Part of a series of articles on Jews and Judaism           Who is a Jew? · Etymology · Culture Judaism · Core principles God · Tanakh (Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) · Mitzvot (613) · Talmud · Halakha · Holidays · Prayer · Tzedakah · Ethics · Kabbalah · Customs · Midrash Jewish ethnic diversity Ashkenazi · Sephardi · Mizrahi Population (historical) · By country Israel · USA · Russia/USSR · Iraq · Spain · Portugal · Poland · Germany · Bosnia · Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela)  · France · England · Canada · Australia · Hungary · India · Turkey · Greece · Africa · Iran · China Republic of Macedonia · Romania Lists of Jews · Crypto-Judaism Jewish denominations · Rabbis Orthodox · Conservative · Reform · Reconstructionist · Liberal · Karaite · Humanistic · Renewal  · Alternative Jewish languages Hebrew · Yiddish · Judeo-Persian · Ladino · Judeo-Aramaic · Judeo-Arabic History · Timeline · Leaders Ancient · Temple · Babylonian exile · Jerusalem (in Judaism · Timeline) · Hasmoneans · Sanhedrin · Schisms · Pharisees · Jewish-Roman wars · Relationship with Christianity; with Islam · Diaspora · Middle Ages · Sabbateans · Hasidism · Haskalah · Emancipation · Holocaust · Aliyah · Israel (History) · Arab conflict · Land of Israel · Baal teshuva Persecution · Antisemitism History of antisemitism · Political movements · Zionism Labor Zionism · Revisionist Zionism · Religious Zionism · General Zionism · The Bund · World Agudath Israel · Jewish feminism · Israeli politics v • d • e

See also: Judaism by country

Jewish ethnic divisions refers to a number of distinct communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut " Who is a Jew? " (Mihu Yehudi? ?מיהו יהודי is a basic question about Jewish identity. This article focuses on the Etymology of the word Jew. Biblical and Middle Eastern origins The Jews in their land The Jewish ethnonym in Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena above all it is the Culture of secular communities of Jewish people but it can also include Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Although Jews and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles Judaism has no formal statement of principles of faith such as a Creed or Catechism In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים "writings" is the third and final section of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) after Torah and Nevi'im This article is about commandments in Judaism For the Jewish rite of passage see Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah ( Hebrew: מצוה See also Mitzvah See also Biblical law in Christianity The 613 Mitzvot ("commandments" (also " 613 Mitzvos The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. Jewish services ( Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah; plural תפלות, tefillos or tefillot; Yinglish: davening Tzedakah ( צדקה) is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning Justice Jewish ethics stands at the intersection of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of Ethics. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Minhag ( Hebrew: מנהג "custom" pl minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Jewish population refers to the number of Jews in the world Precise figures are difficult to calculate because the definition of " Who is a Jew " remains a Jewish population centers have shifted tremendously over time due to the constant streams of Jewish refugees created by expulsions persecution and officially sanctioned killing This article deals with the practice of Judaism and the living arrangement of Jewish people in the listed countries The History of the Jews in the Land of Israel begins with the ancient Israelites (also known as Hebrews) who settled in the Land of Israel. The history of the Jews in the United States has been influenced by waves of immigration primarily from Europe inspired by the social and economic opportunities of the United Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule in Spain, before they The history of the Jews in Portugal is directly related to Sephardi history a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a Millennium. Jews have lived in Germany, or " Ashkenaz " at least since the early 4th century, through both periods of tolerance and spasms of The Jewish community of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich and varied history surviving World War II and the Yugoslav Wars, after having The history of the Jews in the Americas dates back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross- Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492 The history of the Jews of Argentina harks back to the days of the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what A Brazilian Jew ( Portuguese: Judeu Brasileiro) is a Brazilian person of full partial or predominantly Jew ancestry or a Jew-born person residing in Brazil Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving in Christopher Columbus 's crew Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived on the island of Cuba for centuries Jews have been present in El Salvador since the early 19th Century. Jews have lived in Mexico since the times of the Inquisition. Jewish Nicaraguans or Nicaraguan Jews (Judío Nicaragüense are Nicaraguans of Jewish Ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to Nicaragua The History of the Jews in Venezuela dates to the middle of the 17th century when records suggest that groups of Marranos (Spanish and Portuguese descendants of baptized The Jewish community in France presently numbers around 600000 according to the World Jewish Congress and 500000 according to the Appel Unifié Juif de France and is The first written records of Jewish settlement in England date from the time of the Norman Conquest, mentioning Jews who arrived with William the Conqueror Canada has the world's fourth-largest Jewish population According to the Canada 2001 Census, there are an estimated 351000 Jews currently living in Canada The history of the Jews in Australia began with the transportation of a number of Jewish Convicts aboard the First Fleet in 1788 when History of the Jews in Hungary concerns the Jews of Hungary and of Hungarian origins Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first non- Dharmic religions to arrive in India in recorded history Jews {ref|name|§}} have lived in the geographic area of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) for more than 2400 years There have been organized Jewish communities in Greece for more than two thousand years Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late biblical times Jews and Judaism in China' have had a long history Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may The history of Jews in the territory of the present-day Republic of Macedonia began in Roman times when Jews first arrived in the region in the The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory By type List of Jewish historians List of Jewish scientists and philosophers List of Jewish nobility Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as "crypto-Jews" Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel and Europe) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan (1881 – 1983 Karaite Judaism or Karaism (ˈkærəˌaɪt ˈkærəˌɪzəm) is a Jewish movement NOTE The word sect should not be used without defining it first and Humanistic Judaism is a movement within Judaism that emphasizes Jewish culture and history—rather than belief in God—as the sources of Jewish identity Jewish Renewal is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with mystical, Hasidic, Musical and Alternative Judaism or Agnostic Judaism refers to a variety of groups whose members while identifying as Jews in some fashion nevertheless do not practice Rabbinical The Jewish languages are a set of Languages that developed in various Jewish communities around the world more notably in Europe, West Asia, and Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High Judæo-Persian dialects are a subgroup of Persian dialects spoken by the Jews of Iran Judæo-Aramaic is a collective term used to describe several Hebrew -influenced Aramaic and Neo-Aramaic Languages History The Judæo-Arabic languages are a collection of Arabic dialects spoken by Jews living or formerly living in the Arab world; the term also refers to Jewish history is the History of the Jewish people, faith, and culture. This is a timeline of the development of Judaism and the Jewish people. Jewish leadership has evolved over time Since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE there has been no single body that has a leadership The history of Ancient Israel and Judah is known to us from classical sources including Judaism 's Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (known Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the See also Religious significance of Jerusalem Since the 10th century BCE Jerusalem in Judaism has been the holiest city, focus and spiritual centre of This is a partial timeline of major events in the History of Jerusalem:; 1800 BCE: The Jebusites build the wall Jebus ( Jerusalem The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE The Sanhedrin (סנהדרין συνέδριον ''synedrion'', "sitting together" hence " assembly " or "council" was an assembly Schisms among the Jews are cultural as well as religious They have happened as a product of historical accident geography and Theology. The word Pharisees ( lat. pharisæ|us, - i) comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "separated" This article discusses the traditional views of the two religions and may not be applicable all adherents of each The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. The Jewish diaspora ( Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered" or Galut גלות "exile" Yiddish: tfutses) the presence The History of Jews in the Middle Ages (approximately 500 CE to 1750 CE can be divided into two categories Also not to be confused with Subbotniks or Sabbatarians. Note Most Sabbateans during and after Sabbatai Zevi were Jews Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew Haskalah ( Hebrew: השכלה "enlightenment" "education" from sekhel " Intellect " "mind") the Jewish Enlightenment Jewish question Jewish emancipation was the abolition of discriminatory laws as applied especially to Jews in Europe in the nineteenth century the recognition of Jews The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The State of Israel (מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael) was established in 1948 after nearly two thousand For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is Note This article is about the movement See Orthodox outreach, Reform outreach, and Conservative outreach for more information about the rabbis See also Antisemitism, History of antisemitism, New antisemitism The persecution of Jews has occurred many times in Jewish history. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility The history of antisemitism, hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as a religious or ethnic group goes back many centuries Jewish political movements refer to the organized efforts of Jews to build their own political parties or otherwise represent their interest in politics outside of History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the Labor Zionism ( Labour Zionism, ציונות סוציאליסטית tsionut sotsialistit) can be described as the major stream of the Left wing of the Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement (a branch of which is also called Mizrachi) is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious The General Zionists (ציונים כלליים Tzionim Klalim) were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel World Agudath Israel (The World Jewish Union usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism Jewish feminism is a movement that seeks to improve the religious legal and social status of women within Judaism and to open up new opportunities for religious experience Politics of Israel takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Israel is This article deals with the practice of Judaism and the living arrangement of Jewish people in the listed countries Jewish population refers to the number of Jews in the world Precise figures are difficult to calculate because the definition of " Who is a Jew " remains a Although considered one single self-identifying ethnicity, there are distinct ethnic divisions among Jews, most of which are primarily the result of geographic branching from an originating Israelite population, and subsequent independent evolutions. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008

