Sephardi Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle

The European peninsula containing Spain and Portugal
A Muslim empire begun in the 1400’s lasting until the end of World War I. Its territories included North Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey
Term used to describe Jews whose ancestors originated in the Iberian Peninsula. A specific ethnic and cultural form of Judaism.
A Jew (or Muslim) who converted to Christianity, usually under threat of death. Often the person remained a secret Jew, practicing in private but forced to pretend to be a Christian in public
Germanic tribe that conquered Iberia from the Romans eventually converted to Christianity. Jews were forced to convert, their children were taken from them and raised as Christians and Jews were persecuted in many other ways.
A people living in between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. In the 1000’s, their leaders and many of the people converted to Judaism. The kingdom was conquered and assimilated by the Russians a few centuries later. There were contacts and connections between the Khazars and the Sephardim.
the Sephardic name for rabbi. The leader of a Sephardic community and often its judge and teacher.
A prime minister or very close advisor to a caliph. Many Jews earned this position because of their loyalty to a caliph and their aid in helping the caliph rule.
religious poems written by Sephardi poets; often used in the siddur as introductions to prayers.
a storage area in a synagogue or school, where sacred writings, no longer usable are stored – any books or papers with the Hebrew name of God must be buried, or stored until burial
Court set up by the Roman Catholic Church to weed out heretics – those who did not follow the strict laws of the Church
August, 1492, the Jews of Spain were told they had to leave the country with only a few possessions, or convert to Catholicism
a combination of Hebrew, Arabic and Spanish, a street language developed by the Sephardim
Jewish mysticism; a spiritual approach to Judaism that helps lead one to God through study of mystical texts