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Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrachi: Including All Jewish Traditions

Shira Muroff, ISJL Education Fellow
 
When thinking about programming for religious school (and a synagogue/temple in general), it is important to teach Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrachi Jewish traditions. Jewish children should grow up understanding that there is more than one form of participating in Jewish rituals and customs. No matter the main makeup of our community’s familial heritage, including all three traditions throughout different points of the year teaches our students that Jews can come from many types of backgrounds.
 
One way to include Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrachi traditions is through the songs or tunes that we include in Shabbat or holiday programming. This can be done through including different tunes to the Shabbat prayers. During holidays, communities can bring in different songs that are traditional to both our own and another Jewish community to expand the scope of what your students consider Jewish music. For example, playing both “Ocho Kandelikas” (a Ladino song) and a klezmer song on Chanukah teaches students that there is not just one type of Jewish music.
 
Exploring Jewish diversity through food provides a very accessible avenue for learning. For example, on Passover people of Ashkenazi descent may assume that charoset is always synonymous with the distinct taste of apples and wine. However, someone with Persian family members might have pistachios and hazelnuts as the key points in their charoset, while dates and raisins are associated with Egyptian charoset. By introducing students at a young age to foods of multiple Jewish cultures, they learn that many things can be traditional, not just what their own ancestors passed down.
 
Teaching about different versions of ritual objects can also dispel the notion that there is only one way to be traditionally Jewish. For example, as students grow up, they may see Torah scrolls quite frequently. There is a great way to show Jewish diversity by showing students both Sephardic Torah scrolls and Ashkenazi Torah scrolls. The ornate casing in the Sephardic Torah is different from the Ashkenazi Torah’s long wooden handles, and for students to see that even a Torah’s structure can take many forms, they will learn that there is not just one way of being Jewish.
 
There are many experiential ways to have students explore all facets of Jewish culture, and if it is a regular part of their Jewish life, we will help students understand just how widespread the Jewish world really is. 


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  • Home
  • About The ISJL
    • Our Mission & History
    • Goldring and Woldenberg
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Our Founder
    • Jobs & Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • Departments
    • Community Engagement >
      • CE Initiatives >
        • Literacy >
          • LAB
          • Our Reading Family >
            • ORF Program Partners
        • ASK
        • TAP >
          • TAP Basic Resources
          • Order TAP Supplies
          • TAP Newsletter
          • TAP Workshops
          • Zadeck TAP Mentors
      • CE Department History
    • Education >
      • Curriculum Highlights >
        • Education Newsletter
        • ISJL Education Store
      • Communities
      • Education Fellowship
      • Community Support
      • Lesson Plan Evaluation
    • History >
      • Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities >
        • Alabama Encyclopedia
        • Arkansas Encyclopedia
        • Georgia Encyclopedia
        • Florida Encyclopedia
        • Kentucky Encyclopedia
        • Louisiana Encyclopedia
        • Mississippi Encyclopedia
        • North Carolina Encyclopedia
        • Oklahoma Encyclopedia
        • South Carolina Encyclopedia
        • Tennessee Encyclopedia
        • Texas Encyclopedia
        • Virginia Encyclopedia
        • Encyclopedia Credits
      • Meet the Historian
      • Oral History >
        • Oral History Guide >
          • Oral History Guide - Technology
          • Oral History Guide - Technique
          • Oral History Guide - Recording
          • Oral History Guide - Archiving
          • Oral History Guide - Notes and Appendices
        • Southern Jewish Voices
      • Bibliography
    • Heritage & Interpretation >
      • Virtual Vacation
      • Virtual Road Trip Through the Jewish South
      • Jewish Heritage Tours >
        • Service Learning & Alternative Break Tours
      • Traveling Trunk
      • Temple B'nai Israel - Natchez
    • Cultural Programming >
      • Presenters Roster >
        • Programming Video Samples
    • Rabbinical Services >
      • Meet Our Rabbis
      • Taste of Torah
      • Rabbis on the Road
  • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Join the Chai Club
    • Planned Giving
    • The Susan & Macy B. Hart Fund
    • Donor's Bill of Rights
  • Shalom Y'all
    • Connection in the time of Coronavirus
  • ISJL In The News
  • E-News
  • Peddler's Cart
  • Southern & Jewish Blog
  • ISJL Travel & Events Calendar
  • FAN - The Fellow Alumni Network
  • Virtual Press Kit
  • HH Resource Overview
  • HH Services & Worship
  • HH Digital Prayerbooks
  • HH Liturgy & Music
  • HH Zoom Resources
  • HH Pandemic Resources
  • HH When is it safe to reopen?
  • High Holidays Helper - Planning
  • High Holidays Streaming Services