Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States

In the United States, Jews of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent are more often called Sephardic than Mizrahi. The term Sephardic can refer to ancestry (descendants of Iberian Jews), religious practice (one of the two main Jewish traditions alongside Ashkenazi), or identity (a shared pan-ethnic label among non-Ashkenazi Jews in America).

Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews represent about 10% of U.S. Jewry. Compared to Ashkenazi Jews, they show stronger communal participation, deeper ties to Israel, more religious traditionalism, lower intermarriage, greater political moderation or conservatism, and higher rates of economic vulnerability.

Most resist U.S. racial categories, preferring to define themselves through culture, history, and country of origin rather than labels like “Jews of color.” Still, some form alliances with Jews of color organizations due to shared experiences of marginalization.

Key communities include:

• Syrian Jews in Brooklyn (fleeing persecution and instability),
• Persian Jews in Los Angeles (arriving after the 1979 Iranian Revolution),
• Bukharian Jews in Queens (leaving Central Asia in the late 20th century),
• Latin Sephardic Jews in South Florida (migrating from Latin America).

Core cultural values include a strong family-centered life, respect for tradition, collectivism, Zionism, intra-communal marriage, cultural continuity, and skepticism of U.S. race-based frameworks.

Source: Mijal Bitton, Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States: Identities, Experiences, and Communities, JIMENA, (August 2025).