German Jewry and the allure of the Sephardic

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In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, German Jews sought legal emancipation and social acceptance while pursuing cultural renewal. This involved distancing themselves from Ashkenazim in Poland and elevating the Sephardim of medieval Spain. They viewed Ashkenazic Jewry as insular due to Christian persecution, contrasting this with their idealization of Sephardim as worldly, morally superior, and products of a tolerant Muslim environment. John Efron delves into the allure of Sephardic aesthetics for German Jewry, exploring their admiration for Sephardic Hebrew and the perceived physical and moral beauty of Sephardim. This fascination manifested in neo-Moorish synagogue architecture, historical novels, and romanticized portrayals of Sephardic history. Efron posits that German-Jewish culture envisioned medieval Iberian Jewry as an exemplary community, harmonizing tradition with the dominant Muslim culture. He argues that the myth of Sephardic superiority reflected a self-critical perspective among German Jews, who aimed to transform Ashkenazic culture and gain acceptance in German society, aspiring to their own golden age. This stimulating work illustrates that the goal of this aesthetic transformation was not assimilation but the creation of a new German-Jewish identity inspired by Sephardic beauty.