Here, in a single volume, is the first comprehensive history in
English of the Sephardim - descendants of the Jews expelled from
Spain in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella. Writing for the general
reader as well as for the specialist, Paloma Diaz-Mas provides a
superbly organized and up-to-date account of Sephardic culture,
history, religious practice, language, and literature. Most of the
Sephardim originally settled in Mediterranean Europe, the Low
Countries, North Africa, and the Turkish Empire. In the nineteenth
century, however, a second diaspora brought the Sephardim to the
United States, South America, Israel, and Western Europe. Diaz-Mas
begins with a brief overview of Jewish religion and culture,
discussing the calendar, holidays, dietary laws, and life-cycle
ceremonies. Next, she traces the history of the Jews in Spain
through the 1492 expulsion. She succinctly describes their
subsequent wanderings, settlements, and achievements up to the
nineteenth century, when false messiahs caused crises that had a
profound impact on Sephardic communities. After detailing the
various causes of the second diaspora, Diaz-Mas addresses the
effect of the Holocaust specifically on the Sephardim - an issue
almost entirely overlooked elsewhere. She also reviews the
involvement of the Sephardim in Spanish politics through the
Moroccan Protectorate and into Franco's time and the present. The
final chapter focuses on the situation of the Sephardim throughout
the world today. Diaz-Mas's treatment of the language of the
Sephardim - often called Ladino or Judeo-Spanish - shows how it
diverged from "mainstream" Spanish in the 1500s, how it developed
regional dialects, and why it is now disappearing as aneveryday
language. In addition to traditional Sephardic literature -
religious works, coplas (verses), popular stories - newer genres
like journalism and theater are also examined. Authoritative and
completely accessible, Sephardim will appeal to anyone interested
in Spanish culture and Jewish civilization. Each chapter ends with
a list of recommended reading, and the book includes an extensive
bibliography of works in Spanish, French, and English. Fully
updated by the author since its publication in Spanish, Sephardim
also features notes by the translator that illuminate references
which might otherwise be obscure to an English-speaking reader.
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