The Non-Jewish Origins of the Sephardic Jews

Book excerpt: Following in the pattern of his earlier works on the origins of Ashkenazic Jewry, Professor Wexler presents a fascinating, but controversial linguistic study on the origins of Sephardic Jewry. Finding that many of the language patterns of Sephardic Jewry have their origins in non-Jewish languages, the author suggests that many Sephardic Jews are actually descendants of the converts who brought with them the language of their birth and integrated it into Sephardic speech patterns and dialects. furthermore, he uses linguistic clues to suggest both migration patterns and the possible isolation of Sephardic Jewry.