Sephardim in Israel

Sephardim have been living in the territory of modern Israel since the Expulsion. There was mass immigration of Sephardim to Israel after 1948,

Historic Timeline of Sephardic Jews in Eretz Israel (1492-1967)

1492: The Alhambra Decree.
1517: Ottoman Empire gains control over the Eretz Israel from the Mamelukes
1522: Rabbi Jacob Berab, a prominent Sephardic rabbi, arrives in Safed (Tzfat). He is instrumental in revitalizing Jewish life in the city.
1538: Rabbi Jacob Berab attempts to re-establish the ancient Sanhedrin in Safed.
1560s: Rabbi Joseph Caro, a prominent Sephardic scholar and author of the Shulchan Aruch, settles in Safed, which becomes a major center of Jewish learning and mysticism.
1620s: Arrival of the Sephardic rabbi and kabbalist, Shabbatai Tzvi, who later declares himself the Messiah in the 1660s
1742: Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, a prominent Sephardic rabbi and kabbalist, emigrates to Jerusalem and establishes a yeshiva.
1830s: Muhammad Ali of Egypt invades the Levant (1831-1840)
1830s-40s: Moses Montefiore, a British Jewish philanthropist, begins to support Jewish communities in Eretz Israel, financing the construction of synagogues, schools, and hospitals.
1840: The Damascus Affair, a blood libel against Jews in Damascus.
1841: Jerusalem becomes part of the Eyalet of Sidon
1845: Jerusalem becomes part of the Eyalet of Damascus.
1860s-1880s: The first waves of Aliyah, including many Sephardic Jews from North Africa and the Balkans.
1872: Sanjak (or Mutasarrifate) of Jerusalem is established as a separate administrative unit.
1917: Balfour Declaration.
1917: British capture Jerusalem.
1920: San Remo Conference assigns the mandate for Palestine to Britain.
1923: British Mandate for Palestine under the League of Nations.
1948: Establishment of the State of Israel.
1950s-1960s: Mass immigration of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from Arab countries to Israel, significantly impacting the demographic and cultural landscape of the country.
1967: Six Day War and reunification of Jerusalem.

Financial Support for Sephardim in Israel

In the early modern period, Western Sephardic congregations in Europe provided significant financial support to Sephardic Jews in Israel, then known as Terra Santa within the Ottoman Empire. This support was crucial for the Sephardic communities in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias.

Researching the Amsterdam and London Sephardic Jewish archives, Ton Tielen unearthed lists (listas) of supported individuals. These Sephardim hailed from the Ottoman Empire, Morocco, and Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities. Charitable payments often passed through Livorno and Constantinople, continuing until the late 18th century. Notably, Sir Moses Montefiore later traveled personally to Terra Santa.

Video: “My Heart is in the East…” Financial support for Eretz Israel from the farthest West – Ton Tielen

Contributions from Livorno and Other Communities

The Livorno community, along with other Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregations, also contributed financially. The following excerpt from the Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews from the Church of Scotland in 1839 highlights this:

“The Jews of Leghorn send about £800 to Palestine every year. This sum is gathered in the boxes at the synagogue doors and sent to the four holy cities, Jerusalem, Hebron, Saphet, and Tiberias, sometimes by individuals going to Palestine, but more frequently through their mercantile correspondents at Constantinople, where there is an agency appointed to manage such sums sent from any part of the world.”

Historical Context of Sephardim in Israel

Eretz Israel, the Jewish ancestral home, was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1516/1517 and briefly came under Egyptian rule between 1831 and 1840. Turkish rule was restored until Britain captured Jerusalem in 1917. Israeli control over Jerusalem was established in 1948, with the city being reunified in 1967.

Ottoman Rule and Reforms

Following the Tanzimat reforms, the Sanjak/Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem became part of the Vilayet of Syria (also known as the Vilayet of Damascus) in 1864. In 1841, it was separated from Damascus and placed directly under the Ottoman central government in Constantinople, formally becoming an independent province in 1872.

Sephardic Genealogy Resources

Our focus is primarily on the early modern period (1492-1750).

Nüfūs Registers (Ottoman Census and Population Registers of Palestine), 1883-1917

These registers offer valuable insights and are available for research. Additional resources include Ottoman archives, consular archives, Christian missionary society archives, travel books, guides, and possibly surviving property and court records, including Islamic sharia court records involving Jews.

Sir Moses Montefiore’s Contributions

In 1849, Sir Moses Montefiore, a prominent figure in the London Spanish and Portuguese Jews Congregation, visited the Holy Land. He conducted a census of the Jewish population and encouraged Jewish settlement outside the Old City’s walls. More information can be found here.

Israeli Genealogy Research Resources

For those researching Sephardim in Israel, the following sources are invaluable:

Video: Resources for Sephardic Genealogists in Israel – Rose Feldman

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