As long ago as Biblical times, cultural and linguistic differences between Jewish communities, even within the area of Ancient Israel and Judea, are observed both within the Bible itself as well as from archeological remains. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is The history of Ancient Israel and Judah is known to us from classical sources including Judaism 's Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (known Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos In more recent human history, an array of Jewish communities were established by Jewish settlers in various places around the Old World, often at great distances from one another resulting in effective and often long-term isolation from each other. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century During the millennia of the Jewish diaspora the communities would develop under the influence of their local environments; political, cultural, natural and populational. A millennium (pl millennia) is a period of Time equal to one thousand Years (from Latin la mille, thousand and la annum The Jewish diaspora ( Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered" or Galut גלות "exile" Yiddish: tfutses) the presence Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Nature, in the broadest sense is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Today, manifestation of these differences among the Jews can be observed in Jewish cultural expressions of each community, including Jewish linguistic diversity, culinary preferences, liturgical practices, religious interpretations, as well as degrees and sources of genetic admixture. Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena above all it is the Culture of secular communities of Jewish people but it can also include The Jewish languages are a set of Languages that developed in various Jewish communities around the world more notably in Europe, West Asia, and

Historical background

Ancient Israel and Judah

The full extent of the cultural, linguistic, religious or other differences among the Israelites in antiquity is unknown. Following the defeat of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the Middle East, especially in Egypt, the African Nile Valley, Yemen and Mesopotamia. The Kingdom of Israel ( ( KJV Israel in Samaria) was one of the successor states to the older United Monarchy (also often called the 'Kingdom of Israel' Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding By the height of the Roman Empire, Jewish communities could be found in nearly every notable settlement throughout the Empire, as well as scattered communities found in settlements beyond the Empire's borders in northern Europe and in Africa. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In the east, Jewish communities could be found throughout Parthia and in empires even farther east including India and China. Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Jews could also be found in eastern Europe and southwestern Asia.

In the late Byzantine period the khan of Khazaria in the northern Caucasus and his court converted to Judaism, partly in order to maintain neutrality between Christian Byzantium and the Muslim world. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. This event forms the framework for Yehuda Halevi's work 'The Kuzari'. Yehuda Halevi, in full Yehuda ben Shemuel Ha-Levi, also Judah Halevi, or Judah ben Samuel Halevi ( Hebrew: יהודה הלוי) (c The Kuzari is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi. How far traces of Judaism among this group survived the collapse of the Khazar empire is a matter of scholarly debate.

Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, and especially after the Moorish invasion of Iberia, communications between the communities in various parts of the former Empire became sporadic. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent With increasing persecution in "Ashkenaz"—that is, the areas that are now northern France and Germany—masses of Jews began to move further to the east, where they were welcomed by the king of Poland. Ashkenaz is Gomer 's first son brother of Riphath, and Togarmah (Gen This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland At the same time, as a result of the freer communications within the Muslim world, the communities in Iberia were in more frequent communication with those in North Africa and the Middle East. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Meanwhile, communities further afield, in central and south Asia and central Africa, remained isolated and continued to develop their own unique traditions. Following the 1492 Expulsion from Spain, the Sephardim were dispersed to the Americas, the Netherlands, the Balkans, North Africa and in smaller numbers to other areas of the Middle East. The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March, 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan

Although the Jewish population was severely reduced by the Jewish-Roman Wars and the hostile policies of the Christian emperors^[1], Jews had always retained a presence in Palestine. Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. In the 6th century, there were 43 Jewish communities in Palestine. During the Islam and Crusader periods, there were 50 communities which included Jerusalem, Tiberias, Ramleh, Ashkelon, Caesarea, and Gaza. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Tiberias ( British English: /taɪˈbɪəriæs -əs/ American English: /taɪˈbɪriəs/ טְבֶרְיָה Tverya; طبرية Ṭabariyyah Ramla (רַמְלָה Ramlāh; الرملة also Ramle and sometimes Rama) is a city in central Israel with a mixed Arab and Ashkelon (אַשְׁקְלוֹן ٲشكلون also عسقلان; Latin: Ascalon; Akkadian: Isqalluna is a coastal city in southern Caesarea Maritima (Greek παράλιος Καισάρεια called Caesarea Palaestina from 133 CE onwards was a city and Harbor built by Herod the Great Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. During the early Ottoman Period there were 30 communities which included Haifa, Shechem, Hebron, Ramleh, Jaffa, Gaza, Jerusalem, and many in the north, the most dominant one being Safed which reached a population of 30,000 Jews by end of the 16th century. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Nablus ( sometimes Nābulus; Arabic:; næːblʊs is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Safed (צְפַת pronounced Tsfat; صفد pronounced Safad) is a city in the Northern District of Israel.

