer and radio disk jockey
* Max Delvalle – Vice President (and briefly President) of Panama
* Frank de Miranda – Dutch sculptor, psychologist and publicist.
* Frank Nabarro, Frank R. Nunes Nabarro – English-born South African physicist and one of the pioneers of solid-state physics
* George Maduro – Dutch war hero
* Abraham Bueno de Mesquita – comedian
* Abraham Pais – Dutch-born American physicist and History of science, science historian
* :nl:Hans Ulrich Jessurun d'Oliveira, Hans Ulrich Jessurun d'Oliveira – Dutch journalist and writer
* Eric Arturo Delvalle – President of Panama
* Bruce Bueno de Mesquita – Political science, political scientist, professor at New York University, and senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution
* René Cassin, French jurist
Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews
* Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva – adventurer, slaver and first governor and captain-general of the New Kingdom of León
* Michel de Montaigne – French writer
* Diego Velázquez – Spanish painter
* Juan Lindo – First president of El Salvador and president of Honduras
* Christian de Meza – commander of the Danish army during the 1864 Second Schleswig War
* Camille Pissarro – Danish-French Impressionism, Impressionist and Neo-impressionism, Neo-impressionist painter
* Jorge Isaacs – Colombian writer, politician and soldier
* Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal – President of the Dominican Republic
* Lionel Belasco – Trinidadians, Trinidadian pianist, composer and bandleader, best known for his calypso music, calypso recordings
* Rafael Cansinos-Asséns – Spanish poet, essayist, literary critic and translator
* William Carlos Williams – American poet
* Pedro Henríquez Ureña – Dominican intellectual, essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic
* Amedeo Modigliani – Italian painter and sculptor
* Diego Rivera – Mexican painter
* Fernando Pessoa – Portuguese poet and writer.
* Vicente Lombardo Toledano – Mexican labor leader and philosopher
* Julio Lobo – Cuban sugar trader and financier
* Frieda Belinfante – Dutch cellist
* Evaristo Sourdis Juliao – Colombian diplomat, politician and presidential candidate
* William Pereira – American Futurist architecture#Post-modern futurism, futurist architect
* Frank Silvera – Jamaicans, Jamaican-born American character actor and theatrical director
* Lawrence Ferlinghetti – American poet, painter, liberal activist and co-founder of City Lights Bookstore
* Emmy Lopes Dias – Dutch actress and activist
* Vic Seixas – tennis player
* Peter Sellers – British comic actor, 1st-cousin-4x-removed of boxer Daniel Mendoza
* Harry Belafonte – (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.), American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor
* Arie Pais – Dutch politician and economist
* Herberto Hélder – Portuguese poet
* Pim de la Parra – Surinamese-Dutch film maker
* António Lobo Antunes – Portuguese novelist and medical doctor
* Ricardo Maduro – President of Honduras and Bank of Honduras chairman
* Uri Coronel – Dutch sports director and chairman of Ajax Amsterdam
* Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen, Cecilia Álvarez-Correa – first female Ministry of Transport (Colombia), Minister of Transport of Colombia
* Ophir Pines-Paz – Israeli politician
* Nicolás Maduro – Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela and former Vice President of Venezuela
* Roman Abramovich – Russian Russian oligarch, billionaire businessman, former Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Chukotka, and owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea
* Sean Paul (Henriques) – Jamaican dancehall musician.
See also
*Sephardim
*History of the Jews in Spain
*History of the Jews in Portugal
**Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition ( Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of its king, John III. ...
*History of the Jews in Morocco
*Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands
*History of the Marranos in England
*History of the Jews in Gibraltar
*History of the Jews in Jamaica
*History of the Jews in Barbados
*History of the Jews in Curaçao
**Maduro Holding
**Maduro & Curiel's Bank
*History of the Jews in Suriname
*Sephardic law and customs (for liturgy etc.)
*Lançados
Notes
Bibliography
General
*Altabé, David, ''Spanish and Portuguese Jewry before and after 1492'': Brooklyn 1993
*Marc D. Angel, Angel, Marc D., ''Remnant of Israel: A Portrait Of America's First Jewish Congregation'':
*Barnett, R. D., and Schwab, W., ''The Western Sephardim'' (The Sephardi Heritage Volume 2): Gibraltar Books, Northants., 1989
*Birmingham, S., ''The Grandees: America's Sephardic Elite'': Syracuse 1971 repr. 1997
*David de Sola Pool, de Sola Pool, David and Tamar, ''An Old Faith in the New World'': New York, Columbia University Press, 1955.
