I am Ashkenazi. Do I have to become Sephardic if I marry a Sephardic Jew?
I am Ashkenazi. Do I have to become Sephardic if I marry a Sephardic Jew? Dear Rabbi, I am a Reform Ashkenazi Jew. I am getting married to a Sephardic man. Do I have to become Sephardic according to Judaism? Thanks, SharonAnswer: Dear Sharon, Thank you for your question. You indicate that you are a Reform Jew of Ashkenazic ancestry. You ask if you would have to “become Sephardic” if you were to marry a man of Sephardic ancestry. Ashkenazic Jews, with ancestry from eastern and central Europe, and Sephardic Jews, with ancestry mostly from northern Africa and the Middle East, have some different customs in Jewish ritual practice, particularly in liturgy, music and the observance of some holidays. There is no simple answer to your question. There are no requirements in Jewish law that either men or women must change their personal observances when marrying a Jew with different customs. In practice, marriages between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews involve compromises, just as in any marriage
