| The primary divisions among Jews beginning in the | | | | well as in various places in Europe and eventually |
| medieval period were Sephardim and Ashkenazim. | | | | to the New World. |
| Its quite clear however that dividing Jews into | | | | Today four communities are correctly categorized |
| only these two categories is incorrect and | | | | under the Sephardic label, though the term |
| oversimplification. The term Sephardim is derived | | | | Sephardic is often misused to designate other |
| from the Hebrew word for Spain, Sepharad. | | | | communities that were from North Africa, the |
| The term is first used in the Bible, but its | | | | Arabian peninsula, or present day Iraq and Iran. |
| connection to Spain or more correctly the Iberian | | | | The four communities are Spanish-Portuguese, |
| peninsula at this time is unlikely. | | | | Judeo-Spanish, Moroccan Spanish, and Syrian |
| Eventually however the term was used for Spain, | | | | communities. The number of Jews under all these |
| and hence Sephardim reflects Jews who were or | | | | categories has drastically fallen though |
| descend from Jewish communities living in Spain | | | | communities of each continue to exist. |
| and Portugal. | | | | The Ashkenazim are Jews which originated in |
| The existence of Jewish communities in Spain | | | | communities in Ashkenaz, the Hebrew name for |
| dates to the early centuries of the Common Era | | | | Germany. The term Ashkenaz appears in the |
| during the Roman period. Tradition among Spanish | | | | book of Genesis in an early genealogy detailing the |
| Jews dates the existence of Jewish communities | | | | descendants of Noah, and it likely designated a |
| from the time of the destruction of the Second | | | | region in Europe in later Jewish tradition, though at |
| Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE, while | | | | what time it was specifically connected with |
| some date the existence of communities back | | | | Germany is unclear. |
| the period of the Babylonian exile. | | | | Like the term Sephardim, the term Ashkenazim |
| The Jewish communities of Spain gained | | | | has been extended to Jewish communities in |
| prominence in the Jewish world during the rise of | | | | other regions, though perhaps less inappropriately |
| Moorish rule in Spain, a subject which deserves its | | | | than the former term. The term correctly covers |
| own series of posts. The historic Jewish | | | | those Jewish communities that lived in medieval |
| communities of Spain and Portugal were | | | | France and Germany. It was later used in |
| eventually expelled in the 15th century which led | | | | referring to Jews in Poland, Russian, as well as |
| to a Sephardic Diaspora Spanish and Portuguese | | | | other communities of Eastern Europe. |
| Jewish communities in the Ottoman empire as | | | | |