Over the centuries following the Crusades, Jews from around the world began emigrating in increasing numbers. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents Upon arrival, these Jews adopted the customs of the Mizrahi and Sephardi communities into which they moved. Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural With Baron von Rothschild's philanthropic land purchases and subsequent efforts to turn Palestine into a verdant Jewish homeland, and the subsequent rise of Zionism, a flood of Ashkenazi immigration brought the Jewish population of the region to several hundred thousand. Baron Rothschild, of Tring in the County of Hertford, is a peerage title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the

Modern Divisions

Geographic illustration of the major Jewish ethnic divisions in Afro-Eurasia c. Afro-Eurasia or less commonly Afrasia or Eurafrasia Normally it is divided at the Suez Canal into Eurasia and Africa the former of which can be subdivided 1490 AD

Historically, Jews have been identified into two major groups: the Ashkenazim, or "Germans" (Ashkenaz meaning "Germany" in Medieval Hebrew, denoting their Central European base), and the Sephardim, or "Hispanics" (Sefarad meaning "Hispania" or "Iberia" in Hebrew, denoting their Spanish and Portuguese base). Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Medieval Hebrew has many features that distinguish it from older forms of Hebrew. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Mizrahim, or "Easterners" (Mizrach being "East" in Hebrew), that is Middle Eastern and North African Jews, could constitute a third major group. Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended

Smaller Jewish groups include the Georgian Jews and Mountain Jews from the Caucasus; Indian Jews including the Bene Israel, Bnei Menashe, Cochin Jews and Bene Ephraim; the Romaniotes of Greece; the Italkim or Bené Roma of Italy; the Teimanim from the Yemen and Oman; various African Jews, including most numerously the Beta Israel of Ethiopia; the Bukharan Jews of Central Asia; and Chinese Jews, most notably the Kaifeng Jews, as well as various other distinct but now extinct communities. The Georgian Jews ( Georgian: ქართველი ებრაელები qartveli ebraelebi, Hebrew: יהודי גאורגיה Yehudei Mountain Jews, Juvuro, Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first non- Dharmic religions to arrive in India in recorded history The Bene Israel ( Hebrew: "Sons of Israel" are a group of Jews who migrated in the nineteenth century from west Maharashtra to the nearby The Bnei Menashe ("Children of Menasseh " Hebrew בני מנשה are a group of more than 9000 people from India 's North-Eastern border Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews ( Malabar Yehudan) are the ancient Jews and their descendants of the former The Bene Ephraim, ( Hebrew: "Sons of Ephraim" also called Telugu Jews because they speak Telugu, are a small community of Jews living The Romaniotes ( Greek: Ρωμανιώτες, Rōmaniōtes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece and Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard   Temanim Tiberian   Têmānîm Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Jews and Judaism in China' have had a long history Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may The Kaifeng Jews are members of a small Jewish community that has existed in Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, for hundreds of years

The divisions between all these groups are rough and their boundaries aren’t solid. The Mizrahim for example, are a heterogeneous collection of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish communities which are often as unrelated to each other as they are to any of the earlier mentioned Jewish groups. Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. In modern usage, however, the Mizrahim are also termed Sephardi due to similar styles of liturgy, despite independent evolutions from Sephardim proper. Thus, among Mizrahim there are Iraqi Jews, Egyptian Jews, Berber Jews, Lebanese Jews, Kurdish Jews, Libyan Jews, Syrian Jews, and various others. Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c Egyptian Jews constitute perhaps the oldest Jewish community outside Israel in the world Berber Jews are the Berber Jewish communities inhabiting the region of the Maghreb in North Africa. The Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Mizrahi community living in the present-day country of Lebanon, mostly in and around the city of Beirut. Kurdish Jews or Jews of Kurdistan (יהדות כורדיסתאן Kurdên cû are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region known as Kurdistan Jews have lived in Libya since the 3rd century BC, when North Africa was under Roman rule Syrian Jews ( Arabic, يهود سوريون) derive their origin from two groups those who inhabited the region of today's Syria from the ancient times The Teimanim from the Yemen and Oman are sometimes included, although their style of liturgy is unique and they differ in respect to the admixture found among them to that found in Mizrahim. Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard   Temanim Tiberian   Têmānîm Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast Additionally, there is a differentiation made between the pre-existing Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities as distinct from the descendants of those Sephardi migrants who established themselves in the Middle East and North Africa after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, and a few years later from the expulsion decreed in Portugal. The Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula.

Despite this diversity, Ashkenazi Jews represent the bulk of modern Jewry, approximately 70% of Jews worldwide (and up to 90% prior to World War II and the Holocaust). World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as As a result of their emigration from Europe during the wartime periods, Ashkenazim also represent the overwhelming majority of Jews in the New World continents and in countries previously without native Jewish communities, such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Africa. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa In France, Mizrahi immigrants from North Africa and their descendants now outnumber pre-existing European Jews. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Only in Israel is the Jewish population representative of all groups, a melting pot independent of each group's proportion within the overall world Jewish population. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The melting pot is an analogy for the way in which homogeneous societies develop in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures races and religions are

Geographic distribution

Sephardi Jewish family descendants of Spanish expellees in Bosnia, 19th century

An Indian Jewish family in Cochin, India, circa 1900

Persian Jews praying in a Tehran Synagogue, Iran, 2005

Ethiopian Jewish women at Jerusalem's Western Wall, 2006

Berber Jews of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, circa 1900

Bukharan Jewish teacher and student in Samarkand, modern-day Uzbekistan, circa 1910

