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Sephardim

The Jews from Spain

Edited and translated by George K. Zucker
Here, in a single volume, is the first comprehensive history in English of the Sephardim—descendants of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Paloma Díaz-Mas recounts the journey and customs of this fascinating group as they moved across the globe. They settled initially in Mediterranean Europe, the Low Countries, North Africa, and the Turkish Empire, but in the nineteenth century, a second diaspora brought the Sephardim to the United States, South America, Israel, and Western Europe. She traces the origins and survival of their unique language and explores the literature they produced. Their relationship to Spain is also uncovered, as well as their everyday lives. Sephardim is an authoritative and completely accessible investigation of the history and legacy of this amazing people.

250 pages | 6 x 9 | © 1992

History: European History

Religion: Judaism

Table of Contents

Translator’s Foreword
Introduction
1. Historical Background
Jews in the Iberian Peninsula
Sephardic Judaism
Recommended Reading
2. History of the Sephardim
Exile to Christian Countries
Sephardim in the East
Sephardim in Morocco
The Second Diaspora
Recommended Reading
3. Language
Jewish Languages and the Speech of Spanish Jews in the Middle Ages
Exile
The Names of the Language
Ladino
Judeo-Spanish: A Fossilized Language?
Judeo-Spanish in the Levant
Haketia: Moroccan Judeo-Spanish
Language Registers
Current Status
The Writing System
Recommended Reading
4. Literature
The Bible and Religious Literature
The Coplas
Traditional Genres
Adopted Genres
Recommended Reading
5. The Sephardim and Spain
Spain’s Reaction to the Sephardim
Sephardic Reaction to Spain
Recommended Reading
6. The Sephardim Today
Current Worldwide Status
Sephardim in Spain
Sephardic Studies
Recommended Reading
Bibliography
Translator’s Additional Bibliography
Index

Awards

American Literary Translators Association: National Translation Award
Won

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