sephardi and ashkansi

[Mama Frank]

I'm reading a book right now which I think must be about Shephardic Jews, living in Spain. It's set after the Inquisition, and the family has been posing as converted Christians (even the main character doesn't know she's Jewish), but if you know a bit about Jewish customs, you can spot some of the signals. They're referred to as "Marranos" (pigs).

The book is called Incantation, and it's by Alice Hoffman. I don't usually like her books a whole lot (she's usually too kooky for me) but I'm enjoying this one very much so far.

[ferngully]

thats a common kind of story from after the inquisition. now many of them are returning back to their roots but back then they had to hide it quite carefully. the name murrano is quite insulting because it implies they ate pig to save their lives

[Goonerman]

Funny thing is, the only synagogue service I have ever been to was Sephardic, at the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London. That was in July 2007. They had some songs in their community centre which were in medieval Portuguese. I also learned that the British fish and chips is actually a Sephardic Jewish dish, introduced from Portugal. The synagogue was founded in 1699, and had its origins in the Sephardic Jews who came back when Oliver Cromwell welcomed Jews back to England in the 1650s, after Edward I had kicked them out in 1290. I have never attended a synagogue service in my home city in Belfast, though I visited the synagogue way back in 1987. I think the Belfast one is Ashkenazi. The current Rabbi is a Lubavitcher- it was a Liberal-Orthodox synagogue but I am not entirely sure if that status has changed, and if now it is just Orthodox. My first boss was Jewish and she refused to attend it, as she is Reform.