Chinese Jews from the city of Kaifeng, China, circa 1900

Kurdish Jews in Rawanduz, Iraqi Kurdistan, 1905

Juhur Imuni (Mountain Jews) girls of the Caucasus, 1913

Because of the independence of local communities, Jewish ethnicities, even when they circumscribe differences in liturgy, language, cuisine and other cultural accouterments, are more often a reflection of geographic and historical isolation from other communities. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March, 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Historically and geographically the Region known as Bosnia (natively Bosna; Cyrillic: Босна lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first non- Dharmic religions to arrive in India in recorded history India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country |||} Persian Jews or Iranian Jews are Jews historically associated with the Persian Empire or Iran. Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit Berber Jews are the Berber Jewish communities inhabiting the region of the Maghreb in North Africa. The Atlas Mountains ( Kabyle: Idurar n leṭles جبال الأطلس) is a Mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2400 North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Kaifeng ( formerly known as Bianliang ( Bianjing ( Daliang ( or simply Liang ( is a Prefecture-level city in eastern China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Tarapoto known as The Palm Tree City is a thriving commercial city in northern Peru, an hour by plane from Lima situated in the San Martín Province Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Kurdish Jews or Jews of Kurdistan (יהדות כורדיסתאן Kurdên cû are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region known as Kurdistan The town Rawanduz (Kurdish Rwandiz) is located in the sub-district of Soran, in the Kurdistan Regional Government Iraq close to the Iranian Iraqi Kurdistan Region ( Kurdish: هه رێمى كوردستان Herêmi Kurdistan, Arabic:إقليم كردستان العراق, Iqlĩm Kurdistãn The Igbo Jews or Ibo Benei-Yisrael, are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice the Jewish religion and are said to be descended Abuja is the Capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria in the Federal Capital Territory Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Mountain Jews, Juvuro, Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. Mountain Jews, Juvuro, Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East It is for this reason that communities are referred to by referencing the historical region in which the community cohered when discussing their practices, regardless of where those practices are found today.

The smaller groups number in the hundreds to tens of thousands, with the Georgian Jews (also known as Gruzinim or Qartveli Ebraeli) and Beta Israel being most numerous at somewhat over 100,000 each. The Georgian Jews ( Georgian: ქართველი ებრაელები qartveli ebraelebi, Hebrew: יהודי גאורגיה Yehudei The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl Many members of these groups have now emigrated from their traditional homelands, largely to Israel. For example, only about 10 percent of the Gruzinim remain in Georgia.

The Jewish communities of the modern world can all be found represented today in Israel, which is as much a melting pot as it is a salad bowl of different Jewish ethnic groups. The melting pot is an analogy for the way in which homogeneous societies develop in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures races and religions are The salad bowl concept suggests that the integration of the many different cultures of United States residents combine like a salad as opposed to the more prolific notion of

A brief description of the extant communities, by the geographic regions with which they are associated, is as follows:

Europe

• Ashkenazim are the descendants of Jews who migrated into northern France and Germany around 800-1000 AD, and later into Eastern Europe. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Ashkenazim comprise the overwhelming majority of Jews, with approximately 80 percent of the Jewish total. (Prior to the Holocaust, they were an even greater percentage of world Jewry. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as ) Even among the Ashkenazim there are a number of major subgroups:
  • Western Jews, stemming from northern France, from the Lowlands, historical Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Switzerland, and Scandinavia, originally spoke Western Yiddish, which had less slavic influence than other Yiddish dialects. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Yiddish dialects are subsets of the major regional branches of the Yiddish language Western Yiddish and Eastern Yiddish By the early 20th century, Yiddish was in decline in this population, and assimilation was proceeding rapidly. In Israel, a sometimes derogatory term for these Jews (also applied to Austrian Oberlander Jews), is Yekkes. The term Yekke (adjective Yekkish) (alt Jecke or Yecke) is a generally jovial mildly derogatory term used to refer to
  • Oberlander, originating in the Oberland region of Hungary and the district surrounding Bratislava in Slovakia, originally spoke western Yiddish. Oberlander Jews (also Oberlandish or simply Oberland Jews) are Ashkenazi, Yiddish - and German -speaking Jews originating in the Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic ARTICLE TEXT BEGINS AFTER THESE COMMENTS - PLEASE READ 1 Please do not edit the lead without reading Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million In modern times before the Holocaust, many Oberlander Jews migrated to urban centers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and adopted German or Hungarian as their first language.
  • Polish Jews, from Congress Poland.
  • Central (Galitzianers) from Hungary, southwestern Poland, western Ukraine and northern Serbia
  • Litvak Jews, (Northeastern Europe)
  • Southeastern, predominantly from Ukraine, Moldova and Romania
• Romaniotes are Greek-speaking Jews from the Balkans that lived there from the Hellenistic era until today. Galician Jews or Galitzianer Jews are a subdivision of the Ashkenazim geographically originating from Galicia, from western Ukraine (current Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Lithuanian Jews (known in Yiddish and Yeshivish as Litvish (adjective or Litvaks (noun are Ashkenazi Jews with roots in the Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania The Romaniotes ( Greek: Ρωμανιώτες, Rōmaniōtes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece and Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly This article focuses on the historical aspects of the Hellenistic age for the cultural aspects see Hellenistic civilisation.
• Sephardim are Jews whose ancestors lived in Spain or Portugal, where they lived for possibly as much as two millennia before being expelled in 1492 (see Alhambra decree); they subsequently migrated to North Africa, Latin America, Italy and the Netherlands. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March, 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Also a large portion of them migrated to the Ottoman Empire which at the time was considered a safe haven for the Jews of Europe. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Jews {ref|name|§}} have lived in the geographic area of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) for more than 2400 years PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Here they mostly settled in the European portion of the Empire and mainly in the major cities such as: Constantinople, Thessaloniki and Bursa. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia Bursa (historically also known as Prussa, Greek: Προύσα and later as Brusa) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat Thessaloniki, in modern-day Greece, had a large and flourishing Sephardic community. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Others remained in Spain or Portugal or Latin America as anusim (forced converts to Catholicism). Anusim (אנוסים plural for anús, means "forced ones" in Hebrew
  • Spanish and Portuguese Jews Nação - West Europe Sephardim
  • Iberian Crypto-Jews - Belmonte Jews of Portugal, the Chuetas of Baleares. Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the crypto-Jewish communities of the Iberian This article is about the people of ancient Georgia For the Iberians of ancient Iberian Peninsula see Iberians. Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as "crypto-Jews" The Belmonte Jews are a community that survived in secrecy for hundreds of years by maintaining a tradition of Endogamy and by hiding all the external signs of their faith The Xuetes, Chuetas (singular Xueta, Chueta, also known as Xuetons) were a social group on the island of Majorca, descendants The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean
• Bené Roma or Italkim represent many of the Italian Jews, though Italy also has both Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities. Italian Jews can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in Italy or in a narrower sense to mean the ancient community who use the Italian rite as distinct from newer
• Chuts were Dutch Jews, observing an amalgam of Ashkenazi and Sephardi customs, living in London, although this community has almost completely been lost to history. Chuts (ˈxʊts is the name applied to Jews who immigrated to London from The Netherlands during the latter part of the 19th century Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was generated between the end of the sixteenth century and World War II.
• San Nicandro Jews - A group of mid-20th century converts from Italy. The Jews of San Nicandro (also called San Nicandro Jews) are a small community of Jews from San Nicandro Garganico, Italy.

The Caucasus and the Crimea

• Qartveli Ebraeli, or Gruzinim, are Georgian-speaking Jews from Georgia in the Caucasus. The Georgian Jews ( Georgian: ქართველი ებრაელები qartveli ebraelebi, Hebrew: יהודי גאורגיה Yehudei Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East
• Juhurim are mountain Jews mainly from Daghestan and Azerbaijan in the eastern Caucasus. Mountain Jews, Juvuro, Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South
• Krymchaks and Karaim are Turkic-speaking Jews of the Crimea and Eastern Europe. The Krymchaks ( Krymchak: sg кърымчах - qrymchakh, pl Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The Krymchaks practice Rabbinic Judaism, while the Karaim practice Karaite Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism or Rabbinism ( Hebrew: " Yehadut Rabanit " - יהדות רבנית is the mainstream religious system of post- diaspora Karaite Judaism or Karaism (ˈkærəˌaɪt ˈkærəˌɪzəm) is a Jewish movement NOTE The word sect should not be used without defining it first and Whether they are primarily the descendants of Israelite Jews who adopted Turkic language and culture, or the descendants of Turkic converts to Judaism, is still debated.
• Subbotniks are a dwindling group of Jews from Azerbaijan and Armenia, whose ancestors were Russian peasants who converted to Judaism for unknown reasons in the 19th century. Subbotniks ( Russian: Субботники, lit " Sabbatarians " are one of the Russian religious bodies known under the [2]

North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia

Jews originating from Muslim lands are generally called by the catch-all term Mizrahi Jews, more precise terms for particular groups are:

• Bukharian Jews are Jews from Central Asia. Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak They get their name from the former Central Asian Emirate of Bukhara, which once had a large Jewish population. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Emirate of Bukhara ( Buxoro Amirligi; Аморати Бухоро was a Central Asian state that existed from 1785 to 1920
• Berber Jews are the Jews from the Maghreb in North Africa. Berber Jews are the Berber Jewish communities inhabiting the region of the Maghreb in North Africa. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The region coincides with the Atlas Mountains in today's Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The Atlas Mountains ( Kabyle: Idurar n leṭles جبال الأطلس) is a Mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2400 Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. A small pre-Islamic presence of Jews is historically attested, and these are said to have mingled with the indigenous Berber population, converting many powerful tribes. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley.
• Iraqi Jews are descendants of the Jews who have lived in Mesopotamia since the time of the Assyrian conquest of Canaan
• Kurdish Jews from Kurdistan, as distinct from the Persian Jews of central and eastern Persia
• Persian Jews from Iran (commonly called Parsim in Israel) have a 2700-year history. Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding In 721 BCE the Assyrian army captured the Israelite capital at Samaria and carried away the citizens of the northern kingdom into captivity Kurdish Jews or Jews of Kurdistan (יהדות כורדיסתאן Kurdên cû are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region known as Kurdistan History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia |||} Persian Jews or Iranian Jews are Jews historically associated with the Persian Empire or Iran. One of the oldest Jewish communities of the world, Persian Jews constitute the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside Israel.
• Yemenite Jews (Temanim) are Oriental Jews whose geographic and social isolation from the rest of the Jewish community allowed them to develop a liturgy and set of practices that are significantly distinct from other Oriental Jewish groups; they themselves comprise three distinctly different groups, though the distinction is one of religious law and liturgy rather than of ethnicity. Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard   Temanim Tiberian   Têmānîm A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions
• Palestinian Jews are Jewish inhabitants of Palestine throughout certain periods of Middle Eastern history. A Palestinian Jew is a Jewish inhabitant of Palestine throughout certain periods of Middle Eastern history Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. After the modern State of Israel was born, nearly all native Palestinian Jews became citizens of Israel, and the term "Palestinian Jews" largely fell into disuse.
• Egyptian Jews are generally Jews thought to have descended from the great Jewish communities of Hellenistic Alexandria, mixed with many more recent groups of immigrants. Egyptian Jews constitute perhaps the oldest Jewish community outside Israel in the world These include Babylonian Jews following the Muslim conquest; Jews from Eretz Israel following the Crusades; Sephardim following the expulsion from Spain; Italian Jews settling for trading reasons in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and Jews from Aleppo in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• Lebanese Jews are the Jews that lived around Beirut. The Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Mizrahi community living in the present-day country of Lebanon, mostly in and around the city of Beirut. Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 After the Lebanese Civil War, the community's emigration appears to have been completed; few remain in Lebanon today. The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990 was a multifaceted Civil war whose antecedents can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end
• Moroccan Jews are Jews from the North African country of Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community Before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were about 250000 Jews in the country but fewer Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Today they are largely considered Sephardic Jews, though most are likely the descendants of both the pre-existing Berber Jews and later Spanish and Portuguese Jews (ie. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Sephardim) fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain
• Omani Jews are the early Jewish community of Sohar. There was a Jewish presence in Oman for many centuries however the Jewish community of the country is no longer existent Sohar (صحار is a city located in the Al Batinah Region of the Sultanate of Oman, 240 Kilometers north-west of the capital Muscat. They are thought to be descendants of Ishaq bin Yahuda, a Sohari merchant around the first millennium. This community is believed to have disappeared by 1900.
• Syrian Jews are generally divided into two groups: those who inhabited Syria from the time of King David (1000 B. Syrian Jews ( Arabic, يهود سوريون) derive their origin from two groups those who inhabited the region of today's Syria from the ancient times C. ), and those who fled to Syria after the Spanish Inquisition (1492 A. D), at the invitation of the Ottoman sultan. There were large communities in both Aleppo and Damascus for centuries. In the early 20th century a large percentage of Syrian Jews emigrated to the U. S. , South America, and Israel. Today there are almost no Jews left in Syria. The largest Syrian-Jewish community is located in Brooklyn, New York, and is estimated at 40,000.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Main article: Jews and Judaism in Africa

