Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews (Studies in Contemporary Jewry, Vol XXII)

Volume XXII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the major and rapid changes experienced by a population known variously as "Sephardim," "Oriental" Jews and "Mizrahim" over the last fifty years. Although Sephardim are popularly believed to have originated in Spain or Portugal, the majority of Mizrahi Jews today are actually the descendants of Jews from Muslim and Arab countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. They constitute a growing proportion of Israeli Jewry and continue to revitalize Jewish culture in places as varied as France, Latin America, and the United States. Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews offers a collection of new scholarship on the issues of self-definition and identity facing Sephardic Jewry. The essays draw on a variety of disciplines--demography, history, political science, sociology, religious and gender studies, anthropology, and literature. Contributors explore the issues surrounding the emergence and increasingly wide usage of "Mizrahi" in place of "Sephardic," as well as the invigoration of Sephardic Judaism. They look at the evolution of Sephardic politics in Israel through the dramatic rise and continuing influence of the Shas political party and its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Other contributors examine the variegated nature of Mizrahi immigration to Israel, fictional portraits of female Mizrahi immigrants to Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, contemporary Mizrahi Israel feminism, modern Arab historiography's portrayal of Jews of Muslim lands, and the changing Sephardic halakhic tradition. This Volume Looks At The Major And Rapid Changes Undergone By Sephardic Jewry In The Last 50 Years, Drawing On Essays From The Fields Of Demography, History, Political Science, Literature, Sociology, Gender Studies, And Anthropology. Themes Include Identity And The Invigoration Of Sephardic Judaism. Symposium : Sephardic Jewry And Mizrahi Jews. Sephardic And Oriental : Jews In Israel And Western Countries : Migration, Social Change, And Identification / Sergio Dellapergola ; Jews Of Muslim Lands In The Modern Period : History And Historiography / Michel Abitbol ; The Brief Career Of Prosper Cohen : A Sectorial Analysis Of The North African Jewish Leadership In The Early Years Of Israeli Statehood / Yaron Tsur ; From Arab Diaspora To Eretz Israel : Literary Portraits Of Mizrahi Female Immigrants In The 1940s And 1950s / Doli Benhabib ; The Sephardic Halakhic Tradition In The 20th Century / Zvi Zohar ; Zikui Harabim : Ovadia Yosef's Approach Toward Religious Activism And His Place In The Haredi Movement Within Mizrahi Jewry / Nissim Leon ; Studying Haredi Mizrahim In Israel : Trends, Achievements, And Challenges / Kimmy Caplan ; Breaking Their Silence : Mizrahi Women And The Israeli Feminist Movement / Henriette Dahan Kalev ; Conditional Homelands And Diasporas : Moroccan Jewish Perspectives / Andre Levy ; Sephardic/mizrahi/arab-jews : Reflections On Critical Sociology And The Study Of Middle Eastern Jewries Within The Context Of Israeli Society / Harvey E. Goldberg And Chen Bram -- Review Essays. The Shaping Of Israeli Historiography / Dan Michman ; The Rabin Assassination : Looking Back At A National Trauma / Gerald Cromer -- Book Reviews. Antisemitism, Holocaust, And Genocide ; Biography, History, And The Social Sciences ; Language, Literature, And The Arts ; Religion, Thought, And Education ; Zionism, Israel, And The Middle East. Edited By Peter Y Medding. The Avraham Harman Institute Of Contemporary Jewry, The Herbrew University Of Jerusalem. Includes Bibliographical References.