Sephardi

American  

[suh-fahr-dee, suh-fahr-dee] / səˈfɑr di, sə fɑrˈdi /

noun

Sephardim plural

1. a member of the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal, distinguished from the Ashkenazim and from other Jewish communities chiefly by liturgy, religious customs, and pronunciation of Hebrew: after expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492, the Sephardim established communities in North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere.

   She grew up in a warm Jewish community, most of whom were Sephardim.

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adjective

1. Also Sephardic of or relating to the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal and later dispersed to North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere, or to the culture, liturgy, or variety of Hebrew used by these Jews.

   He has also published research on Sephardi schools in Argentina.

   The music of the prayers is performed mainly in the Eastern Sephardi style.

Sephardi British  

/ sɪˈfɑːdiː /

noun

1. 1. a Jew of Spanish, Portuguese, or North African descent

   2. (loosely) any Oriental Jew

2. the pronunciation of Hebrew used by these Jews, and of Modern Hebrew as spoken in Israel

3. (modifier) of or pertaining to the Sephardim, esp to their liturgy and ritual

4. (modifier) of or pertaining to the liturgy adopted by certain European, esp Chassidic, communities who believe it to be more authentic but nonetheless differing from the genuine Oriental liturgy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Sephardic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Sephardim
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Sephardi

First recorded in 1850–55; from Modern Hebrew Səphāraddīm, plural of Səphāraddī, equivalent to Hebrew Səphāradh, a region mentioned in Bible (Obadiah 20), probably in northern Asia Minor, but later interpreted to be Spain + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sephardi Sephardim

The original Arabic names of the signs of the zodiac were translated into Hebrew, a detail that suggested that the relic had at one point circulated within a Sephardi Jewish community.

From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2024

A museum representative said it was originally built to serve Manchester's Sephardi Jewish communities and was "designed and decorated to reflect the Spanish and Portuguese heritage" of the people that worshipped there.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2023

He was previously detained by Israel between 2005 and 2011 after being accused of attempting to assassinate Sephardi rabbi Ovadia Yossef, the founder of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, but has always maintained his innocence.

From Reuters ● Dec. 18, 2022

No matter what kind of Jew you are — Orthodox or secular, right-wing or left-wing, Ashkenazi, mizrahi, or Sephardi — you trot out the “freedom” metaphor at your Seder.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 14, 2022

You are a Sephardi as well as my cousin.

From The King of Schnorrers Grotesques and Fantasies by Zangwill, Israel

“The Sephardim came to Spain with the Romans,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2022

My Jewish ancestors came to America in the late 19th century, the Ashkenazi branch fleeing pogroms in Lithuania and the Sephardim fleeing poverty in Holland.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2022

Iberian Muslims and Sephardim scattered throughout the world, especially to the Ottoman Empire, where Bayezid offered asylum.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 19, 2018

About 5,000 Sephardim have taken up the offer.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2017

The Jews here are from all over the world: Ashkenazim from Europe; Sephardim from Spain, Africa, Greece; Mizrahim from the countries here around us; Americans; Sabras, who've been here for millennia—all with their own languages.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper