Population - Ethnic Divisions - Mizrahi
Mizraḥi Jews sometimes also called
Oriental Jews, (מזרחי "eastern", Standard Hebrew Mizraḥi, Tiberian
Hebrew Mizrāḥî; plural מזרחים "easterners", Standard Hebrew Mizraḥim,
Tiberian Hebrew Mizrāḥîm) are Jews of Middle Eastern origin; that is to
say, their ancestors never left the Middle East. Included in the Mizrahi
category are non-Sephardic Jews from the Arab world, as well as other
communities variously including the Gruzim, Persian Jews, Bukharan Jews,
Juhurim, and sometimes the Teimanim.
Though many Mizraḥim now follow the liturgical traditions of the
Sephardim and in modern Israel may be colloquially referred to as
Sephardic Jews, the Mizraḥim are not Sephardic, as they are not
descended from those Jews who were expelled from Sepharad (the Iberian
peninsula) during the Spanish Inquisition and the Portuguese
Inquisition. Including Mizraḥim with Sephardim may be regarded as
culturally insensitive or ignorant.
Prior to the emergence of the term "Mizrahi", which dates from the time
of the establishment of the State of Israel, Arab Jews (יהודים ערבים)
was a commonly used designation for those Mizraḥim originating in Arab
lands, though almost never employed by the Mizraḥim themselves. The term
is rarely used today, except among a minority of Mizraḥim who promote
reintroducing the designation Arab Jews instead of Mizraḥim; this usage
has thus far received little support among the wider Mizrahi community.
Many Mizraḥim today also identify themselves with and exhibit affinity
toward their country of origin, or that of their immediate ancestors,
e.g. "Iraqi Jew," "Tunisian Jew," "Persian Jew," etc., retaining
particular traditions and practices.
Unlike the terms Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Mizraḥi is simply a convenient
way to refer collectively to a wide range of Jewish communities, most of
which are as unrelated to each other as they are to either the Sephardi
or Ashkenazi communities.
Language
The Mizraḥim are associated with various Judeo-Arabic dialects. A number
of notable philosophical, religious, and grammatical works were written
by Jews in Arabic modified with the use of Hebrew characters.
Other languages also associated with the Mizraḥim include Judeo-Persian
languages spoken by Persian Jews.
Post 1948 Dispersal
Most Mizraḥi Jews fled their countries of birth when, in reaction to the
events leading up to and following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, citizens
of Arab countries acted out violently against their local Jewish
populations. Further anti-Jewish actions by Arab governments in the
1950s and 1960s, including the expulsion of 25,000 Mizraḥi Jews from
Egypt following the 1956 Suez Crisis, led to the overwhelming majority
of Mizraḥim becoming refugees. Most of these refugees fled to Israel.
Today, from the fewer than 1000 Mizraḥim still remaining in scatteried
communities throughout the Arab world a trickle of emigration continues,
mainly to Israel and the United States. An additional 11,000 Mizraḥi
Jews still reside in Iran. Many there feel actively persecuted, and a
number have been arrested, mostly for alleged connections with Israel
and the United States. Some have even been executed, religious
intolerance mainly being cited as the contributing factor. [1]
Distinguished Mizraḥi personalities
* Moshe Katsav, President of the State of Israel - Iran.
* Ofra Haza, popular Temani vocalist - Yemen.
* Dana International, popular Israeli pop singer - Yemen.
* Silvan Shalom, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Tunisia.
* Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Defense - Iran.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_Jew
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