Israel Najara
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Israel ben Moses Najara (; ; – ) was a prolific Jewish
liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
poet,
preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
,
Biblical commentator This is an outline of commentaries and commentators. Discussed are the salient points of Jewish, patristic, medieval, and modern commentaries on the Bible. The article includes discussion of the Targums, Mishna, and Talmuds, which are not regarde ...
, kabbalist (although this is disputed), and
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
in
Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...
.


Biography

The rabbinic Najara family was originally from
Nájera Nájera () is a small town, former bishopric and now Latin Catholic titular see, former capital of the Kingdom of Najera-Pamplona, located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, northern Spain, on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping poi ...
, a Spanish city in Northern Spain on the Najerilla river. Nájera was the former capital of the Kingdom of Navarre and in the 11th century it was incorporated into the
Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...
. In the rabbinical literature of the 16th-19th centuries, Najaras are found in
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
,
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
,
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, and Gaza. It is believed that Najara's grandfather, rabbi Levi Najara, was born in Spain and fled to Damascus due to the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain. His father, rabbi Moshe ben Levi Najara, was born in
Salonica Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, Greece, and in his later years moved with his family to
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
and was involved with the kabbalistic circles of the Arizal. Rabbi Israel Najara was born in Damascus around 1555. He lived most of his life between Safed, Damascus, and Gaza. Many details of his life can be inferred from his poetry. After an attack on the Jews of Safed by an Arabic tribe in 1579, Najara left with his family and settled in
Jobar Jobar () also Jawbar, Jober or Joubar, is a village on the outskirts of Damascus northeast of the old city walls. It contains the most venerated site for Syrian Jews, the 2,000-year-old Jobar Synagogue, named for the biblical prophet Elijah, a ...
on the outskirts of Damascus, where he served as a
sofer A sofer, sopher, sofer SeTaM, or sofer ST"M (, "scribe"; plural , ) is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Sifrei Kodesh (holy scrolls), tefillin (phylacteries), Mezuzah, mezuzot (ST"M, , is an abbreviation of these three terms) and other religio ...
and rabbi. He experienced unusual personal tragedy; his first wife died at a young age, and his only daughter from this marriage died at the age of ten. He eventually remarried, and some of the children from his second marriage survived into adulthood. In his later years, he was a rabbi in Gaza, where he is buried. One of his sons, Moses Najara, was also a poet, and succeeded his father as the chief rabbi of Gaza. His grandson Yaakov Najara was embroiled in the Sabbatean controversy. From his secular poems, which he wrote in the meters of various
Ladino Ladino, derived from Latin, may refer to: * Judeo-Spanish language (ISO 639–3 lad), spoken by Sephardic Jews *Ladino people, a socio-ethnic category of Mestizo or Hispanicized people in Central America especially in Guatemala * Black ladinos, a ...
,
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
, and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
songs, it is evident that he was familiar with several foreign languages. He traveled extensively in the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
; there is evidence that he visited Salonica,
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
and
Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...
. Due to his upbringing in
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
, he came under the extensive influence of Lurianic
Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
. As may be seen from his works, he was a versatile scholar, and he corresponded with many contemporary rabbis, among others with Bezaleel Ashkenazi, Yom-Ṭob Ẓahalon,
Moses Hamon Moses Amon also known as Moses Hamon (Granada, c. 1490 – 1554) (Amon) was the son of Joseph Hamon, born in Spain. Going with his father to Constantinople, he became physician to Suleiman the Magnificent. This "famous prince and great physi ...
, and Menahem Ḥefeẓ. His poetic effusions were exceptionally numerous, and many of them were translated into
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. While still young he composed many hymns, to
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
tunes, with the intention, as he says in the preface to his ''Zemirot Yisrael,'' of turning the Jewish youth from profane songs. He wrote ''
piyyuṭim A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and most follow some p ...
'', ''
pizmonim ''Pizmonim'' (Hebrew פזמונים, singular ''pizmon'') are traditional Jewish songs and melodies sung with the intention of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious ...
'', '' seliḥot'', '' vidduyim'', and
dirges A dirge () is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as may be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegies. Dirges are often slo ...
for all the week-days and for Sabbaths, holy days, and occasional ceremonies, these piyyuṭim being collected in his ''Zemirot Yisrael.'' Many of the ''piyyuṭim'' are in
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
.


