The Communal Life of the Sephardic Jews in New York City.Pdf

LOUIS M. HACKER SEPHARDIC JEWS IN NEW YORK CITY not having the slightest desire in the amend the federal acts would be to tween Sephardim and Ashkenazim Aegean. It must be apparent, then, world of becoming acquainted with have everything relating to the pre are more or less familiar; their beai-- that language difficulties stand as the police powers of either state or vention of conception stricken out of ing upon the separatism typical of insuperable obstacles in the path of a federal governments, the average the obscenity laws; another way * the life of the Oriental Jew will at common understanding between Se doctor and druggist are quite wary would be by permissive statute ex once be grasped. It is common phardim and Ashkenazim—at least, of the whole subject. The federal empting from their provisions the knowledge that the Sephardim speak of the first immigrant generations. laws, however, apply not only to the medical and public health professions Hebrew with a slightly different ac The habits of the life of the Se article or agent used in the prevent in the discharge of their duties. If cent, employ synagogue chants which phardim and their general psychology ion of conception, but also to all in the former method were adopted it may be described as Oriental in tone present other reasons for the exist formation on the subject. Such being would in effect throw the mails and rather than Germanic or Slavic, and ence of a real separatism. Coming the case, it is not possible for a doctor common carriers in interstate com have incorporated into their prayer- from the Levant as they have, the Se to obtain books dealing with the sci merce wide open to the advertisement bocks many liturgical poems unfamil phardim have brought a mode of life entific side of Birth Control, nor can and sale of spurious contraceptive in iar to the Ashkenazic ritual. This along with them that in many ways the subject be discussed in the medi formation and articles. In the latter religious difference has led to the differs radically from Occidental cal journals. Such information as cases if the federal obscenity laws founding of independent synagogues manners and point of view. One may the doctor may obtain he must work were amended no objection could be for the services of Sephardim ex mention, in passing, their diets which out for himself in his own practice raised on the grounds of public health clusively. have encouraged separate eating or obtain in person from a fellow and welfare, and the constituted houses, the inferior status of their There are two other distinctive practitioner—truly an archaic way of health authorities could give contra women folk which has made the cafe characteristics that are much more obtaining scientific information in the ceptive information to those who so rather than the home the scene of so important in accounting for the exist twentieth century. One way to desperately need it. cial intercourse, and their gen ence of a separate Sephardic com eral mental attitudes. The Levant munal life, that is to say, the lan has not yet become industrial guage and social differences. The Se ized. As a result, the Sephardim THE COMMUNAL LIFE OF THE phardim speak a variety of dialects are accustomed to a slower tempo SEPHARDIC JEWS IN NEW YORK CITY totally unfamiliar to the general Jew of thought and action and a char ish population. For the most part, acteristic way of life that is a BY LOUIS M. HACKER these dialects may be grouped into compound of fatalism and inertia. three general classifications, viz., Further, the Sephardim consider HESE facts will provoke some has been given until this year to the Ladino, Greek, and Arabic. Arabic themselves a people apart; they are curiosity. In New York City's 40,000 Sephardic Jews hailing from is spoken by the Sephardic Jews com T population of some 1,500,000 "Spanish Jews," with a distinct his Levantine countries. The existence ing from the Syrian and North torical consciousness and, often, an Jews, there are 40,000 souls who are of these considerations prompted the African coasts, and Greek is spoken inordinate pride. Whether this aloof almost as alien to their kinsmen as New York Federation to request the by those coming from a portion of ness is due to a pathetic attempt at are the negroes to the average white Bureau of Jewish Social Research to the old Turkish Empire, now part of maintaining their self-respect or to a Southerner. These 40,000 Jews are make an examination into the prob Greater Greece. These two groups true feeling of superiority, it is diffi set apart from New York Jewry by lems of the communal life of the New constitute only a small section of the cult to determine. The facts are, religious, linguistic and psychological York Sephardic Jews. In the Spring general mass. The great majority these are real differences producing a differences that vitiate any attempts of 1926, such an inquiry was begun of the Sephardim resident in New different social practice and help to at mutual understanding. New York by the writer, and the pages that fol York are those who speak Ladino, a explain why the Sephardic Jews have Jewry's communal problems are not low constitute an abstract of the re dialect which holds the same relation been up to the present a group apart theirs, and no attempt has as yet port submitted to Dr. Solomon Low to Spanish that Yiddish occupies in in New York's Jewish communal been made to bridge this extraordin enstein, Director of New York Fed respect to Middle German. These life. ary gap. In short, in all the brave eration. people have come, for the most part, talk that has been made of the life of from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Turkey in II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE I. REASONS FOR THE PROBLEM New York Jewry—its aspirations, its Europe (except for parts of Greece), COLONY programmes, its richness—no thought The characteristic differences be- Asia Minor, and the islands of the Although a considerable number of 32 33 LOUIS M. HACKEE SEPHARDIC JEWS IN NEW YORK CITY of these burial and mutual aid so Sephardic Jews left the Levant for the restriction of immigration the ington Heights in the neighborhood cieties, none very large and only the United States from 1900 on, the number of Sephardic Jews entering of 170th and 171st Streets. about one-third are in any way im real migrations did not assume im the United States decreased to 137 in portant. The first of these societies portant proportions until the years 1925. In short, in the 26 years, 1899- III. ORGANIZATION OF THE COLONY was founded in 1899; all the others following 1908. This phenomenon 1925, the immigration totaled 25,591 must be coupled with the sequence of date subsequent to the period of mass men, women and children. It is ob The development of the institutions political events in the Near East. migration. Thus, the four most im vious that these figures merely serve of the Sephardic Jews mirrors the Suffice it to say that the young Turk portant, representing the men of to indicate the size of the group to history of their Eastern European Revolution of 1908, in its attempt to Monastir, Castoria, and Adrianople day. co-religionists of twenty years ago. Occidentalize the Near East, em have a combined membership of only They were settlers in a new and un braced a programme of political, eco What then, is the present size of 1,500; another group of six, repre familiar land with alien tongue, cus nomic, racial and religious tenets, the Sephardic Jewish population in senting the men of Rhodes, Darda toms and temperament. They were whose consequences rested with par the United States? Estimates have nelles, Gallipoli, Salonica, Chios, and —and still are—unusually devout. ticular onus on the Jewish popula put the figures in the neighborhood Constantinople, has a membership of What could be more natural than the tion. With the succession of wars of 50,000 to 60,000. There are com 1,200. The Sephardic Brotherhood immediate appearance of the charac that followed in the Mediterranean munities in Chicago, Philadelphia, has a membership of 850. In all, teristic Jewish communal organiza lands spur was given to the desire for Cincinnati, Seattle, Atlanta and in a some 4,000 male Sephardic Jews be tions—the synagogue and the burial flight and in the years 1908-14 a con handful of lesser industrial towns. long to one or another of these so society? These organizations were tinuous emigration took place. As The great majority, however, are to cieties. based strictly on landsmanschaft is characteristic of most trans-Atlan be found in New York City, and con lines. They have persisted until to As early as 1912 an attempt was tic migrations, the young men and servative estimates put their number day, and in them one finds an essen made to transcend local and petty the heads of families came first and at approximately 40,000. tial reason for internal disharmony. loyalties to the landsmanschaften for in the beginning there was an excess the purposes of communal action, but In New York, settlements were The Sephardic Jews are the products of males. But families, in time, join the move was abortive. In 1921, a originally made en masse, and led to of an old world localism that has been ed their men-folk and today the bal second effort was made when the the creation of compact colonies.

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