Jews Around the World

Diaspora n. English. From the Greek for "dispersion." The term for Jewish communities and their residents who lived outside the State of Israel. The term originated in the 6th century B.C.E. with the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine to Babylonia. Through the ages, Jews were forced to leave their homes many times because of persecution; as a result, they live in places as far-flung as Brazil, South Africa, and Australia. The term "wandering Jew" refers to the Jew's continuing search for a safe place to live.

Interesting Facts about Jews Around the World:

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• Ashkenazim pl. n. Hebrew (osh-keh-NAH-zeem) The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France (and their descendants). The word Ashkenaz is the Hebrew name for Germany. The Ashkenazim migrated to Central and Eastern Europe during times of oppression. In pre-World War II Europe, Ashkenazim comprised 90 percent of world Jewry. The majority of American Jews are Ashkenazim. The holiday customs, pronunciation of Hebrew, and food of the Ashkenazim distinguish them from the Sephardim. For example, Ashkenazim spoke Yiddish as their everyday language, while Sephardim spoke Judeo-Spanish.
  
  
• Sephardim pl. n. Hebrew (she-far-DEEM) The name given to those Jews who lived in Spain, Portugal, the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, and the Middle East, and their descendants. Sepharad is the Hebrew name for Spain, where most of the Jews lived before their expulsion in 1492. Sephardim are distinct from—and smaller in number than—the Ashkenazim. While Hebrew or Ladino was their language of prayer, Judeo-Spanish, or Judezmo, (a mixture of Hebrew and Spanish) was their everyday language.