*Dobrinsky, Herbert C.: ''A treasury of Sephardic laws and customs: the ritual practices of Syrian, Moroccan, Judeo-Spanish and Spanish and Portuguese Jews of North America.'' Revised ed. Hoboken, N.J.: KTAV; New York: Yeshiva Univ. Press, 1988.
*Gubbay, Lucien and Levy, Abraham, ''The Sephardim: Their Glorious Tradition from the Babylonian Exile to the Present Day'': paperback ; hardback (a more general work but with notable information on the present day London S&P community)
*Moses Hyamson, Hyamson, M., ''The Sephardim of England: A History of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Community 1492–1951'': London 1951
*Katz and Serels (ed.), ''Studies on the History of Portuguese Jews'': New York, 2004
*Laski, Neville, ''The Laws and Charities of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation of London''
*Meijer, Jaap (ed.), ''Encyclopaedia Sefardica Neerlandica: Uitgave van de Portugees-Israëlietische Gemeente'': Amsterdam, 1949–1950 (2 vol., in Dutch): in alphabetical order, but only reaches as far as "Farar"
*Samuel, Edgar, ''At the End of the Earth: Essays on the history of the Jews in England and Portugal'': London 2004
*Singerman, Robert, ''The Jews in Spain and Portugal: A Bibliography'': 1975
*Singerman, Robert, ''Spanish and Portuguese Jewry: a classified bibliography'': 1993
*Studemund-Halévy, Michael & Koj, P. (publ.), ''Sefarden in Hamburg: zur Geschichte einer Minderheit'': Hamburg 1993–1997 (2 vol.)
Caribbean Jews
*Ezratty, Harry A., ''500 Years in the Jewish Caribbean: The Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the West Indies'', Omni Arts Publishers (November 2002); hardback , paperback
*''Spanish and Portuguese Jews in the Caribbean and the Guianas: A Bibliography (Hardcover)'' John Carter Brown Library (June 1999)
*Arbell, Mordechai, ''The Jewish Nation of the Caribbean: The Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Settlements in the Caribbean and the Guianas''
*Arbell, Mordechai, ''The Portuguese Jews of Jamaica''
*Goldish, Josette Capriles, ''Once Jews: Stories of Caribbean Sephardim'', Markus Weiner Publishers (2009)
Synagogue Architecture
*Kadish, Sharman; Bowman, Barbara; and Kendall, Derek, ''Bevis Marks Synagogue 1701–2001: A Short History of the Building and an Appreciation of Its Architecture (Survey of the Jewish Built Heritage in the United Kingdom & Ireland)'':
*''Treasures of a London temple: A descriptive catalogue of the ritual plate, mantles and furniture of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Synagogue in Bevis Marks'': London 1951 ASIN B0000CI83D
Law and ritual
*Brandon, I. Oëb, (tr. Elisheva van der Voort), ''Complete manual for the reader of the Portuguese Israelitic Congregation in Amsterdam'': Curaçao 1989. (The Dutch original was handwritten in 1892 and printed as an appendix to ''Encyclopaedia Sefardica Neerlandica'', above.)
* Peter Nahon, ''Le rite portugais à Bordeaux d’après son'' Seder ḥazanut, Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner : Paris, 2018 . Description and analysis of the Spanish and Portuguese liturgy of Bordeaux, France.
*Shem Tob Gaguine, Gaguine, Shem Tob, ''Keter Shem Tob'', 7 vols (in Hebrew): ketershemtob.com, vols. 1–2, vol. 3, vol. 6
vol. 7
*Salomon, H. P., ''Het Portugees in de Esnoga van Amsterdam. (A Língua Portuguesa na Esnoga de Amesterdão)'': Amsterdam 2002 (in Dutch). Portuguese phrases used in the synagogue service, with a CD showing correct pronunciation.
*Whitehill, G. H., ''The Mitsvot of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, London (Sha'ar Hashamayim): A guide for Parnasim'': London 1969
*''Peri Ets Haim'' (ed. Isaac Haim Abendana de Britto): vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6 (vol. 2 of new series), vol. 7 (vol. 3 of new series), vol. 8 (vol. 4 of new series), vol. 9, vol. 10, vol. 11
vol. 12
*Hirsch, Menko Max, ''Frucht vom Baum des Lebens. Ozer Peroth Ez Chajim. Die Sammlung der Rechtsgutachten Peri Ez Chajim des Rabbinerseminars Ets Haim zu Amsterdam. Zeitlich geordnet, ins Deutsche übertragen und in gekürzter Form herausgegeben'': Antwerp and Berlin 1936, German abstract of the rulings in ''Peri Ets Haim''
*Dayan Haham Pinchas Toledano, Toledano, Pinchas, ''Fountain of Blessings, Code of Jewish Law'' (four volumes), Mekor bracha: Jerusalem 2009.
