Cosmopolitans at Home: The Sephardic Jews of Washington, D. C.

Abstract

The city of Washington and its surrounding area have a direct effect on the study of the Jews, both in composition of their community and in the mode of gathering data. For these Jews of Middle Eastern background, Washington is a place of economic viability and a symbol of cosmopolitanism, an image compatible with the Sephardis' conceptualization of themselves. Yet, the international and transient character of the city and of the Sephardis, and the occupational and social structure of both, present problems in community organization and in the future of a visible and viable presence in Washington. This article discusses the weaknesses inherent in the term Sephardic, a term that each individual uses to describe himself and as a symbolic basis for organizing the community: Sephardic conjures up a proud heritage but masks historical and social differences between individuals. These distinctions are reinforced by the differences between the personal and institutional networks that bring people to the city, and by the resultant residential situation. The organizational problems of an anthropological study in an area without easily recognizable ethnic neighborhoods or visible ethnic institutions resemble the problems of communication between community organizers and residentially scattered individuals. Ethnographic research in Washington highlights the problematical nature of ethnic identity when occupational designations take precedence over cultural heritage as the primary means of economic and social contact.