Take the Sephardic History Quiz

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

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31 Comments

Ferial Canads February 7, 2022

7/10 - I learned a lot from.this quiz. Thank you Rabbi Posner. Reply

Mendy Queens January 2, 2022

The question of who is a Sephardi should be understood, in my opinion, in two ways. In popular Jewish culture today, there are Ashkenazim and Sephardim. Using that classification consisting of only two groups, Persians, Yeminites, etc. are subsumed in the Sephardic group. The question presented here focused not on today's cultural simplification but on historical roots. The Yemeni community did not originate in Spain; in fact, it preceded the Spanish community by hundreds of years. Ditto for the others. Reply

Chana February 2, 2022

in response to Mendy :

Dear Mindy,
Your assumption about two groups of Jews Ashkenazi and Sephardic is wrong. Iranian/Persian Jews are NOT Sephardic. They are Jews who were freed from Babylonian slavery 2500 years ago by Cyrus The Great and did not go back to the land of Israel and followed Cyrus and still some live in Iran but after Islamic Revolution in Iran most left for Israel Europe and specially United States. It is Ashkenazi attitude to see Jews as Ashkenazi and the rest of the Jews. It is offensive and prejudice to lump a large group of Jews with different history,culture and languages all in one and erasing their true identity. The story of Ester and Mordechai in Tanach happened to Iranian Jews and to this day is a Megillah as I am sure you know as a Jew. Ester was not from Spain. We as Jews all have our own histories and contributions. My last 45 years experience in the USA with Ashkenazi Jews has been mostly heart breakingly of lack of knowledge and prejudice sorry to say. Reply

Shaun Boden LS9 7UA November 30, 2022

in response to Mendy :

Mizrahi. Reply

Sara January 2, 2022

Hi,
I didn't score so well on this one. Is there more I could learn about it on chabad.org.
Thanks in Advance Reply

Corine de Jonge Johannesburg January 2, 2022

4/10 My worst score ever! But I still stand by the fact that I am Sephardic. Reply

Maria New York January 2, 2022

Being Sephardic, I'm really disappointed at myself for my lack of knowledge. Oy! Reply

Rita Forbes Clinton January 2, 2022

in response to Maria:

Good Morning, Maria

Be kind to yourself! Albert Einstein had tutors before the world recognized he was a genius. You are a genius in the making! Never stop learning about who you are and the world, so the world can't tell you who you should be.
In the children's story [the race between the hare and the tortoise], the hare tried to tell the tortoise who he was and what he couldn't do. The tortoise didn't let him! He kept moving right along at his pace. In the end who won the race? The tortoise! Keep going! You're doing great!

Your Cheering Squad,

🕊💜 Reply

Maria New York, NY January 3, 2022

in response to Rita Forbes:

Thanks, Rita. I sure needed some cheering:) Reply

Chaim Aburov California January 1, 2022

I thought that Yemenite, Persian, and Italian Jews are Sephardic??? Does that mean thet if I am Persian, I am not Sephardic? Please explain. Thanks! Reply

Petra Katebi Kashi North Ryde January 2, 2022

in response to Chaim Aburov:

B''H,

Yes! :-)

I am a Persian Jew (genetically). To my understanding, our following of mitzvot is different to that of Sephardim. We are the Hebrew Jews with our roots nestled in the middle-East.

There is an article '' The origin of Eastern European Jews revealed by
autosomal, sex chromosomal and mt DNA polymorphisms''
written by Dr Avshalom Zoossmann-Diskin.

Please check that. It is very clear that middle-Eastern Jews (Persia= Iran and Iraq) has a different originality compared to Yemenite, them compared to Ethiopians, them compared to mountain Jews, them compared to Turkic Jews & Khazars, compared to Slavic Jews or Ashkenazim, and them compared to the Sephardim (South Europe).

The work is scholarly written based on various statistical analysis of purely objective data that were X chromosome, Y chromosome (paternal source), and Mitochondrial DNA (maternal DNA).