*David de Sola Pool, de Sola Pool, David, ''The Traditional Prayer Book for Sabbath and Festivals'': Behrman House, 1960.
Reza books (siddurim)
Italy
*Venice edition, 1524: reproduced in photostat in Remer, ''Siddur and Sefer Tefillat Ḥayim'', Jerusalem 2003
*''Libro de Oraciones'', Ferrara 1552 (Spanish only)
*Fiorentino, Salomone, ''Seder Tefilah סדר תפלה: Orazioni quotidiane per uso degli Ebrei Spagnoli e Portoghesi: questo volume contiene le tre orazioni giornaliere, quella del Sabbato e del capo di mese tradotte dall’idioma ebraico coll’aggiunta di alcune note e di qualche poetica versione'' Livorno, 1802.
*Fiorentino, Salomone, ''Seder Tefilah סדר תפלה: Orazioni quotidiane per uso degli ebrei spagnoli e portoghesi ...'' Vienna: Antonio Schmid, 1822.
*Fiorentino, Salomone, ''Seder Tefilah סדר תפלה: Orazioni quotidiane per uso degli ebrei spagnoli e portoghesi ... '' Livorno: Presso Natan Molco, 1825.
*Ottolenghi, Lazzaro E., ''Maḥzor le-yamim nora’im מחזור לימים נוראים: Orazioni ebraico-italiano per il capo d'anno e giorno dell;Espiazione: ad uso degli Israeliti Portoghesi e Spagnoli'' Livorno, 1821.
*Ottolenghi, Lazzaro E., ''Sefer Mo’ade H’: Orazioni ebraico-italiano per le tre annuali solennità: ad uso degli israeliti portoghesi e spagnoli'' Livorno, 1824.
France
*Mardochée Venture, Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières Journalières à l'usage des Juifs portugais ou espagnols .. auxquelles on a ajoutés des notes élémentaires'' Nice, 1772.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des Jours du Ros-Haschana et du Jour de Kippour Nice'' 1773.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières Journalières à l'usage des Juifs portugais ou espagnols .. traduites de l’hébreu: auxquelles on a ajoutés des notes élémentaires, nouvelle édition'' Paris: chez Lévy, 1807.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des Jours du Ros-Haschana et du Jour de Kippour, nouvelle édition'' Paris, 1807.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des Jours de Jeûnes de Guedalya, de Tebeth, d'Esther, de Tamouz et d’Ab'' Paris: chez Lévy, 1807.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des Fêtes de Pessah, Sebouhot, et de Souccot'' Paris: chez Lévy, 1807.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Cantique des Cantique, avec la paraphrase chaldaïque, et traité d'Aboth ... précédé de la Haggada'' Paris: chez Lévy, 1807.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des jours de Rosch-haschana, à l’usage des Israélites du rit portugais, traduites de l’Hébreu avec des notes élémentaires déstinées à faciliter l’intelligence, par Mardochée Venture, nouvelle édition, première partie'' Paris: aux Bureaux des Archives Israélites, 1845.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières du jour de Kippour à l’usage des Israélites, tr. par M. Venture, nouvelle édition, deuxième partie'' Paris: aux Bureaux des Archives Israélites, 1845.
*Venture, Mardochée, ''Prières des Fêtes de Pessah, Sebouhot, et de Souccot Paris, 2d ed.,'' Paris: Lazard-Lévy, 1845.
*Alexandre Créhange, Créhange, Alexandre, ''מנחה חדשה: סדר תפלת ישראל כמנהג ספרד נעתקה ללשון צרפת על ידי אלכסנדר בן ברוך קריהנש: Offrande nouvelle: prières des Israélites du rite espangol et portugais, traduction de A. ben Baurch Créhange'' Paris, 1855.
*Alexandre Créhange, Créhange, Alexandre, ''Erech Hatephiloth où Prières des Grandes Fêtes à l’usage des Israélites du Rite Séfarad. Kippour. Léon Kaan éditeur, traduction française de A. Créhange'' Paris: Librairie Durlacher, 1925.
