Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews . Therefore, Sephardic cuisine tends to be lighter, healthier, and more colorful. On Ashkenazi tefillin the Shin has a pointy triangular base, whereas on Sephardic tefillin the Shin has wide, slightly angled base. See Hebrew Alphabet. Mimouna celebration hosted by North African Israeli families in Ashkelon, April 2013. Sephardic Custom vs. Ashkenazi Custom. (U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Wikimedia) Many customs differ based on Jews’ ethnicities — Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews observe many different customs from one another. Chamin is a Sephardic stew made for Shabbat. In addition, the internationally recognized languages used by Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews are different. Most Ashkenazim are adopting Sephardic pronunciation now because it is the pronunciation used in Israel. Holiday customs are also different. Rarely did Sephardim lose their internal cohesion -- that is, until the process of cultural erosion set in. Unlike the other two groups, most of their history they lived in countries where Christianity was the dominant religion. It is a difference that cannot be characterized by the categories of rationalism versus mysticism or of the speculative versus the intuitive mentality. By . For most Americans, traditional Jewish culture summons up images of Passover seders with steaming bowls of matzah ball soup, black-hatted, pale-skinned Hasidic men, and Yiddish- On the Shel Rosh of all tefillin there is a three-branched Shin on one side and a four-branched Shin on the other. Sephardic prayer services are somewhat different from Ashkenazic ones, and Sephardim use different melodies in their services. A very similar dish can be found in Ashkenazi tradition—it’s called Cholent. Sephardi-Ashkenazi relations have at times been tense and clouded by arrogance, snobbery and claims of racial superiority, with both sides claiming the inferiority of the other, based upon such features as physical traits and culture. Following the Ashkenazi lead, Sephardim abandoned their traditional culture and adapted to the fractious Ashkenazi model. Rabbi Rachel M. Solomin. Ashkenazi Jews – Ashkenazi Jews are the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. Many traditional dishes can be found in both Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions, with slight variations. Nowadays the thing that unites Sephardic Jews worldwide is their minhag, their customs regarding worship and details of Jewish Law. The foods are different (couscous and dafina for sephardi; Gefilte fish, smoked salmon and Borscht with sour cream for ashkenazi), the clothes are different. In some instances, Sephardi Jews have joined Ashkenazi communities, and have intermarried. For example, Ashkenazi Jews have latkes and Sephardic Jews have jelly doughnuts to celebrate Hanukkah. Sephardic Jews also have other holiday customs and various traditional foods. A good general English resource, if somewhat simplistic, is Herbert Dobrinsky's Treasury of Sephardic Laws and Customs, as is Marc Angel's Exploring Sephardic Customs. Right. What distinguishes Sephardic from Ashkenazic culture is, however, primarily a difference of form rather than a divergence of content. Left vs. Smotrich: Likud May Fail Because of Its Wasteful and Dangerous Moves ... a Family Business or a Family Culture? The Sephardic ideal has always been understood in terms of political moderation and community unity. The Jewish world is more ethnically and racially diverse than many people realize. The form of the Shin differs somewhat, in accordance with various customs. Goldstein on Gelt. For Ashkenazi Jews, Yiddish is most common, while for Sephardic Jews, Ladino is most common. 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