Works

Najara's letters, secular poems, epigrams, and rhymed prose form the work entitled ''Meimei Yisrael'' () are published at the end of the second edition of the ''Zemirot Yisrael'' (). Najara's other works are as follows: *''Mesaḥeḳet ha-Tebel'' (Safed, 1587), an ethical poem on the nothingness of the world; *''Shoḥaṭe ha-Yeladim'' (printed with Moses Ventura's ''Yemin Mosheh'', Amsterdam, 1718), Hebrew verse on the laws of slaughtering and porging, composed at the request of his son Moses; *''Ketubbat Yisrael'' (with
Joseph Jaabez Joseph ben Hayyim Jabez (also "Yaavetz") (14381539) was a Spanish-Jewish theologian. He lived for a time in Portugal, where he associated with Joseph ben Abraham Ḥayyun, who inspired him with that taste for mysticism which he subsequently di ...
's ''Ma'amar ha-Aḥdut'', n.p., 1794), a hymn which, in the
kabalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...
fashion, represents the relationship between God and Israel as one between man and wife (it was composed for the holiday of
Shavuot (, from ), or (, in some Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi usage), is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday, one of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan; in the 21st century, it may ...
); *A collection of hymns published by M. H. Friedländer (Vienna, 1858) under the title ''Pizmonim''. His unpublished works are: *''She'erit Yisrael'', containing sixty poems, which is, according to its heading, the second part of ''Zemirot Yisrael''; it is found in the ''bet ha-midrash'' of the
Yekke A Yekke (also ''Jecke'', ''Jekke'') is a humorous, mildly derogatory reference to a Jew of German-speaking origin. - A review of the book ''The Ben Yehuda Strasse Dictionary'' by Devorah Haberfeld Its Central and Eastern European Jewish counterp ...
community in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
; from it
Leopold Dukes Leopold Dukes (; 17 January 1810, Pozsony – 3 August 1891, Vienna) was a Hungarian critic of Jewish literature. Biography Dukes spent about 20 years in England, and from his researches in the Bodleian Library and the British Museum (which con ...
published one poem; *''Ma'arkhot Yisrael'', a commentary on the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
; *''Miḳveh Yisrael'', sermons *''Piẓ'ei Ohev'', a commentary on the
Book of Job The Book of Job (), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The language of the Book of Job, combining post-Babylonia ...
. M. Sachs attempted to render some of Najara's ''piyyuṭim'' into German. After the ruins of the house inhabited by Judah he-Ḥasid of Jerusalem were cleared away in 1836, some writings of Israel Najara from the year 1579 were found.


Zemirot Yisrael

''Zemirot Yisrael'', originally entitled ''Zemirot Yisrael Najara'', was first published at
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
(1587) and contained 108 ''
piyyuṭim A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and most follow some p ...
'' and
hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
. Many additional songs were printed in the Venetian edition from 1599. This edition contains the ''Meme Yisrael'' and the ''Mesaḥeḳet ha-Tebel'' additions, and is divided into three parts: # ''Olat Tamid'' (), containing 225 ''piyyuṭim'' organized according to the Ottoman makam system. He notes twelve makamlar: Rast, Dugah, Huseyni, Bûselik, Segâh, Segâh Irak, Acem, Mahur, Neva Uzzal, Naks Huseyni, and Nikriz; # ''Olat Shabbat'' (), containing 54 ''piyyuṭim'' for each
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
of the year (set to presumably well known melodies of other piyyutim, as indicated in the incipits); # ''Olat Ḥodesh'' (), containing 160 ''piyyuṭim'' and dirges for the
High Holy Days In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...
,
Purim Purim (; , ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Genocide, annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther (u ...
, the Ninth of Ab, and occasional ceremonies. These include epic poems recounting the
Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...
and
Purim Purim (; , ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Genocide, annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther (u ...
stories, as well as the ''piyyuṭ'' sung by Sephardic communities on Shavuot (also known as the ''ketubbah shel matan Torah'') describing an allegorical "marriage contract" between God and Israel. It was published a third time at
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
(1837), but with the omission of many songs and of the two works just mentioned. Extracts from the ''Zemirot Yisrael'' were published under the title of ''Tefillot Nora'ot'' (
Frankfort-on-the-Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, 1712).


Influence

Many of Najara's ''piyyuṭim'' and hymns have been taken into the rituals and ''
maḥzorim The ''machzor'' (, plural ''machzorim'', and , respectively) is the prayer book which is used by Jews on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many Jews also make use of specialized ''machzorim'' on the three pilgrimage festivals ...
'' in use among the Jews in different countries, especially in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The poetic works of Rabbi Israel Najara had considerable influence on the various ''
baqashot The ''baqashot'' (or ''bakashot'', ) are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Syrian, Moroccan, and Turkish Jewish communities for centuries each week on Shabbat mornings from the early hours of t ...
'' traditions of Morocco, Turkey (also known as the ''maftirim'' tradition), and Syria. At least 26 compositions by Najara are part of the Moroccan ''baqashot'' canon, and roughly 8 of the 66 Syrian ''baqashot'' were composed by Najara (). On
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
eve, the Jews of
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
sing many hymns and prayers written by Najara. The best known of his hymns are '' Yah Ribbon 'Alam'' () recited on the Sabbath by the Jews of various countries, as well as ''Yodukha Ra'ayonay'' () and ''Yarhiq Nedod'' ().


