Mizrahi
/mɪzˈrɑːhi/noun
A term for Jews of Middle Eastern or North African origin, or relating to their cultures and traditions.
Did you know?The Hebrew word for east, מִזְרָח (mizrah), comes from a root associated with rising or shining—so “Mizrahi” carries an ancient solar image of dawn and emergence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ẓ-r-ḥ
“To rise, shine, or appear—especially associated with the rising sun”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מִזְרָח (mizrāḥ)
“East; the direction of sunrise, formed with a place-or-instrument prefix”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מִזְרָחִי (mizrāḥī)
“Eastern; belonging to or coming from the east”
Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
מִזְרָחִי (Mizraḥi)
“Eastern, increasingly used in geographic and communal descriptions”
20th Century
Modern Hebrew
מִזְרָחִי (Mizrahi)
“A Jew of Middle Eastern or North African origin, or relating to those communities”
20th Century
English
Mizrahi
“An English loanword referring to Jews and cultural traditions associated with the Middle East and North Africa”