*Créhange, Alexandre, ''מחזור ליום כפורים זכור לאברהם: Rituel de Yom Kippour, rite séfarade, traduction française des prières par A. Créhange, Seli’hot, introduction et règles concernant Roche Hachana 4th ed.'' Paris: Les éditions Colbo, 1984.
*Créhange, Alexandre, ''מחזור לראש השנה זכור לאברהם: Rituel de Roche HaChana, rite séfarade, traduction française des prières par A. Créhange, transcription en caractères latine des principaux passages du Rituel, introduction et règles concernant le Yom Kippour 2d ed.'' Paris: Les éditions Colbo, 1984.
*Créhange, Alexandre, ''Rituel de Roche HaChana, rite séfarade'', Editions du Scèptre, Colbo, 2006, .
*Créhange, Alexandre, ''Rituel de Yom Kippour, rite séfarade 3rd ed.'', Editions du Scèptre, Colbo, 2006.
*Créhange, Alexandre, ''Rituel des Trois Fêtes, rite séfarade'', Editions du Scèptre, Colbo, 2006, .
Netherlands
*Menasseh ben Israel, ''Orden de Ros Asanah y Kipúr'': Amsterdam 1630 (Spanish only)
*''Seder ha-tefillot ke-minhag K"K Sefardim'', with Dutch translation (S. Mulder): Amsterdam 1837
*''Seder ha-mo'adim ke-minhag K"K Sefardim'' (festivals), with Dutch translation (S. Mulder): Amsterdam 1843
*''Seder le-Rosh ha-Shanah ke-minhag K"K Sefardim'' (Rosh Hashanah), with Dutch translation (S. Mulder): Amsterdam 1849
*''Seder le-Yom Kippur ke-minhag K"K Sefardim'' (Yom Kippur), with Dutch translation (S. Mulder): Amsterdam 1850
*''Tefillat Kol Peh'', ed. and tr. Ricardo: Amsterdam 1928, repr. 1950
English-speaking countries
*Isaac Nieto, ''Orden de las Oraciones de Ros-Ashanah y Kipur'', London 1740
*Nieto, ''Orden de las Oraciones Cotidianas, Ros Hodes Hanuca y Purim'', London 1771
*A. Alexander, 6 vols, London 1771–77, including:
**''The Liturgy According to the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Hebrew and English, as Publicly Read in the Synagogue, and Used By All Their Families'' (vol 3)
**''The tabernacle service which are publicly read in the synagogue. By the Spanish and Portuguese Jews. And used by all families'' (vol 4)
**''The Festival service which are publicly read in the synagogue by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews and used by all families''
**''Evening and morning service of the of the year, which are publicly read in the synagogue by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, and used by all families''
**''The fasts days service. Which are publickly read in the synagogue. By the Spanish and Portuguese Jews and used by all families'' (vol 6)
*''The Order of Forms of Prayer'' (6 vols.), David Levi: London 1789–96, repr. 1810
*''Forms of Prayer According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'', David de Aaron de Sola, D. A. de Sola, London 1836
*''Siddur Sifte Tsaddikim, the Forms of Prayer According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'', Isaac Leeser, Philadelphia (6 vols.) 1837-8
*''Forms of Prayer According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'', Abraham de Sola, Philadelphia 1878
*''Book of Prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, London'' (5 vols.), Moses Gaster, 1901
*''Book of Prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, London'' (5 vols.): Oxford (Oxford Univ. Press, Vivian Ridler), 5725–1965 (since reprinted)
*''Book of Prayer: According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'', David de Sola Pool, New York: Union of Sephardic Congregations, 1941, 1954 (later edition 1979) (The 1960 printing is scanned and availabl
here
)
*Solomon Gaon, Gaon, Solomon, ''Minhath Shelomo: a commentary on the Book of prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'': New York 1990 (based on de Sola Pool edition)
*Daily and festival prayers books, Congregation Shearith Israel: New York
Published prayer books for the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation
Musical traditions
*Adler, Israel: ''Musical life and traditions of the Portuguese Jewish community of Amsterdam in the 18th century.'' (Yuval Monograph Series; v. 1.) Jerusalem: Magnes, 1974.
*Aguilar, Emanuel & De Sola, David A.:.
טללי זמרה Sephardi melodies, being the traditional liturgical chants of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ Congregation London
', London 1857. Second edition publ by the Society of Heshaim with the sanction of the Board of Elders of the Congregation, Oxford Univ. Press, 5691–1931.
