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From: martillo@csd2.UUCP (Joachim Martillo)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Is Martillo a Typical Sefardim?
Message-ID: <3780083@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Sep-85 00:42:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: csd2.3780083
Posted: Fri Sep  6 00:42:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Sep-85 10:31:05 EDT
References: <11290@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
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/* csd2:net.religion.jewish / sher@rochester.UUCP (David Sher) / 10:24 pm  Aug 30, 1985 */
----> line eater

>     Basically the subject says it all.  Can I consider  the
>opinions  expressed by Yakim Martillo (sp?) to be typical of
>Sephardic Jews in this country (USA) or in the world.  Espe-
>cially those opinions concerning Ashkenazim.  I hope he will
>not object to this paraphrazing  of  his  opinion  and  will
>correct  me  where I go wrong.  Yakim Martillo has expressed
>opinions of this form:

Basically I speak only for myself.

>(1)  The "Jewishness" of Ashkenazik Jews is always suspect.

At least for the 95% or more who insist on acting like European or
Western non-Jews, this suspicion is quite reasonable.

>(2)  Ashkenazik customs are inferior  to  Sephardic  customs
>     with regard to expressing Jewish sentiments or beliefs.

At least in tefillah and probably  in other regards  this is  halakah.
You may check the responsa  of Jacob of Emden (an  Ashkenazi), ii, 15.
Luzzato  holds similar  opinions.  I  believe    the  Vilna Gaon  also
expressed this opinion but I am not certain.   Nathan Adler in Germany
considered Ashkenazi pronunciation erroneus.

>(3)  The word of a Sephardic "hacham" is can  be  considered
>     always  to  be more reliable than that of an Ashkenazik
>     rabbi.

No, I specifically  exempted  Ashkenazim   who act in a   recognizably
Jewish fashion by Sefardi standards.  I  do detect a ridiculous mental
fossilization  among Ashkenazi rabbis  in that  many continue to fight
irrelevant 19th century communal political battles.

>(4)  Ashkenazik Jews are responsible  for  all  assimilation
>     and assimilation is entirely an Ashkenazik problem.

While there has been Sefardic assimilation in the past and the present
time, the vast majority of such problems among  the Sefardic community
nowadays  can be   traced   to   Ashkenazi  interference in    Sefardi
communities since the middle 19th century.

As for Ashkenazi assimilation, the amount and speed of assimilation of
Ashkenazim in the USA has been at least rather de gouton.

>     Note that these views are  not  mine  and  may  not  be
>anyone's  they  are  just  a summary of my impression of Mr.
>Martillo's viewpoints as expressed  to  net.religion.jewish.
>It  is  important  to  me  with regard to my sense of Jewish
>identity to find out whether his viewpoint is  the  accepted
>view of the Sephardic community or conclusions he came to on
>his own.

I saw a joke in Carl Alpert's column:

An Israeli died, and his friend went to the Ashkenazi hevra kadisha to
arrange for the burial.  However, when the friend could not assure the
officials that the deceased  was  an Ashkenazi, they  refused to  bury
him.  So the friend went to the Sefardi burial society.  He was warmly
received, and  all arrangements made.  Asked if  the ethnic origins of
the deceased were not a matter of concern, the  official replied: "Not
at all.  If he was a Sefardi, then we are obliged to bury him.  And if
he was an Ashkenazi, we'll be happy to do so.