• Abayudaya of Uganda
• Beta Israel or Falashim of Ethiopia, tens of thousands of whom were brought to Israel during Operation Solomon and Operation Moses. Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under The Abayudaya ( Abayudaya is Luganda for "People of Judah " analogous to Children of Israel) are a Baganda community The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews to Israel Operation Moses, (מבצע משה Mivtza Moshe) named after the biblical figure Moses, was the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews (known Many studies considered them to be descendants of local Ethiopian conversions^[2], happened 600 years ago.
• Descendants of the Jews of the Bilad el-Sudan (West Africa). Jews of the Bilad al-Sudan ( Judeo-Arabic) describes West African Jewish communities who were connected to known Jewish communities from the Middle Jews whose ancestry was derived from the communities that once existed in the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay Empire. Anusim in and around Mali who descend from Jewish migrations from North Africa, East Africa, and Spain. Anusim (אנוסים plural for anús, means "forced ones" in Hebrew
• The House of Israel, several hundred Sefwi tribesmen in Ghana
• The emergent Igbo Jewish community of Nigeria, perhaps as many as 30,000 strong (although many of them maintain a belief in the Messiahship of Jesus and adhere to basic tenets of Christianity that are mutually exclusive of normative Judaism). See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the The Igbo Jews or Ibo Benei-Yisrael, are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice the Jewish religion and are said to be descended Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal
• The Lemba in Malawi which number as many as 40,000. The Lemba or Lembaa are an Ethnic group numbering 70000 in Southern Africa who claim a common descent and belonging to the Jewish people The Republic of Malawi (məˈlɑːwi or; formerly Nyasaland) is in southern Africa. This group claims descent from ancient Israelite tribes that migrated down to southern Africa via southern Arabia. Genetic testing has partially upheld these claims^[3]. Many are now moving toward practicing normative Judaism.

• The Jews of Rusape, Zimbabwe, also claim descent from ancient Jewish communities. The Jews of Rusape, Zimbabwe are a group of about 4000 people who practice a form of Judaism that is unique solely to their community See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election Although they held a belief in Jesus as a prophet, the community is now shifting towards mainstream Judaism and abandoning their belief in Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) They are not considered as Jews by most of the Jewish world.

• South African Jews make up the largest community of Jews in Africa. The history of the Jews in South Africa mainly begins with the general European settlement in the 19th century Dutch Sephardic Jews were among the first permanent residents of Cape Town when the city was founded by the VOC in 1652. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch, literally "United East Indian Today, however, most of South Africa's Jews are Ashkenazic and, in particular, of Lithuanian descent.

Communities also existed in São Tomé e Príncipe. São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an Island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial

South Asia and South East Asia

• Bene Israel are the Jews of Mumbai, India, most of whom now reside in Israel. The Bene Israel ( Hebrew: "Sons of Israel" are a group of Jews who migrated in the nineteenth century from west Maharashtra to the nearby Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
• Cochin Jews are also Indian Jews from southwestern India, most of whom also now reside in Israel. Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews ( Malabar Yehudan) are the ancient Jews and their descendants of the former Included among these are the Paradesi Jews. The Paradesi Jews are part of the Jewish community of Kerala state in India.
• Syrian Malabar Nasrani are Christians in Southwestern India, who can trace their origins to early Nazarene Jews. The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people are an Ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India. They are Jews by genealogy and descent and also related to the Cochin Jews and to Ashkenazi Jews as proved recently by DNA studies on the community. Some of them also are reported to carry the Cohen gene marker indicating Aaronite descent for some.
• Baghdadi Jews [3] Those Jews came from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Arab countries and settled in India in 18th century. The Baghdadi Jews are one of the main Jewish communities of India. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system
• Bnei Menashe. The Bnei Menashe ("Children of Menasseh " Hebrew בני מנשה are a group of more than 9000 people from India 's North-Eastern border A group of Jews living in Manipur and Mizoram in northeastern India, claiming descent from the dispersed Biblical Tribe of Menasseh. Manipur (mnipur in Meitei Mayek) is a state in northeastern India, making its capital in the city of Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Tribe of Menasheh ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. Together with the Tribe of Ephraim, Menasheh also formed the House of Joseph.
• Bene Ephraim, the Telugu-speaking Jews of Kottareddipalem in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Bene Ephraim, ( Hebrew: "Sons of Ephraim" also called Telugu Jews because they speak Telugu, are a small community of Jews living
• Chinese Jews: most prominent were the Kaifeng Jews, an ancient Jewish community in China, descended from merchants living in China from at least the era of the Tang dynasty. Jews and Judaism in China' have had a long history Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may The Kaifeng Jews are members of a small Jewish community that has existed in Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, for hundreds of years China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Today functionally extinct, although several hundred descendants have recently begun to explore and reclaim their heritage.
• History of the Jews in Pakistan: There was a thriving Jewish community in Pakistan particularly around the city of Karachi but also in other urban areas up north such as in Peshawer and Lahore. Jews ( Urdu: یہودی pronounced "Yehudi") are a very small religious group of Pakistan. (ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan. It is the world's second largest city proper behind Mumbai in terms of population which exceeds 10 million ( پښور; Urdu: پشاور) is the capital of the North-West Frontier Province and the administrative centre for the Federally Administered ( lahor is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. The origins of the Jewish community was mixed with some being Bene Israel, Bukharan Jews and Baghdadi Jews. The Bene Israel ( Hebrew: "Sons of Israel" are a group of Jews who migrated in the nineteenth century from west Maharashtra to the nearby Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak The Baghdadi Jews are one of the main Jewish communities of India. In the late 80's and 90's, Jewish refugees from Iran had also came via Pakistan's Balochistan province and reached Karachi until the Iranian government closed down the operation. Most of Pakistan's Jewish community has not relocated to Israel and Pakistan's Jewish population is believed to number around 700.
• Jews in the Philippines

Americas

Most Jewish communities in the Americas are descendants of Jews who found their way there at different times of modern history. Recorded Jewish history in the Philippines started during the Spanish era. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The great majority of recognized Jews on both the North American and South American continents are Ashkenazi, particularly among Jews in the United States. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions American Jews, or Jewish Americans There are also Sephardi, Mizrahim and other diaspora groups represented (as well as mixes of any or all of these) as mentioned above. Some unique communities associated with the Americas include:

