Sephardim

Tamara Cohen's ancestors were expelled from Spain, now she’s bringing bagels to Madrid

Mazál owner Tamara Cohen, a Philadelphian who became Spanish through a law granting citizenship to Sephardic Jews whose ancestors were expelled during the 1492 Inquisition.

Tamara Cohen, founder of the Mazál bagel restaurant in Madrid, immigrated from the United States through  Spain's Sephardic ancestry law.
Baba Baruch, heir of Baba Sali, speaks to prime minister Yitzhak Shamir during traditional ceremonies in Netivot, 1988.

This week in Jewish history: Nobel prize winners, biochemists, and the Baba Sali

A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds up a portrait of him in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026.

Maduro has claimed Jewish ancestry, here is what is known - explainer

 Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic chief rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, seen during a weekly lecture at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, June 07, 2025; illustrative.

Ex-Sephardi chief rabbi slams Tel Aviv rabbi as 'heretic' after he calls for haredi IDF enlistment


Morocco earthquake damages two historic synagogues

One of the historic synagogues damaged by the quake was built by Sephardic Jews in 1492

  Damage inside a Marrakech synagogue following the devastating earthquake.

18th-century Sephardic silversmith's Torah decorations to be displayed in US museums for first time

The pair of ornaments are known as finials, or “rimonim” in Hebrew, and sit on top of the two wooden staves of a Torah scroll when it is not being read.

 Torah rimonim.

A novel of Sephardic life revives the Jewish family saga

The book arrives at a time of renewed interest in Sephardic culture, giving a fresh story to American Jewish readers who may be more familiar with the Ashkenazi experience.

 Cover of Elizabeth Graver's novel 'Kantika'.

Spain’s Jews: A legacy of Jewish-Muslim friendship - opinion

From medicine to math and music, from science to commerce and so many other aspects of shared life, Jews and Muslims proved their ability to thrive in partnership.

 ZAHAK TANVIR (left) visits The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue with the writer.

Shas does not represent Moroccan Jewry, is Ashkenazi - former PMO official

David Agmon, born in Casablanca, Morocco, has spoken repeatedly against the government and the Shas Party in recent months.

Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri at a party meeting, in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 30, 2023.

Remembering Moshe Shaul: The man who helped revive Ladino

Scholars and Ladino speakers agree that he single-handedly revived the language at a time when it was on the decline and Sephardi culture had lost relevance.

 Moshe Shaul addressing a gathering of Ladino-speaking Jews in Jerusalem in 2012.

A Sephardi renaissance is underway - opinion

While these nations have become increasingly vocal about welcoming the return of Jews, they have painful histories of violence.

 BEIT HARAV dedication ceremony a century ago, on 12 Sivan, 5683 / May 27, 1923. Seated on the dais is Rav Abraham Isaac Kook wearing his fur spodek; to his L are Harry Fischel, Herbert Samuel, and Sephardi chief rabbi Yaakov Meir.

Porto is an example for reestablishing a Jewish community - opinion

We must find new and innovative ways of ensuring Jewish existence in all parts of our continent for generations to come.

 DIRECTOR OF the Porto Holocaust Museum, Michael Rothwell, clasping his hands, and Israel’s Ambassador to Portugal Dor Shapira, looking on, host Portuguese children from around the country on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

No fear, more effort to build after the Djerba attack - opinion

Yes, Jewish life has its difficult, even tragic moments – but it is in the response to those tragedies that I can see how Jewish communities have thrived.

 THE GHRIBA synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, where this month’s attack took place: There was a sense of loss, but also an undercurrent of grim determination that this community would carry on, says the writer.

Paying a visit to Jewish Istanbul

One cannot visit a country with a culture as rich as that of Turkey without paying homage to some of its outstanding sites.

 ISTANBUL’S OLD Ortaköy Cemetery.