*Kanter, Maxine Ribstein: “High Holy Day hymn melodies in the Spanish and Portuguese synagogues of London”, in ''Journal of Synagogue Music'' X (1980), No. 2, pp. 12–44
*Kramer, Leon & Guttmann, Oskar: ''Kol Shearit Yisrael: Synagogue Melodies'' Transcontinental Music Corporation, New York, 1942.
*Lopes Cardozo, Abraham: ''Sephardic songs of praise according to the Spanish-Portuguese tradition as sung in the synagogue and home.'' New York, 1987.
*Rodrigues Pereira, Martin: חָכְמַת שְׁלֹמֹה ''(‘Hochmat Shelomoh) Wisdom of Solomon: Torah cantillations according to the Spanish and Portuguese custom'' Tara Publications, 1994
*Seroussi, Edwin: ''Spanish-Portuguese synagogue music in nineteenth-century Reform sources from Hamburg: ancient tradition in the dawn of modernity.'' (Yuval Monograph Series; XI) Jerusalem: Magnes, 1996. ISSN 0334-3758
*Seroussi, Edwin: "Livorno: A Crossroads in the History of Sephardic Religious Music", from Horowitz and Orfali (ed.), ''The Mediterranean and the Jews: Society, Culture and Economy in Early Modern Times''
*Swerling, Norman P.: ''Romemu-Exalt: the music of the Sephardic Jews of Curaçao.'' Tara Publications, 1997. .
Discography
*''Musiques de la Synagogue de Bordeaux'': Patrimoines Musicaux Des Juifs de France (Buda Musique 822742), 2003.
*''Talele Zimrah — Singing Dew'': ''The Florence-Leghorn Jewish Musical Tradition'' (Beth Hatefutsot) 2002.
*''Choral Music of Congregation Shearith Israel'', Congregation Shearith Israel, 2003.
*''Traditional Music of Congregation Shearith Israel'' (Shearith Israel League) 3 CD's.
*''Jewish Voices in the New World: Chants and Prayers from the American Colonial Era'': Miliken Archive (Naxos) 2003
*''Sephardic Songs of Praise'': Abraham L. Cardozo (Tara Publications)
*'' The Western Sefardi Liturgical Tradition'': Abraham Lopes Cardozo (The Jewish Music Research Center- Hebrew University) 2004
*'' A Sephardi Celebration'' The Choir of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation, London, Maurice Martin, Adam Musikant (The Classical Recording Company)
*''Kamti Lehallel: I Rise in Praise'', Daniel Halfon (Beth Hatefutsot) 2007
External links
Educational institutions
Ets Haim Library (Amsterdam)
The Judith Lady Montefiore College
(rabbinic training programme in London)
Naima Jewish Preparatory School (London)
Society of Heshaim, London
Bet Midrash Nidhe Israel (Dominican Republic)
La Nacao, a new site reviewing academic works on Western Sephardim
Musical and liturgical customs
Netherlands
Amsterdam Portuguese Chazzanut: Spanish and Portuguese Chazzanut & Minhagim (Customs) in the Esnoga
United Kingdom
Sephardi Centre Music Fund, London
London Sephardi Music
Recordings of the liturgical music of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of London, Rabbi Jonathan Cohen
Liturgical Music of Shaar Hashamayim
Hazzanut recordings, Rev. Halfon Benarroch
London Sephardi Congregational Melodies
(includes instructions for downloading musical notation font)
France
Liturgie Hebraïque du Rite Séfardi dit Portugais
Bordeaux tradition
Italy
Minhag Fiorentino
Florence tradition (subscription only)
Americas
Liturgical Music of Congregation Shearith Israel, New York
Mikveh Israel Hazzanut
nbsp;– Detailed, comprehensive compendium of liturgical customs throughout the year, including tunes and readings, for the Philadelphia and New York branches of the tradition.
Yede Abraham
– Hazzanut in the Spanish and Portuguese tradition (mostly New York and Philadelphia)
General
S&P Central: An Information Hub for Spanish & Portuguese Jewish Communities
created by Joshua de Sola Mendes
Melodies
Daniel Halfon, Hazan of Spanish and Portuguese Liturgical Music
Taamim.org
nbsp;– S&P cantillation and Haftarah blessings on Taamim.org
Other
Site of Hakham Yaaqob haLevi de Oliveira s"t, Israel
Los cinco libros de la Sacra Ley translated to Spanish by Joseph Franco Serrano
The Spanish and Portuguese Intellectual Tradition
– bibliography and other resources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish And Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews,
Jewish ethnic groups
Sephardi Jews topics
Spanish Jews,
Portuguese Jews,