Western Sephardim & Race - Ethnicity - Religion - Peoplehood(Also posted on the Foundation Page)As I explained in my article in Studia rosenthaliana vol. 29 - Number 1 - 1995: Western Sephardim have been part of the great currents of Western European, British and North American history for nearly 500 years. What happened to European Sephardim in 1939-1945 might be described as the third exile: not from Terra Santa (the Promised Land) into a vast wilderness, but from a world whose dominant themes are emancipation, liberalism, creativity and aesthetic refinement into the world of rejection, segregation, deportation, and destruction. Our communities suffered well-nigh complete extermination at the hands of the Nazis - a scourge which, in some of its characteristics, was prefigured by the inquisition, but was infinitely more methodical, savage and pitiless than anything imagined or inflicted by its tribunals of yore.It is of utmost importance to understand that our enemies didn’t come after us for following this or that religious tradition. No they defined us as “RACE”. And concluded that that race had to be exterminated. Of my own community in Amsterdam of 4257 Sephardim only about 500 survived.Most of our people lived a secular life style. Other than circumcision, marriage, and burial the far majority hardly ever attended religious services but they paid their fintas (annual congregational dues). Since 1948 we Jews are blessed by having again our own independent state. A place where we can be Jewish in whatever way we desire. It is rather unfortunate that certain elements within our own communities are doing everything in their power to eliminate our freedom and liberties. They desire to impose their ways, religious, cultural, social, and in general disrespecting all those who choose a different path. The political authority the chief rabbinate exercises is extremely damaging for it imposes the religious convictions of a rather minor group of ultra orthodox clerics. As a native Dutchman I must remind my coreligionists of the following:The Union of Utrecht from 1579 – the founding document and de facto constitution of the repubic – declares that: “… each person shall remain free in his religion and that no one shall be investigated or persecuted because of his religion.” – (The Union of Utrecht, article 13, 1579)That is why my teacher, Haham Barend Drukarch (1917-1998) always underlined the importance of a strict separation of Church (Synagogue) & State. And yes also for the State of Israel. Orthodox Jews should be able to live in freedom and exercise their religious beliefs as they like but so should every other person whatever their religious choices might be. Jews are a people, not a race, not an ethnicity, and not just a religion. And we Western Sephardim are part of that Jewish People with our own traditions. Most of us are secular people but we are Jews and proud of our beautiful hertitage.