So, no more doubts about origin of each group. Hopefully, we can stop the long-standing debates.:-)

Best regards Reply

Chana February 2, 2022

in response to Chaim Aburov:

Chaim,
If you are Persian you are not Sephardi! You are descendant of Persian Jews who were freed by Cyrus The Great 2500 years ago from Babylon not from Spain! Ester and Mordechai were not Sephardi. They were Persian Jews living in Iran 2500 years ago. The story of Megilat Ester is called. Reply

Chaim Schnitzer January 1, 2022

Please give a history lesson before giving the test Reply

Petra Katebi Kashi North Ryde January 2, 2022

in response to Chaim Schnitzer:

Hi Chaim,

The purpose of these quizzes is for us to recognise where we do not know much so that we can improve it. :-)

Also, once you'd answer a question, it immediately turns and instead of the question, you'll notice a link that was hidden, as I am sure that you've noticed. If you'd click on it, it will take you to the source from which the question had originally been extracted so that you can explore and possibly read all about the subject. It is quite comprehensive.

Good luck and G-D bless! Reply

asdfasdf asdfasdf mountain aview January 1, 2022

Thank you rabbi Posner! Reply

Crystal Australia December 31, 2021

10/10 Reply

Aharon 11791 December 31, 2021

Persian Jews are Sephardic? Their is a huge community in great neck and they are all Sephardi. Reply

Petra Katebi Kashi North Ryde January 2, 2022

in response to Aharon:

They are not! :-)

I am a Persian Jew (genetically). To my understanding, our following of mitzvot is different to that of Sephardim. We are the Hebrew Jews with our roots nestled in the middle-East.

There is an article '' The origin of Eastern European Jews revealed by
autosomal, sex chromosomal and mt DNA polymorphisms''
written by Dr Avshalom Zoossmann-Diskin.

Please check that. It is very clear that middle-Eastern Jews (Persia= Iran and Iraq) has a different originality compared to Yemenite, them vs Ethiopians vs Syrian Jews vs mountain or Turkic Jews, vs Khazars, vs Slavic Jews or Ashkenazim, and them compared to the Sephardim (South Europe).

The work is scholarly written based on various statistical analysis of purely objective data that were X chromosome, Y chromosome (paternal source), and Mitochondrial DNA (maternal DNA).

So, no more doubts about origin of each group. Hopefully, we can stop the long-standing debates.:-)

Best regards. Reply

Jack Dangler Harpers Ferry December 31, 2021

Apparently that last question forgot to include me! That was the worst score on any of these quizzes ever! Apparently, I also am not Sephardim... Reply

Esther December 31, 2021

in response to Jack Dangler:

same here. it is quite embarrassing.
Have a great shabbos everyone. Reply

Emma December 31, 2021

Now that one I need to work on wow o Reply

G. Eleonore Goulet Toronto, Ontario December 31, 2021

I am always looking forward to your weekly quiz. I have been learning a lot from each of them. Very thankful. Reply

Petra Katebi Kashi North Ryde December 30, 2021

What a great quiz!

Fantastic!

Thank you, Rabbi Posner!

Happy 2022!✨ Reply

...... December 30, 2021

7/10 Reply

Esther Safed December 29, 2021

Thanks it was very informative but I take exception to the one about Italian Jews not being Sefardic. What about the Ramchal? And the Zera Shimshon (Rav Shimshon Chaim Nachmani)? And many others whom I can’t remember off the top of my head. It’s known that many Jews escaped to Italy after the expulsion from Spain. The Abarbarnel did so. But this was a nice challenging quiz, thank you! Reply

Eva Altona December 30, 2021

in response to Esther:

I think because Jews had been in Italy long long before the expulsion from Spain , Rome has one of the oldest comunity worldwide, they are now called Italkim, I believe, not sure at all... Reply

Menachem Posner December 30, 2021

in response to Eva:

Yes, indeed. Italy is home to many Sephardim (and also Ashkenazim, as well), but for centuries it had its own unique brand of Jewish life, which was neither Ashkenazic nor Sephardic. The same is true for Greece.

In many Arabic lands, by contrast, the Sephardic newcomers became dominant to the point that all contemporary Syrian Jews, for example, are considered Sephardic, even though many of their ancestors did not come from Spain and actually once followed traditions that had been in place there before the Spanish exiles arrived. Reply

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