• Hispanic Crypto-Jews are the descendants of Sephardi immigrants to the New World escaping the Spanish Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. Hispanic (hispano hispánico hispânico Hispānus adjective from ''Hispānia'', the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as "crypto-Jews" Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Following the establishment of the Inquisition in the Iberian colonies, again they hid their ancestry and beliefs. Their numbers are difficult to ascertain as most are at least nominally Catholic, having been forcefully converted, converted for forms sake, or married into the religion. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Collectively, people of Jewish descent in Latin America could surpass the millions. Most would be of mixed ancestry, although a few claim some communities may have been able to maintain a degree of endogamy (marrying only other Crypto-Jews) throughout the centuries. Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a social group. Cultures who practice endogamy require marriage between specified social groups classes or ethnicities They may or may not consider themselves Jewish, some may continue to preserve some of their Jewish heritage in secrecy, many others may not even be aware of it. The majority would not be halakhically Jewish, but small numbers of various communities have formally returned to Judaism over the past decade, legitimizing their status as Jews. Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law See also Anusim. Anusim (אנוסים plural for anús, means "forced ones" in Hebrew
• Amazonian Jews are the mixed descendants of Moroccan Jewish communities in Belém, Santarém, Manaus, Iquitos, Tarapoto and many river villages in the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. Amazonian Jews ( Hebrew: יהודים אמזונאס "Yehudim Amazonas" Spanish: Judíos Amazónicos; Portuguese: Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community Before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were about 250000 Jews in the country but fewer Belém is city of Amazonia, in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Pará. Manaus is a largest city in the Amazonia Brazil and capital of Amazonas State. Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of 370962 Tarapoto known as The Palm Tree City is a thriving commercial city in northern Peru, an hour by plane from Lima situated in the San Martín Province |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America.
  • Iquitos Jews are the "accidental" descendants of mostly Moroccan Jewish traders and tappers who arrived in the Peruvian Amazon city of Iquitos during the rubber boom of the 1880s. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of 370962 The rubber boom was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil, being related with the extraction and commercialization of Rubber. Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of Electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered Since their Jewish descent was patrilineal (Jewish traders had been all males who coupled up with local mestizo or Amerindian females), their Jewishness is not recognised according to halakha. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law An enduring casta system stemming from the colonial period has resulted in virtually no interaction between the Iquitos Jews and the small, mostly Ashkenazi Jewish, population concentrated in Lima (under 3,000) who are integrated into Lima's elite white minority. Casta is a 17th century term used in Spanish America, which refers to the institutionalized system of social stratification based on a person's racial heritage Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers on a coast overlooking White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. Thanks to efforts made by Israeli outreach programmes, some have formally returned to Judaism, made aliyah and now live in Israel. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics.
• B'nai Moshe are converts to Judaism originally from Trujillo, Peru. The B'nai Moshe ( Hebrew: בני משה " Children of Moses " also known as Inca Jews, are a small group of several hundred converts Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. They are also known as Inca Jews, a name derived from the fact that they can trace indigenous Amerindian descent, although most are mestizos (persons of both Spanish and Amerindian descent) though none with any known Spanish Jewish ancestors. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin Again, there is no interaction between Peru's small Ashkenazi population and the Inca Jews. At the neglect of the Ashkenazi community, the conversions were conducted under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular Most have made aliyah and now live in Israel, while a few hundred more of the same community are awaiting conversions. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel)
• Veracruz Jews are a recently emergent community of Jews in Veracruz, Mexico. The city of Veracruz is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Whether they are gentile converts to Judaism or descendants of anusim returning to Judaism is speculative. Anusim (אנוסים plural for anús, means "forced ones" in Hebrew Most claim they descend from anusim.

Israel; The Exiles Ingathered

By the time the State of Israel was proclaimed, the majority of Jews in the state and the region were Ashkenazi. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Following the declaration of the state, a flood of Jewish migrants and refugees entered Israel from the Arab world and the Muslim world in general. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings Most were Sephardim and Mizrahim, Jews from the Maghreb, Yemenite Jews, Bukhorim, Persian Jews, Iraqi Jews, Kurdish Jews, and smaller communities, principally from Libya, Egypt and Turkey. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard   Temanim Tiberian   Têmānîm Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak |||} Persian Jews or Iranian Jews are Jews historically associated with the Persian Empire or Iran. Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c Kurdish Jews or Jews of Kurdistan (יהדות כורדיסתאן Kurdên cû are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region known as Kurdistan Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches More recently, other communities have also arrived including Ethiopian Jews and Indian Jews. The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first non- Dharmic religions to arrive in India in recorded history Because of the relative homogeneity of Ashkenazic Jewry, especially by comparison to the diversity of the many smaller communities, over time in Israel, all Jews from Europe came to be called "Ashkenazi" in Israel, whether or not they had any connection with Germany, while Jews from Africa and Asia have come to be called "Sephardi", whether or not they had any connection with Spain. One reason is that most African and Asian Jewish communities use the Sephardic prayer ritual and abide by the rulings of Sephardic rabbinic authorities, and therefore consider themselves to be "Sephardim" in the broader sense of "Jews of the Spanish rite", though not in the narrower sense of "Spanish Jews". Similarly "Ashkenazim" has the broader sense of "Jews of the German rite".

The founders of modern Israel, mostly European-descended people, believed themselves superior to these new arrivals. With higher degrees of Western-standard education, they were better positioned to take full advantage of the emerging Western-style liberal democracy and Western mode of living which they themselves had established as the cultural norm in Palestine during the pre-state era. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of

Cultural and/or "racial" biases against the newcomers were compounded by the fledgling state's lack of financial resources and inadequate housing to handle the massive population influx. Thus, hundreds of thousands of new Sephardic immigrants were sent to live in tent cities in outlying areas. Sephardim (in its wider meaning) were often victims of discrimination, and were sometimes called schwartze (meaning "black" in Yiddish). Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High One immigrant from Iraq recalls being given a tent when first arriving in Israel, while a neighbor from Germany was given an apartment. Those Sephardic Jews lucky enough to get an apartment were placed in inexpensive concrete apartment blocks that were for the most part of a lesser standard than those erected to house Europeans or Westerners.