Critical reception

For some of his poetic innovations – for example his hymns on the marriage of God and Israel – Najara was severely criticized by
Menahem Lonzano Menahem ben Judah ben Menahem de Lonzano (), often Menahem di Lonzano, was a rabbi, Masoretic scholar, lexicographer, and poet. He died after 1608 in Jerusalem. Biography His origin is unknown, but it has been supposed that he was born in Ital ...
when the latter was in Damascus. The ''Shibḥei Ḥayyim Viṭal'' contains a violent attack (accusations included: use of foul language, being a drunkard, homosexuality, and sexual relations with non-Jewish women) by
Hayyim Vital Hayyim ben Joseph Vital (; Safed, October 23, 1542 (Julian calendar) / October 11, 1542 (Gregorian Calendar) – Damascus, 23 April 1620) was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachin ...
upon a poet whose name is not mentioned, but whom some take to be Israel Najara. (It was later discovered that Vital actually had named Najara, but this had been censored out until the 1954 publication of ''Sefer HaḤezyonot'' based on Vital's own autograph manuscript.) However, Vital did not make these accusations based on observation, but rather based on mystical revelations which he claimed to have received from a spirit.Marc B. Shapiro
Hasidism in America
/ref> Despite the accusations,
Isaac Luria Isaac ben Solomon Ashkenazi Luria (; #FINE_2003, Fine 2003, p24/ref>July 25, 1572), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal, was a leading rabbi and Jewish mysticism, Jewish mystic in the community of Saf ...
, Vital's teacher, declared that Najara's hymns were listened to with delight in heaven. Najara's ''piyyuṭim'' were praised also by
Leon of Modena Leon of Modena (, 1571–1648) was a Jewish scholar born in Venice to a family whose ancestors migrated to Italy after an expulsion of Jews from France. Life He was an intelligent child and a respected rabbi in Venice. However, his reputation wi ...
, who composed a song in his honor, which was printed at the beginning of the ''Olat Shabbat,'' the second part of the ''Zemirot Yisrael.''


References

Its bibliography: * Chaim Azulai, ''Shem ha-Gedolim,'' ii, s.v. Zemirot Yisrael; *
Simon Bernfeld Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
, in ''
Ha-Asif ''Ha-Asif'' () was a Hebrew language, Hebrew-language yearly journal, published in Warsaw by Nahum Sokolow, Naḥum Sokolow. Its first volume appeared in 1884; it continued to appear regularly every year until 1889, when the fifth volume came out ...
,'' iv, section 4, pp. 18 et seq.; *
David Conforte David Conforte (c. 1618 – c. 1685) () was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title ''Ḳore ha-Dorot.'' Biography Conforte came of a family of scholars. His early instructors were rabbi ...
, ''Ḳore ha-Dorot,'' pp. 37a, 41a, 49b; * Dukes, ''Zur Kenntniss,'' pp. 9, 138, No. 8; * Fuenn, ''Keneset Yisrael,'' p. 699; *
Julius Fürst Julius Fürst (; 12 May 1805, Żerków, South Prussia – 9 February 1873, Leipzig), born Joseph Alsari, was a Jewish German oriental studies, orientalist and the son of noted maggid, teacher, and Hebrew grammarian Jacob Alsari. Fürst was a dis ...
, ''Bibl. Jud.'' iii.12; *
Heinrich Grätz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was a German exegete and one of the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (no ...
, ''Gesch.,'' 3rd ed., ix.395; * Landshuth, '' 'Ammude ha-'Abodah,'' pp. 135 et seq.; * ''Orient. Lit.'' iv.649 et seq.; *
Moritz Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (; 30 March 1816 – 24 January 1907) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist, and an important figure in Jewish studies and Jewish history. He is credited as having invented the term ''antisemitism.'' Education Mo ...
, ''Cat. Bodl.'' cols. 1170–1171; * idem, ''Jewish Literature,'' pp. 155, 243; *
Zunz Zunz (, ) is a Yiddish surname: * (1874–1939), Belgian pharmacologist * Sir Gerhard Jack Zunz (1923–2018), British civil engineer * Leopold Zunz (Yom Tov Lipmann Tzuntz) (1794–1886), German Reform rabbi and writer, the founder of academi ...
, ''Literaturgesch.'' p. 419.


External links


1587 Safed Edition of Zemirot Yisrael

1599 Venice Edition of Zemirot Yisrael

Iraqi melody for Yah Ribbon 'Alam (יה רבון עלם)

Traditional Syrian melody for Yarhiq Nedod (ירחיק נדוד)

Ottoman/Turkish melody for Yodukha Ra'ayonay (יודוך רעיוני) from the Maftirim baqashot tradition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Najara, Israel ben Moses 1550s births 1620s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 16th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire 17th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Burials in Gaza City Hebrew-language poets Jewish poets Land of Israel Religious leaders from Damascus Rabbis in Safed Arabic-language poets from the Ottoman Empire Sephardi rabbis from Ottoman Palestine Jewish liturgical poets Writers from Gaza City People of Greek-Jewish descent People of Spanish-Jewish descent