minow@decvax.UUCP (Martin Minow) (09/12/85)
The following quotation is from "The Spanish Jews" by Felipe Torroba Bernaldo de Quir'os, translated from Spanish by John Inderwick Palmer. The book was published in 1972. "Of the approximately 15 million Jews who at present exist, scattered about the world, nearly 13 million are <<Ashkenazim>> as against a little more than a million Sephardim. Thus the Judeo-Spaniards comprise harely 10 per cent of the total Hebrew population of today. Since the 16th century, however, down to the beginning of the present one, to the world war of 1914-1918, the predomance of the Sephardim was clear and unquestionable. They were superior because of their culture, of their intelligence and even of their physical endowment and gentlemany manners. But in our days things have changed, and the Sephardim have openly receded before the Ashkenazim, who are much greater both in number and influence.... "Anthropologically it might be said that the Sephardim approximate to the Latins, and owing to the fact of their living separated from other peoples they have maintained a homogeneous type, distinguished be its black or dark brown hair, oval face, elongated, almond-shaped eyes of black or brown, elongated, narrow skull with sloping forehead; an appearance, in short, that is Eastern and Mediterranean. They speak the <<Ladino>>, that is the Spanish they inherited from Spain in the 15th century, and talk Hebrew with a Southern Palestinian accent. "The Ashkenazi Jew is more European, less Oriental. Many of them have fair or red hair, round head and face and are short of stature. They pronounce Hebrew with the accent of North Palestine and their language is <<Yiddish>>, a mixture of the original Hebrew with the Slavonic toungues and medieval German spoken in the Jewries.... "Scattered about the world after the Diaspora, the leaders of both branches relaized that it was necessary for them to unify rites, political activies, taxes, judges and courts. But the Sephardim, who thought themselves superior, who were truly orthodox, who kept scrupulously to the letter of the <<Talmud>>, did not wish to obey the dictates of the Ashkenazi rabbis. Thus the <<differential fact>> originated, with all its consequences. Three tendencies existed within Judaism in those days: the Babylonian, symbolised by Rabbi Alfassi, of the old rabbinical academies; the Spanish personified in Maimonides, and the Germanic of Ashesi. The Sephardim attained the predominance of Alfassi and Maimonides. Polygamy was permitted among them, which was a great sin for the Ashkenazim, and they practiced the Levirate, the Mosaic law which obliged th brother of a decesed husband to marry the widow (his sister-in-law) which was incest for the Ashkenazim." Hope this clarifies matters. Martin Minow decvax!minow