Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam Who Are Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States? With Dr. Mijal Bitton
Nov 12, 2025
Dr. Mijal Bitton, a notable researcher at NYU and leader of the first national study on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the U.S., discusses the rich yet often overlooked stories of these communities. She shares her personal journey of exclusion in scholarship that fueled her research. The conversation explores community identities, diverse experiences, and higher engagement with Jewish life. Mijal also addresses the complexities of how these communities relate to concepts like race and inclusion, advocating for more nuanced understandings of Jewish identity.
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DEI Blind Spots For Sephardic Communities
- Many mainstream DEI efforts fail to include Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews because frameworks don't match their experiences.
- Bitton recommends rethinking inclusion to accommodate different cultural values and histories.
Sephardic Vs Mizrahi: Two Different Origins
- 'Sephardic' is an older, historically rooted term linked to Iberian Jews and their legal/cultural traditions.
- 'Mizrahi' is a modern Israeli category often used for Middle Eastern/North African Jews and carries different connotations.
Seattle Talk Mislabels The Audience
- Noam describes a Seattle talk where labeling the audience 'Mizrahi' offended a Turkish Sephardic community.
- The group insisted they were Sephardic, not Mizrahi, showing local identity differences.
