New comprehensive study sheds light on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in US

The first-ever study of American Jews of Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage was published last Monday by the organization JIMENA, "Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa."

After being asked repeatedly how many there were in the United States, Sarah Levin, the executive director of JIMENA, previously acknowledged that no reliable research existed.

“We've never been studied despite being the oldest Jewish community in the United States,” Levin told eJewishPhilanthropy. Now the data is in.

The study, commissioned by JIMENA, was conducted by an academic research team at New York University led by Dr. Mijal Bitton. Over several years, the team held hundreds of interviews and community roundtables, and combined these findings with existing literature to produce the first study of its kind.

The study, “Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities,” covers four main communities: the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn; Persian Jews in Los Angeles; Bukharian Jews (from areas such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) in Queens; and Latin Sephardic Jews (primarily from South America) in South Florida; as well as others with backgrounds from the MENA regions.

The study explored the distinct origins, cultures, and Jewish traditions of each community, offering historical context and tracing how these identities developed over time. It also clarified the evolving use of key terms and their meanings across generations.

The term “Sephardic” finds its origin in Obadiah 1:20: “The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.”

Sepharad is described as a location to which Jewish exiles fled, and over time, became associated with Hispania, the ancient name for the Iberian Peninsula, which today includes Spain and Portugal.

In the Middle Ages, Spanish Jews recognized themselves in Obadiah’s prophecy as being “brought to Iberia after the destruction of the Second Temple,” according to the report, adding that the term Sepharad came to represent “not only a geographic region but also a vibrant Jewish civilization, encompassing the culture, communities, and traditions of medieval Iberian Jewry.” 

Today, “Sephardic” refers to Jews of Iberian or Spanish descent who were scattered by expulsion during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, fleeing to European countries such as the Netherlands and England, as well as Mediterranean and MENA countries.

The term “Mizrahi” literally means “Eastern” in Hebrew, and typically denotes Jewish communities that settled in countries east of Israel, including Iran, Iraq and Yemen. Over half of all Israeli Jews have some Mizrahi ancestry, coming from the Middle East and North Africa.

The designation Mizrahi came into use in the late 19th century, as Jewish people from Eastern countries made their way to what was then British Mandate Palestine, and were labeled as "Eastern" by those already in the land. However, the term was often used pejoratively, with those countries viewed as having more primitive and backward cultures. Today, many Mizrahi Jews are reclaiming the term as a means of neutralizing the negative connotations.

“In our primary research and literature review, we found that 'Sephardic' is the more widely used term in the US over the term 'Mizrahi' and remains the more common form of self-identification,” the researchers report, explaining their use of the term Sephardic to cover both Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. The same was found to be true in Israel.

According to the study, Sephardic became a “pan-ethnic colloquialism for non-Ashkenazi Jews in America.” Indeed, much of the identity of Sephardic and Mizrahi communities was found in contradistinction from their Ashkenazi counterparts. 

There are many significant differences between the majority Ashkenazi population in the U.S., in contrast with the Sephardic and/or Mizrahi minority, which makes up just 10% of U.S. Jews, according to the report. The differences can be seen both in liturgical texts and Jewish observance, and in culture and outlook.

The study presented a very family-centered lifestyle as typical in Sephardic communities, with strong emphasis on celebrating Shabbat and holidays with close intergenerational ties. There was an observably strong connection to tradition, and intermarriage was viewed more negatively. Politically and socially, Sephardic Jewish communities tended to be more conservative and Zionist than Ashkenazi Jews, with strong ties both to Israel and to the culture of the family’s country of origin.

The report details the different ways that Sephardic Jews have experienced discrimination and negative bias in contrast with Ashkenazi Jews, both in the U.S. and Israel. The experience of racism and 'otherness' in the United States has also led some to describe themselves as “JOC” or “Jews of Color.”

While Sephardic Jews are typically darker-skinned than Ashkenazi, those with Persian roots often have lighter skin and can experience the benefits of going unnoticed as an ethnic minority. For David, a 26-year-old Persian Jew interviewed for the study, this duality has created a sense of dissonance.

“I don’t identify as white, and I never did... I also acknowledge that I’m white-presenting because I’m lighter-skinned. And so, I also am mindful that I benefit from certain privileges that people who are more explicitly of color don’t.”

For others, the term JOC is significant because it expresses some of the challenges they experience in predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish spaces. Sahra (37) said, “I feel like, culturally, I am a Jew of color,” adding, “There’s a lot of things about American culture, white culture that I had to learn.”

The complex realities of life for Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews have gone largely unrecognized and are often overlooked; however, this study brings greater visibility to a community too often overlooked in the broader narrative of world Jewry.

“The study was conducted during a time of shifting communal and political context for Jews in America – including the brutal October 7th attacks by Hamas in Israel, the subsequent rise in antisemitism across the US, and intensifying public debate around race, identity, and inclusion in American Jewish life,” the report noted, adding that “these broader dynamics shaped both the narratives we heard and the urgency of this work.”