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Are Jews a religious group? An ancestral or ethnic group? A multicultural group? A worldwide people? All of these descriptors are accurate. Jews trace their origins to the land of Israel, but the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE and subsequent migrations resulting from conquest, war, persecution, and poverty have led Jews to settle all over the world. Anywhere that Jewish people live outside of Israel is considered the diaspora—the place of their dispersal.

Diaspora Jews have always been both a part of and apart from their surrounding societies, both integrating with their non-Jewish neighbors and maintaining a degree of separation. This is reflected in their cultural practices, from clothing to synagogue architecture, literature to dance. In some cases, these cultural practices have been similar to those of their non-Jewish neighbors, and in other cases, they have been quite different. This module by Dr. Benor explores these ideas through the topics of food, music, language, and names.