Worse than housing discrimination was the differential treatment accorded the children of these immigrants, many of whom were tracked by the largely European education establishment into dead-end "vocational" schools, without any real assessment of their intellectual capacities. Mizrahi Jews protested their unfair treatment, and even established the Israeli Black Panthers movement with the mission of working for social justice. The Black Panthers (הפנתרים השחורים HaPanterim HaShhorim) are an Israeli protest movement of second-generation Jewish immigrants from Middle Eastern

The effects of this early discrimination still linger a half-century later, as documented by the studies of the Adva Center [4], a highly respected think tank on social equality, and by other Israeli academic research (cf. Adva Center is a non-partisan action-oriented Israeli Policy analysis center , for example, Tel Aviv University Professor Yehuda Shenhav's article in Hebrew documenting the gross underrepresentation of Sephardic Jewry in Israeli high school history textbooks, [5]. Every Israeli prime minister has been Ashkenazi, although Sephardim and Mizrahim have attained the (ceremonial) presidency and other high positions. The student bodies of Israel's universities remain overwhelmingly European in origin, despite the fact that roughly half the country's population is non-European. And the tent cities of the 1950s morphed into so-called "development towns". Scattered over border areas of the Negev Desert and the Galilee, far from the bright lights of Israel's major cities, most of these towns never had the critical mass or ingredients to succeed as places to live, and they continue to suffer from high unemployment, inferior schools, and chronic brain drain.

While the Israeli Black Panthers no longer exist, Mizrahi Democratic Rainbowand many other NGOs carry on the struggle for equal rights in housing, education, and employment for the country's underprivileged populace - still largely composed of Sephardim and Mizrahim, joined now by newer immigrants from Ethiopia and the Caucasus Mountains.

Intermarriage of all these regathered Jewish ethnic groups was initially uncommon, due in part to distances of each group's settlement in Israel, and cultural and/or "racial" biases. Exogamy has two related definitions both biological and cultural In recent generations, however, the barriers were lowered by state sponsored assimilation of all the Jewish ethnic groups into a common Sabra (native-born Israeli) identity which facilitated extensive "mixed-marriages". Sabra (צבר is a term used to describe a native-born Israeli Jew.

Statistics

The last time CBS Israel released data on ethnic divisions among Jewish Israelis was in 1996. Out of the 4,593,000 Jews in Israel at that time, 2,422,000 were classified as Ashkenazim (52. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing 7%) and 2,171,000 were classified as Mizrachim (47. 3%). But this classification was based on country of birth rather than on proper ethnic orientation. All Jews who were born (or whose fathers were born) in Europe, the FSU, the Americas or in Oceania were classified as Ashkenazim while those from Africa and Asia were classified as Mizrachim. [6] The errors occurring due to these calculations were:

• There was no distinction made between Sephardim and Ashkenazim. (If the Sephardim, Mountain Jews and other non-Ashkenazi groups are included in Mizrachim, then Mizrachim will outnumber Ashkenazim by a margin of 52 to 48).
• Many Sephardim from Turkey were counted as Mizrachim.
• Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews and Bukharan Jews who together constitute ~15% of FSU Jews counted as Ashkenazim until 1996 (until 1996, Central Asia and the Caucasian Republics were counted as part of Europe. After 1996, from 1997 onwards they were counted as part of Asia).
• The Harbin Jews (~1,000) from China counted as Mizrachim, although they were Russian speaking Ashqenazis.
• After 1996, Russian speaking Ashkenazim from Kazakhstan, Kyrghizia and Armenia counted as Mizrachim.
• Close to 20,000 South African Jews were classified as Mizrachim, although almost all of them are Ashkenazim (Lithuanian, English and Afrikaans speaking). Afrikaner-Jews or Boer-Jode as they are sometimes known are an off-shoot of Afrikanerdom and Judaism.
• A few hundred Black Hebrews from USA were classified as Ashkenazim.
• All Jews from Latin America were classified as Ashkenazim, although significant numbers are Sephardim (15-20% in Argentina and Mexico, 20%+ in Brazil, similar percentages in other countries). Close to three fifths of the Latin American Jews in Israel are Argentine, with one tenth each from Uruguay and Brazil.
• 86,000 Bulgarian/Greek Jews are classified as Ashkenazim, although the majority are Sephardim/Romaniotes.
• Jews whose Jewishness was not recognized were not counted; allmost all of them were Ashkenazim (~275,000 in 2007).

The ethnic division as of 1996 is as follows (population in thousands):

At the end of 2006, there were 5,391,800 Jews in Israel. The increase in the 1997-2006 period was 799,000. During the same period there were 300,813 immigrants to Israel, but a significant percentage of them were Halachically not recognized as Jews. Of these immigrants, 239,661 were from America/Europe/FSU/Oceana constituting 79. 67% of all immigrants (of which 200,939 were from the European USSR). 60,536 were from Africa/Asia constituting 20. 12% of all immigrants (of which 34,365 were from the Asian republics of the USSR). 16,441 were from Ethiopia, almost all recognized as Jews.

Considering the higher fertility rate for Mizrachim (3. 17 for those born abroad and 2. 69 for those born in Israel, as of 1996) compared to Ashkenazim (2. 09 for those born abroad and 2. 67 for those born in Israel) the larger share of Ashkenazim in the immigrant population is unlikely to cause any major change in the demographic makeup. Therefore for some time now the Ashkenazi/Mizrachi ratio is likely to remain at 53% & 47% respectively. The Ashkenazi fertility rate was fast approaching the Mizrachi fertility rate in late 1980s. In 1990 fertility rates for both groups were virtually the same. So it was predicted that Ashkenazi birth rate would overtake that of Mizrachi in 1991 (a vast majority of Haredi Jews in Israel are Ashkenazi, mostly belonging to the Satmar, Chabad, Belz, Ger and Breslov branches. The number of Mizrachi Haredi Jews are relatively small, although a very significant percentage of Modern Orthodox Jews in Israel are Yemenite. The fertility rate among Ashkenazi Hared [7] is higher than that of Mizrachi Haredi (8. 51 versus 6. 57)). But in 1990 a vast inflow began of Ashkenazi Jews from the former USSR who had a very low birth rate (fertility rate 1. 7 to 1. 8 for Jews and 1. 3 for non-Jews). This reversed the trend and by 1996, the Mizrachi fertility rate (2. 89) was higher than that of the Ashkenazis (2. 39) by a huge margin of 21%. But again the two rates will be converging due to a number of facts (Ethiopian aaliyah is almost complete, only a few thousand more Falash Mura remain in Ethiopia. FSU immigrants still comprise the largest chunk of olim. Fertility rates for Haredi Jews are increasing. There is an increasing aaliyah from USA, UK, Australia, Germany, France and Argentina. There is a lowering of birth rate among Mizrachim.

See also

• Jews by country
• History of the Jews
• Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora
• Lost Tribes of Israel
• Harry Ostrer

References